As the economy is turning around, so is the job market.  Job seekers, especially great ones, are becoming scarcer and openings are more abundant.  To get the great candidates, you really need to sell your opportunities.

But you’re a recruiter, not a writer or marketing specialist, right?  So how do you get started?

As a recruiter, you probably are very good at reviewing resumes, and you know what to look for.  Did you ever think that you could apply these rules to writing job descriptions?  Really, it’s almost the same thing.  You want to review a large number of resumes quickly, narrow down a small pool of those that interest you, and eliminate the rest.  Job seekers want to click through a huge number of job openings quickly and not waste time on those that don’t suit them.  If you apply the same rules to writing your job descriptions that you use for reviewing resumes, you will rise to the top of the list!

• Make it scannable.  This doesn’t mean it needs to be a laundry list in bullet point form, but highlight the most important things.  Use formatting to draw out the things you want the candidate to notice first.
• Use “external” language.  When you see a resume for a candidate who was the Lead Customer Experience Development Whatever, you have no idea what the person did, right?  You know what?  When you advertise for that position, candidates don’t know what you’re talking about either.  If it’s a salesperson, call it a salesperson.
• Inject some personality.  If it sounds like a computer generated your job description, no one will get excited about it.  If it sounds like you are excited about it, candidates will be too!
• Sell yourself.  Why do you work for this company?  What do you love about your job?  Make sure those things come across in the ad.  Don’t just list the benefits as if they don’t matter.  If it’s long hours and hard work, but you love the opportunities, talk about growth potential.  If it’s commitment to values and community, talk about volunteer activities.
• Don’t tell, show.  If your company has a fun, relaxed culture, then use fun, relaxed language to describe the job.  If the job description comes off as formal and stuffy, no one will believe the line about it being fun.
• Be intriguing right from the start.  The beginning of the job description, or even the headline of the ad, does not need to list the requirements for the perfect candidate.  It needs to make the perfect candidate want to spend time reading the rest of the ad.
• Communicate “why” instead of “why not.”  You will have plenty of time to screen out candidates who don’t meet your needs.  In the initial job description, spend more time convincing the great ones to apply instead of convincing most people that they don’t have what it takes.  The long list of requirements and preferences is more of a deterrent than anything else.  (And we all know unqualified people will apply anyway!)

In addition to writing a great job description, think about other ways you can communicate your message.  Add photos and videos to your posting to show what the work environment is really like or how people collaborate together.  Make the position come alive, but remember that when you post the job on most boards, those extra media tidbits probably won’t be included.  The job description is your foot in the door with a great candidate.  Make it amazing!

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