3 Tips for Posting Job Ads that Attract Candidates

It’s that time of year again. College graduates are flooding the candidate pipelines and you just happen to be hiring. But all these new recruits means a rise in competition for the best new talent out there. You want, no – you NEED the most talented individuals to join your team. But how?

Through your job ads of course! I mean seriously, how else are you supposed to grab their attention? Here’s the thing though, in this recruiter eat recruiter world, the same old boring ads just don’t cut it anymore.

They need to be engaging, interesting and creative. And not to brag (okay…totally to brag) but job ads just happen to be a specialty of mine. Here’s what you need to remember to attract the candidates you want:

1. Make it visual

With social media, the rise of video content, memes and GIFs, we have come to live in a visual society and your job ads need to reflect that. Who wants to read a laundry list of facts/requirements anyways? Just get to the point!

Creating captivating visual material is key to not only attracting, but also keeping the attention of possible candidates. The average attention span is now only 8 seconds long (shorter than that of a goldfish…) so you really have your work cut out for you.

Plus, with images comes the opportunity to really show your stuff. Company culture, brand and more can easily be showcased by offering up the proper visuals and making a connection with your audience. Below you’ll see what I mean. This ad expresses a sense of humor, lets the candidate know what job is needed right away, and the use of a widely known logo is enough to grab the attention of even the most entry level of designers. Also you’ll note, it’s not for Apple.

2. Make it clever

So this one is kind of a no brainer. What’s the best way to grab anyone’s attention? Play off trends and pop culture. Especially when it comes to graduates and the younger generations in the workforce – you want to seem like one of the cool kids.

Again, use the latest trending memes, new movie releases, video games, whatever that you feel may relate to the target candidates you are looking to attract. Besides, who doesn’t want to work for a company that gets all their pun-y Star Wars jokes?

Want to know what’s next? Check out the original post on LinkedIn Talent Blog!

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.