8 Ways to Optimize Your Job Postings and Attract Top Talent

Employer Articles / July 31, 2023
Table of Contents
  1. Be Clear
  2. Highlight Your Company Perks and Values
  3. List Out Your Benefits
  4. Include the Salary
  5. Show Employee Experiences
  6. Utilize Keywords
  7. Format Correctly
  8. Add Videos and Images

Attracting the right talent starts with a strong job posting. But what should you include in your job posting to attract candidates? What do candidates care about when looking to apply for open positions? 

Use these tips to get started! 

1. Be Clear

Our audience called out that the most important factor a job posting should contain is very clear role responsibilities. When putting together your job listing, make sure to not only include clear role responsibilities but also try formatting them so that they are easy to read through, ideally in a bulleted list. 

66% of our audience mentioned that they apply to roles they find are the perfect fit with their skills and career path, so the more information you can include to help candidates align with their skills the better the candidate pool will be for you. 

2. Highlight Your Company Perks and Values

Candidates want to apply to companies that share similar values and interests with them.

For example, 75% of our audience said that they would not work for a company that does not have diversity and inclusion efforts and practices, as well as 87% of millennials stated that they would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental causes. 

Depending on what type of candidate you want to attract, make sure to highlight your initiatives and programs to attract and retain those candidates. 

3. List Out Your Benefits

Benefits, such as healthcare, childcare, and more were identified as the third most important factor job seekers consider.

60% of our audience indicated that healthcare benefits will be more important to them as they look for new opportunities. Put more emphasis on specific benefits to draw in candidates.

4. Include the Salary

Many employers choose to leave the salary out of their job posting, however, if candidates know immediately what salary to expect, you will get only serious applicants

Salary is the top factor identified by our audience when considering applying for a job posting, and gen z also identified it as their most important factor.

Candidates who utilize the Perfect Fit Score will more easily find your job posting through salary match, delivering a more bespoke candidate pool.

5. Show Employee Experiences

Employee experience examples were one of the top 5 factors candidates look for when applying. Highlight diverse employee journeys from all levels throughout the company so candidates can see their own career potential within your company.

Include career development stories to show candidates growth opportunities exist within the company, leading to higher employee retention.

6. Utilize Keywords

To ensure your job postings show up on a candidate’s job search, use common keywords for that specific job. Use traditional job titles, like “Front Desk Agent” or “General Manager” and stay away from creating titles like “Marketing Guru” or “Sales Ninja,” which can cause confusion. 

Repeat the job title and the more important keywords throughout the job posting at least 4 or 5 times where applicable. Avoid putting keywords in the job title however, Google will likely penalize your posting and remove it from the system. 

7. Format Correctly

Break longer paragraphs into 2 or 3-sentence blocks. Format your entire job posting with very clearly defined sections, depending on your content included. Have headers and bulleted lists. Keep your sentences short and to the point and use words that everyone will know and understand.

Also, consider the audience. Should you include a translation of your job posting in another language to help create diversity among your candidates? 

8. Add Videos and Images

Including different media types on your employer profile page will add an extra layer for candidates that will increase their interest. Can you turn any employee experiences into videos? Do you have graphics that show your values, benefits, or perks? 

52% of markets say that video is effective for brand awareness and that it has the best ROI. Images of the property and team were in the top 6 most important factors candidates look at when applying for a job.