Write an Amazing Job Listing and Find the Employees You Want

There's turmoil in the job market now, as layoffs are flooding the market with talent.

How can you attract the best talent to your company? Follow these tips from a 15 year HR veteran.

1) The Best Job Ads Market the Job AND the Company

You want to find job seekers who will thrive in your company culture. Use your ad to paint a picture of employee life.

What is paid time off like? Is the role remote or hybrid? (Be honest!) List any cultural aspects and perks you offer.

2) Avoid Bias in Your Listing

Sometimes by recycling old postings, you can unintentionally tell a candidate they're not a good fit for you.

Are you using gendered language in your titles, like "chairman" instead of "chairperson"?

If you find yourself looking for a "ninja" or a "rockstar": 2010 would like its job listing back, and employees may see this as a toxic startup red flag.

3) A Job Ad is NOT a Job Description

Don't exhaustively list every single task your candidate will do! You should only list key responsibilities and expectations.

By putting every little task in your listing, you may signal the job is tedious, or alternately that you're trying to hire one person for three jobs.

4) Include a Salary Range

Good employees want to know they'll be appropriately compensated. Don't waste their time (and yours!) by going through an interview process without discussing salary.

And never mind wasted time: it's the law in several US states now that you MUST list a salary range.

5) Make Applying Easy...But Not Too Easy

In the age of one click apply, it's easy to apply to a hundred jobs in an hour that a candidate may not be a good fit for. Ask clear screening questions to help you filter.

On the flip side, don't ask for incredibly onerous tasks, like writing an essay about the company or pitching their great marketing plan. Good candidates may weed themselves out if it requires too much effort to apply.

Bonus Tip: Use Good Technology, For Your Sanity

Rather than sifting through each resume by hand, use a resume parser to help you find the keywords you're looking for.

A good Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will also help you deal with the large quantities of applicants out there.