No One Is Responding to My Job Postings.
“No one qualified is responding to my job postings. What should I do?” I hear it at least once a week. The first thing I say? “Is your job post any good?”
The look says it all.
I don’t know how many scary job post articles I can write, but the truth is? I could probably share one bad job post every week and still not cover everything wrong on the Internet regarding job postings.
These job posts range from mildly bad to entirely offensive. There are the postings that sound like a dating profile after a bad breakup, where they list each thing, and you know it’s about someone in particular because it’s *too* specific. There are ridiculous job postings that border on funny. Usually, those are written by some CEO who thinks they know everything. One late night they threw together a job post that reads a lot more like a telemarketing one-hour special than a description of any real company.
Then we have the people who use the job ninja like that’s a real thing or anyone over the age of 7 types “ninja jobs” into Google.
All that to say the things that can go wrong list is pretty broad.
Disastrous Job Postings: Hedgehog Sitters
Just this week, I was tagged in a few disasters on Twitter and LinkedIn. This one made me laugh. I mean, I guess there’s a job for everything?
Okay, so maybe it’s not a typical job post, but I see some typical mistakes in almost every one of the job postings I read. Errors that are most definitely costing you qualified applications.
Why Aren’t People Applying to My Job?
If you’re struggling to get people to respond to your job posting, let’s look at a few things.
- What job title are you using? Google the job title and the word résumé. Click on the image search results. If you wouldn’t hire any of those people, your job title is probably the issue. The right people are not finding your job. Watch this YouTube tutorial for more.
- Read your job posting aloud and tell me if you feel like you are a walking-talking marketing ad. If your job posting sounds a lot more like a sales pitch than something you would say in a bar to a friend, it’s time to humanize your language and make it more accessible for the person on the other side.
- On that note about the telemarketer, does this role seem too good to be true? Are you trying to sell something that might suck? People can see through that. Distrust is at an all-time high. Don’t try to attract people with messages that aren’t even true. They will smell your bullshit a mile away.
- How long is your posting? Target 250 words to optimally target candidates. Why 250 words? Well, it’s the length of the average social media message, and we know that’s what people go out of their way to read.
If you’re interested in upgrading your job postings, my How To Write A Job Post on-demand course can help. You can buy access here.
What do you get?
- Eight video tutorials, each under 10 minutes (includes transcripts),
- FAQs that are updated regularly based on top questions,
- Three job post examples for high-demand roles: software engineer, sales, and server
- 15+ creative and unique EEO statements
- 20+ before-and-after examples of job skill descriptions
Soon, you’ll be an expert in writing job posts too. So unlock your lifetime access, and I’ll email you all course materials (valued at over $2,500).
Kat Kibben View All →
Kat Kibben [they/them] is a keynote speaker, writing expert, and LGBTQIA+ advocate who teaches hiring teams how to write inclusive job postings that will get the right person to apply faster.
Before founding Three Ears Media, Katrina was a CMO, Technical Copywriter, and Managing Editor for leading companies like Monster, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. With 15+ years of recruitment marketing and training experience, Katrina knows how to turn talented recruiting teams into talented writers who write for people, not about work.
Today, Katrina is frequently featured as an HR and recruiting expert in publications like The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Forbes. They’ve been named to numerous lists, including LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Job Search & Careers. When not speaking, writing, or training, you’ll find Katrina traveling the country in their van or spending some much needed downtime with the dogs that inspired the name Three Ears Media.