HOW TO WRITE A SUCCESSFUL, INTERNET JOB POSTING?
The key to a successful Internet job posting is
first recognizing that it is not a print classified advertisement. An Internet
job posting is interactive, and requires a good understanding of interactive
marketing.
One
of the greatest challenges contractors face when posting jobs online is
recognizing that they must change their traditional job posting habits. An
online job posting will not do well if written like a print classified ad. It
must be written and thought of more like an interactive marketing campaign for
the entire firm, and should be written by the marketing department and not the
HR department.
Update The Company Web Site. The company web site is fast becoming the first
point of contact for most job seekers or prospective clients. Contractors
should update their corporate web site so that it provides a professional and
interactive presentation of the firm, its goals, key personnel, corporate
culture, top achievements, and business philosophy. In fact every marketing
resource available to the contractor should be utilized to make the corporate
web site the best it can be. Although most job boards provide hot links to
company web sites from respective job posting, some do not; either way job
seekers today are likely to surf the Internet independently to locate an
contractors web site and any relevant press releases or news before submitting
their resume.
Keywords Rule. In the fast
paced world of Internet surfing, most job seekers will only take time to view
the top 20 search results. Making it to the top is usually about keywords,
since they often make the difference between a successful job posting and a
waste of time.
Contractors should put the right keywords in the right place so that the right people can
find their job postings. Online job postings are not viewed the way print
classified ads are viewed. Online job postings are hidden within databases
containing thousands if not millions of records, and they must be called up
for a job seeker to view them. This process of calling up may take the form
of keyword selection in a search engine, or any number of methods with point
and click directories.
Its important for
contractors to study the job posting and keyword guidelines of the hosting job
board since they will differ from site to site. Many job boards will rank or prioritize job postings within their
database by title, membership status, date, keywords or other less obvious
means. Adding keywords properly will assure that a job posting will find its way to the
top of the job boards search results. Adding keywords improperly may result in
having the job posting deleted by the hosting job board or simply lost in the
volumes of database records that job seekers never find.
In identifying the best
keywords for a job posting, contractors should determine what words the ideal
job seeker will select in utilizing the job boards search engine, and include
them all including any occupational specific terms such as hard bid
estimator, or value engineering. It is a good idea to use multiple words or synonyms that may mean the same
thing to cover all bases. For example, if the job location is in a lesser-known
town such as Maitland, Florida near a well-known city like Orlando, Florida
then Orlando should be added as a keyword.
Most job boards require
keywords to be added in a special field in a particular fashion (using quotes,
comas, etc.). Job Postings that do not
offer a special field for keywords typically require that the contractor add
keywords to the Job Description, Job Requirements or other searchable fields.
When adding keywords to a Job Description, contractors should write the
keywords into complete sentences so that the content flows as a logical
composition.
Make It Believable. Job Postings should be believable and complete if
they want to attract the top talent. Most executive job seekers are interested
in job postings that contained detailed job descriptions and job requirements,
many want to see salary and information about the company, and many others want
to know job location. Most job boards claim that a well-written job posting can
achieve many more qualified applications than a poorly written job posting. Fortunately many job
boards offer FAQs and job posting guidelines to help contractors get the most
from their job posting, and some even provide statistical analysis of
individual job postings. These statistics often show the number of job seeker
views and applications submitted to each job posting. Contractors can use
statistics to evaluate their results and modify the job posting
accordingly.
The more detail provided in a job posting, the more
credible the job and the better the fit interested job seekers will be that
respond. Contractors should be specific about the scope and type of work
offered, the hours, the job goals, salary and the location. They should also
make sure all fields are filled in appropriately and completely. Some boards
allow for job postings to be previewed prior to going live helping contractors
see the completed job posting the way job seekers will see it. Many job boards
allow for real time editing during the advertisements flight.
Manage Style. Unlike classified print ads, online job postings
usually allow for pages of copy. Headhunter.net allows for up to three thousand
characters in the Job Description and three thousand characters in the Job
Requirements fields or about two typewritten pages. Contractors should write clearly and present text in an
organized, logical manner. Job postings should read like a composition and not
a print classified ad. Sentences can be short but they should always be
complete sentences containing correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The
copy should include natural paragraphs with line breaks so that the job seeker
can find relevant information quickly and easily. Writing in all Caps, using
excessive exclamation points, or adding acronyms and abbreviations will reduce
the credibility of the job posting and potentially result in job deletion by
the hosting job board. Acronyms and abbreviations should also be spelled out
since job seekers usually search by complete words.
