When you’re writing a job description, it can really feel like you’re throwing your ad into a sea of jobs and hoping for the best. No matter how good your job is, how cool your benefits are, or what the compensation is, job ads and boards don’t feel like they’re getting the job done as much anymore. It’s disheartening to hear things like how today’s job seekers only glance at a job ad for 50 seconds then move on to something else. It feels like all the effort you’re putting into your descriptions and postings and boards adds up to nothing. How do you get more eyes on the jobs you need filled?
Enter the Infographic
Infographics have seen an enormous surge in popularity over the last few years. Currently, infographics are one of the most visible forms of viral advertising for many companies , since they’re 3 times more likely to be shared on social media networks like Facebook or Twitter than regular documents. They’re flashy, pop out at anyone who sees one, and provide data in succinct forms that paragraphs often find hard to emulate. They’re a good a way to relay a lot of information in a short amount of time.
Tweet This : Infographics are 3 times more likely to be shared on social media than regular documents.
Which is why job descriptions are such a good match for them. Job ads want applicants to know as much about the job and company behind the ad as possible, which infographics do. Recently, NPR posted one of their job ads online for a recruiting manager in the form of an infographic, garnering them a lot of attention. Tattoo parlors have posted ads in magazines testing potential new artists by having them precisely fill in a QR code and sending the completed picture to them directly. These kinds of visual ads, like NPR’s can spread more virally because of their novelty, and if they’re enough, you’re bound to get more eyes on the job, which means more applicants.
Making Your Own Infographic
Infographics can seem like an intimidating venture, and there’s no shortcut to making a good one. However, it’s easier than ever to get started on making infographics that’ll attract the candidates you need. There are several resources online you can use as templates for creating your first infographic.
There are also several guides online that’ll help you in learning the principles of a good infographic. There’s no reason your job ad shouldn’t be visually appealing as well as informative, and if you have an eyefor visual design , it shouldn’t be too difficult to get started on leveraging the visual power of infographics to sell your job to more candidates.
The Downsides of Visual
Just because infographics are in right now doesn’t mean they always will be. As more and more companies take advantage of infographics, they’re going to lose their impact, so if you’re looking to get the most out of infographics, you’d better act quick. Jesse Aaron ( @JesseAarone ), writer at SteamFeed, discusses why infographics’ appeal may be limited.
“This is a rather subjective con because many people still haven’t even seen an infographic; but for those who have, repeated design practices have burst the infographic popularity bubble. Bold fonts with contrasted colors next to pie charts and percentages are getting boring. Infographics that we remember have a completely unique design approach tovisualizing data .”
Infographics are a little harder to get data on than traditional job sources . Even if your ad goes viral in a big way, it’s possible that sites that link to it won’t link back to your original source, making it difficult to know how many people are actually looking at your ad. Even though you may not be able to get the best ROI people are still seeing your job ad. Additionally, if you want to get in on infographics while the iron is hot, you may not have time to learn how to make them yourself, and will have to hire a designer to make one, or dedicate your current designer’s time to it.
Tweet This : Infographics are a little harder to get data on than traditional job sources.
Bottom Line: Do Infographics Work for Jobs?
Well Amplify Talent’s Lars Schmidt ( @ThisIsLars ) recently created one for a client, so thought leaders in the space are building them. However, they may be a little more suited to creative positions like graphic design, copywriters or marketeers. Unfortunately, unless you couch them within a mountain of text, you won’t get the SEO benefits from an infographic so consider that before investing in creating one for every position.
While it may take a little more effort to make one, infographic job ads are a novel way to spread the word about your job. They’re more prone to getting attention in sources job descriptions can’t usually reach, and a particularly well-made one will spread your ad to those looking to learn how to make them, putting more eyes on your ad. If you’re really feeling lost in a sea of job ads, infographics may just be the rowboat that’ll get yours to shore.