How to Write an Attractive Job Description
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How to Write an Attractive Job Description

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Article Summary

Your job description is the first time a candidate meets your company. Therefore it must be convincingly designed for the target group in order for candidates to apply. When drafting a job description, one should put himself in the shoes of the candidates and ask himself if the job description is appealing enough for the candidates to click on the Apply button.

A well-structured job description with a targeting-oriented approach will decide whether you are successful in finding the right candidates.

Info

Access thousands of free and ready to use job description and other HR related templates in our HR Glossary.

Steps to success

The AIDA model describes the four phases candidates go through from the first point of contact to applying for the job. This model works great for a structured approach to job description drafting.

AIDA stands for:

  • Awareness
  • Interest
  • Desire
  • Action

Awareness

Start your job description with a target group-oriented introduction, a so-called lead paragraph, which attracts the attention of your ideal candidate. Activate the target group by addressing them directly and actively.

In two or three sentences, your introduction should summarize the challenges and USPs (unique selling points) of the job, the most important task or goal, and the advantages of your company. Of course, these should all be translated to (the needs) of your target group! Because, let's be honest, writing from an organizational perspective (who do we need, what do we want on your cv) is not really appealing, right? Nor does it belong to present-day marketing.

Once you caught the attention of your candidate, round off the lead paragraph with a clear invitation to read on. In the bridge between the introduction and the actual job description, mention all the relevant framework conditions and information that are essential to the candidate. Start off with a good, relevant, and researched job title, but also pay attention to work location, contract type, and working time model.

Quick Tip

Choosing the job title determines whether your job description will be found by your desired target group. Select the most relevant job title that is most frequently used in search queries of your candidates. Relevant specifications of the job, such as programming languages or a specific area of expertise help to draw the right attention to your vacancy.

If you’re not sure, tools like Google Trends can help you choose the right title. A quick glance at the search results on the job boards can also tell you whether a job title is promising.

Interest

In the "war for talent" it is not just important to create attention for your vacancies, but also to arouse interest in your job offer. We'll have a look at the best way to achieve this in the second phase of the AIDA model: Interest.

In the interest phase, two elements play a major role: What kinds of tasks the job entails and what the desired candidate needs to bring to the table (i.e. the candidate profile).

Ongoing lists of tasks and skills are not only illegible, but they can also create a threshold and a reason for the candidate to drop out of the application process. We don't want that! Instead,
consider: What must the desired candidate bring along? What would be a "nice-to-have", but is not absolutely necessary?

In your job description, summarize the most important tasks and most relevant requirements in no more than 5 bullet points. This way you will ensure that the job description is visually appealing and has a balanced relation between the tasks and the profile.

Structure your bullets according to relevance. Activities that are particularly important are mentioned first. For requirements that need to be met, start with the hard skills and then move on to the soft(er) skills.

Quick Tip

To make your job searchable in the best way possible, it should include a suitable and relevant job title - but should also contain valuable keywords. This is the principle of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which can be applied to your job descriptions as well as to your career page. This makes it easier for candidates to find jobs through search engines and job boards.

Use relevant keywords in your job description. Give them a prominent spot in your subheadings, like “What does your day as an Online Marketeer look like?”. Repeat the job title a few times throughout the text. Keep a realistic keyword density to avoid so-called ‘keyword stuffing” and use relevant synonyms.

Desire

In the third phase of the AIDA model, the aim is to transform the aroused interest into the desire to apply. To achieve this goal, you should take a closer look at your employee benefits and company description.

Scoring points with attractive benefits

In terms of benefits, the basic rule is the more, the better. The benefits should ideally match the (needs and desires of the) target group. Candidates don't usually look at just one ad when looking for a job. With attractive benefits, you can stand out from the crowd.
With your benefits, you also give candidates a first impression of what they can expect from you as an employer. It is therefore important to remain authentic.

Is your annual Christmas party really the same as "regular team events"? And is it just as relevant for an experienced sales representative in the sales force as it is for a young
developer?

Corporate culture instead of product portfolio

In addition to target-group-specific employee benefits, a short description of your company is essential for a successful job advertisement. Limit yourself to three to five lines. If candidates want to find out more about your company, they can find out on the career page, via social media, or employer rating portals.

When formulating this paragraph, keep in mind that you are promoting your company and not your product or service. So rather give an insight into the corporate culture than describe your product portfolio in detail.

Quick Tip

Are you unsure which benefits are particularly important to your target group? Simply ask your employees in similar positions or the department for which you are recruiting, what is important to them? After all, they belong to your target group and can provide you with the best tips.

Action

As the title suggests, the last phase is to encourage candidates to take an action - in your case to complete the application. The best way to lead the applicant to the last phase is by including a short but concise Call-to-Action.

Explain in the following section how the candidates can apply for your job, which documents they have to send in, and what the application process looks like (closing date, first interviews, etc.).

Finally, it is recommended that you mention a contact person with a telephone number, so open questions by the candidates can be answered quickly and easily. This also adds a personal touch to your vacancy!

Job Description Structure
  1. Lead Paragraph

  2. Introduction

  3. Job title

  4. Job description and tasks

  5. Candidate profile & requuirements

  6. Benefits

  7. Call-to-action

  8. Application process and contact details


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