Ensure you get the best quality and quantity of applicants by following our top ten tips to writing a job advert.

1. Include a salary. It’s our experience that employers who are able to include salary in their advert receive a much better response than those who don’t. Would you apply for a job if there was no hint as to what you might be paid? Even if the rate is not above average for your sector, you will save your time and the candidate’s time by including what the job pays.
2. Sell. Sell. Sell. Despite having a fantastic opportunity you’ll still need to sell it to our students and graduates. Think of the job as a product you’re advertising – you’ll need to attract interest, briefly communicate the benefits of the job and clearly explain how and when to apply.
3. What’s in a name? Think about the job title. If it doesn’t implicitly describe the job function, then use a strapline to do so. Better still, if you have an advert for an obscure job title, which doesn’t convey the job function, you might want to consider changing it. If you’re a recruitment agency, disclosing the name of your clients in the advert almost always generates a better response.
4. The devil’s in the detail. When you add the vacancy to our online system, make sure to complete all the required information, as the searchable database will allow potential applicants to find your vacancy more easily. Make sure you give applicants a good idea of what the job involves and what tasks they can expect to handle if they are recruited for the role.
5. Emphasise the Benefits. Generate interest by highlighting the benefits of the job – whether that’s the salary, the flexible hours, the working environment, the development or training programme or the opportunities for progression. People are attracted to new things so try to incorporate something innovative, exciting or challenging – either within the company information or the role.
6. Get the reader involved. Refer to the reader as ‘you’ and use the second person (‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’ etc.) in the job description and person specification. This helps the reader to visualise themselves in the role.
7. Keep it simple. Make the advert easy to read by keeping it clear and concise. Avoid complicated words unless absolutely necessary and think about using language that potential applicants would use.
8. Call to action. Generate interest by including a line that adds some immediacy to the process. Simple examples include:
   • ‘Apply now!’
   • ‘Take charge of your career and apply now!’
   • ‘Applications close on the 31st January – so get your CV to us today!’
9. Personalise. Include a contact name and email and/or a telephone number wherever possible. Rather than ‘Apply by CV and covering letter’ you might say, ‘Interested but have a question or want to know more? Contact Katie on 0161 247 3483 for an informal discussion of the role.’ This provides a ‘human’ aspect to the advert, which can appeal to and reassure applicants in an otherwise automated process.
10. Tweak. Contact us if your advert if it isn’t bringing in the response you want and we can help you to improve it.

We hope you found our tips useful. Please get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to discuss further.