Read Job Posting Guidelines. Most job
boards have a Terms of Use agreement that members or users must agree to in
order to utilize their service. Its important that contractors read and
understand the terms that relate to job postings and keywords to get the best
results. It is typical for job boards that have high quality control standards
to delete or edit up to 25% of all job postings for being inappropriate. Most
job boards do not allow for listing of emails, URLs, use of copyrighted
material, defamatory remarks, false, inaccurate or misleading information,
illegal or unethical content. Job postings that encourage job seekers to email
for more details are also usually prohibited.
Follow Up. Contractors should make sure to immediately follow up on all qualified
applications submitted. Peter Weddles at weedles.com says, Speed is
everything in hiring top talent. Within ten days the top 10% of job seekers are
gone. Once someone desirable is identified, its important to act on that
person right away. Todays recruitment market is highly competitive and the
hiring cycle should not allow for any dead time between in-house interviewing
schedules and final selection. Contractors should not leave job seekers hanging
more than five to seven days without a scheduled following up meeting,
otherwise they risk losing the job seeker entirely. There needs to be top-level
management involved on all key hires. Involving top management makes job
seekers feel the hire is an important position and that they have personally
been selected as the candidate of choice by the top brass. Contractors should
begin closing the sale the moment they determine they want someone for hire,
and not let up until an offer is on the table and accepted.
COMMON INTERNET JOB POSTING FIELDS AND THEIR PURPOSE.
Job Title. Titles should be industry-specific and familiar to jobs seekers since
they will usually keyword search for positions according to standard job
titles. The Job Title field is not the field to market the job posting like
with a classified ad. The Job Title field should be used primarily to have the
job posting found by job seekers. Adding appropriate keywords in the appropriate
place is far more important than catchy job titles that never get seen. However it is acceptable to add relevant and
occupational defining adjectives to the basic Job Title such as On-site
Architectural Project Manager, Conceptual Chief Estimator, Hospital Flooring
Project Engineer, and Veteran Concrete Superintendent.
Job Descriptions. Job descriptions typically focus on job
responsibilities, duties, scope of position, achievements and goals to be
accomplished. The
clearer the description of what the job seeker will do if selected for the
position, the more likely qualified job seekers will apply.
However
job descriptions should also focus on the job seekers needs and not just the
position. Job descriptions should be written from the job seekers perspective
and answer the question, Why would a job seeker want to apply to this job?
Contractors should describe the best parts of the job, interesting challenges,
future job opportunities, reporting relationships, and why the position is
available. Its important to sell the overall career
opportunity and not just describe it. If a job seeker takes the job, what will
their lives be like? Use word pictures and try to communicate a desirable image
that the job seeker can visualize which will compel him or her to change
jobs. For example a phrase such as,
work in a progressive environment where you can learn more in six months than
you may have in the last six years, or walk into your private office and join
a team of enthusiastic professionals who are building the next great management
firm.
If
there is not a job posting field to list specific benefits and perks, add them
into the job description. Job benefits include things such as flex time, work
at home, child care, above average medical benefits, company vehicle, education
reimbursement, country club membership, and other special offerings. However
contractors should recognize that the Job Description field should not describe
the company, the job requirements, the job location, salary, or anything else
unless there is no other appropriate field to post this information.
Inappropriate content or placing content in the wrong fields may result in the
job posting being edited or deleted.
Company Profile. Most job boards allow for a hot link to the contractors
corporate web site. However many job boards in addition to offering a hot link
will offer a special Company Profile field. Contractors should fill in this field
completely to add valuable content and keywords to the job boards database to
improve their chances of being found by searching job seekers.. A Company
Profile field creates an additional promotional opportunity for the firm and
the job position. Use this field to
describe what the company does, addressing key elements like organization size,
location, benefits, company goals, its mission, management style, employee
quality of life and what makes the firm special. Contractors should also
include information about the qualities desired in all team members. This field
often provides for limitless content and is the least edited or marshaled by
the hosting job board. Some job boards even allow for multiple company profiles
that can be individually linked to a respective job posting, allowing recruiters
to add information on each respective client, and contractors the opportunity
to promote information about their various divisional offices.
