Posting a job? Follow this checklist.

Job-posting-checklistDavid Wishon, senior director of talent acquisition, provided insight into posting the best job post possible in a recent article in The New Talent Times. Here were a few of the bigger points from the piece, as described by the article’s writer, Erin Osterhaus, HR researcher with Software Advice.

Monster Thinking: What were your takeaways in talking with David for “A Checklist for Creating Effective Job Postings”?

Erin Osterhaus: When I had the idea to write the article, I wanted to create a checklist that would be a good resource for recruiters who were just getting started. I naively thought the content would be rather straightforward. However, after speaking with David, I quickly learned that job posting is something of an art that requires quite a bit of thought and preparation.

MT: Where do job posters go wrong, for the most part?

EO: For instance, David noted that many recruiters neglect a key component of job posting: nomenclature that’s leveraged in an industry. As he says, “I think that’s a critical piece that a lot of people miss — language that really resonates within the occupation that you’re looking to fill.”

In order to find and include that language, David says that recruiters can do keyword research by looking through other postings to give a baseline, reviewing other candidates’ resumes or good old Internet research to identify which terms job seekers in the industry would use when putting search terms into a job board’s search field.

Wishon also had one piece of advice that I found particularly interesting: “Don’t be overly creative with your job titles.” Many recruiters forget to think like the job seeker, who will not be searching for a role as a “java guru,” but probably something more standard, such as “java developer.”

MT: If nothing else, what did David stress job board posters must do to attract the right candidate? 

EO: Location, location, location. Most job seekers put in two key elements into a search field — the job title, and the location. As such, Wishon noted that job posters should be absolutely sure to include that information prominently in the job post.

Finally, David noted that many recruiters forget the key element that will get the right candidates to apply: a call to action. The purpose of a job posting is to get candidates to apply, and recruiters need to make that as easy as possible. Be sure to include clear instructions on how the job seeker should proceed. Otherwise, you may be missing out on great candidates.

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