The difference between finding mediocre candidates and extraordinary candidates for your clients is a good job posting. There are several ways you can ensure that your postings are as informative and efficient as possible. Use the following tips to strengthen your job postings and improve the flow of quality candidates.

The difference between finding mediocre candidates and extraordinary candidates for your clients is a good job posting. Use the tips below to strengthen your job postings so you can improve your flow of quality candidates.

Add Keywords

Because the majority of candidates search for available positions using keywords, make sure you use all relevant keywords in your posting. The entire text of the job, including the title, description, benefits, and company name are searched for instances of the keyword on job boards.

This means you need to include multiple keywords in your job description to make sure you are catching all the potential keywords a candidate may enter.

For example, if you are searching for a nurse, you should make sure to include the following keywords: nurses, RN, and BSN.

Use Familiar Job Titles

Use specific but familiar job titles in your postings. Make sure the titles are clear and succinct. This is your first chance to tell candidates about the job so make sure they understand the job title the first time they read it; otherwise, they may pass over your opening.

If the candidates you are targeting would search for a job by spelling out a title or using an abbreviation, you should use both.

For example, if you are searching for someone who does computer aided design, you should also include the acronym CAD in the title of the posting so the posting will come up in more searches.

Give Them Details

The purpose of posting a job is to spark a candidate's interest in the available position. When job postings have detailed descriptions, candidates tend to apply to them more.

There are four key points your job posting should contain:

• A description of the position and requirements
• An explanation of the duties involved
• A brief description of the company and the opportunity presented
• A description of the benefits and intangibles

Even though you are recruiting a candidate for another company, you still need to provide the candidates information about your client's company, when possible.

Expand Your Location

Do not limit your job posting to a restricted area around the job's location. Make sure to include surrounding cities and metropolitan areas in your searches.

For example, if your job opening is located in Northbrook, IL, you should also mention the Northern Chicago suburbs in your posting. That way, candidates who search in Chicago will also pull up your job in Northbrook.

Easy Read Postings

An easy-to-read job posting directs the candidate through the posting quickly and effectively. Using HTML, bullet points, italics, underlines, paragraph breaks, centering and other formatting features will help create postings that are reader-friendly and highlight the most important points of the posting.

Discuss Compensation

Even though you may not want to give an exact compensation, give a range. Make sure to point out any bonuses, commissions, or non-monetary compensation, as well. Adding compensation, especially when the salary is higher than the industry average, will boost applications to the posting.

Show Off Your Brand

Placing your logo on your job posting gives your company more credibility, and it will enhance brand recognition in the future. This is important because potential candidates are more likely to apply for an open position with a company they can recognize.

Sometime candidates are a little leery of recruiters. By showing off your professional company identity, you may be able to put some candidates at ease.

Associate Jobs with Multiple Industries

Many candidates search by industry on job boards. You should link your job posting with multiple industries.

For example, if you are recruiting for a Public Relations Manager for a hospital, you should link you job to the healthcare, marketing, and public relations industries. This will allow candidates to bring your job up in more searches.

Source: Careerbuilder