Contact Information. It is essential to put contact information in all forms and in all
appropriate fields. Contractors should try to make it easy for a job seeker to
apply. Most job seekers prefer email, but many will only mail, fax or call in
before sending their confidential resume. It is appropriate to specify a
preferred contact method, and request that all applications include the
respective Job ID. By having several contact methods and the name of a real
person (not just a department), a job seeker is more likely to believe the job
is valid and apply.
Job Identification (ID): Contractors should use a tracking system with their job
postings by providing a unique Job ID for each job posting and require that job
seekers reference this ID on any application whether faxed, emailed, or mailed.
This allows contractors to know which site, and specifically which ad brought
in the respective application. Information on where the best applications come
from will help contractors know what job boards have been the most productive
sources of talent.
Job
Responsibilities. Job Responsibilities are
simply the job requirements for the position. However contractors should try
and list why the requirements are there to get the best job seeker response.
An example would be, A Bachelor of Arts degree is required to help lead
corporate communications, or We require seven years or project management
experience on commercial building projects to train and manage three project
managers and seven project engineers. Make it clear what are the "must have"
qualifications and the "desirable" skills. Avoid clichés or trite
phrases like, self motivator, "team player" and
"fast-paced" which make the job posting seem common.
Contractors can also use
the Job Responsibilities field as an eliminator of unwanted resumes by making
qualifying statements such as, Applicants must have a minimum of six consecutive years with the same general
contractor, and have completed profitably at least three multimillion dollar
strip malls as an onsite project manager, or Applicants must have a
willingness to travel up to 25% overseeing projects out of state. Otherwise
please do not apply. Contractors can also add qualifying phrases such as,
background checks are performed in the hiring process, or personality
testing is used in the hiring process to eliminate many unwanted job seekers.
Salary. In
spite of the arguments given by many contractors who refuse to post salary
information in job postings, Salary
figures make job postings credible, and improve the job seeker response rate
substantially. It is also one of the most searched fields on a job posting. Job
seekers are typically more interested in the salary figures than any other item
in a job description. According to executive recruiter Chuck Groom of CC Group,
Inc., Money is one of the top reasons why people leave their job. Job seekers
do not want to waste their time with a job that may not pay what they require.
And they will usually assume that an contractor that does not have a salary
figure listed in the Job Posting, may be embarrassed by the salary level or
have something to hide. Phrases such as
Salary will be commensurate with experience, N/A, Open, or Depends on
experience do not prove effective and will also reduce a job postings
response rate significantly.
Work Status. An important qualifier that is often overlooked is the work status
field. With the international reach of the Internet, more and more foreigners
without valid work visas are applying to United States job postings.
Contractors can eliminate many foreign applications by simply stating in their
job posting, Applicants must be United States citizens, or Only United States
citizens or those with valid work visas need apply, or You must have
clearance to work in the United States to be
considered for this position.
Location. Almost all the major job boards require the Location field to be
completed. Although many recruiters refuse to identify the job location in fear
of disclosing their clients need for confidentiality, listing the job location
is considered one of the main fields job seekers look for in a job posting. Job
seekers from all over the country and the world may see the job posting.
Without a valid city, job seekers must guess at the job location and often will
not apply thinking the posting is in an undesirable location, or invalid
serving only as a ploy to collect resumes.
In selecting the right job board, contractors should
compare results based on verifiable, industry standards. One way to make an
accurate comparison is through Amazons Alexa Research, which can be downloaded
at Alexa.com and easily attached to a web browser. Once installed, this tool
will indicate a web sites visitor traffic based on a common standard, and
measured against the entire seventeen million plus websites currently on the
Internet.
The previous information is written and copyrighted by
Frederick C. Hornberger, Jr., president of Hornberger Management Company, a
national board and executive search firm specializing in the industry. This information is provided for
personal use only. It may not be copied, printed or distributed to anyone other
than you the reader, for any reason without permission from the author. Contact
the author at address One Commerce Center, #747, Wilmington, Delaware 19801,
phone 302-573-2541, email fch@hmc.com, or
through the company web site at www.hmc.com.