Here is a step-by-step how-to guide for writing the perfect vacancy announcement.

1. Write a descriptive job title

Always follow this golden rule: write a job title that is simple and engaging at the same time. While job titles like ‘Full-Stack Frontend Ninja’, ‘Content Creative’, or anything to do with superheroes are common, they aren’t actually fit for purpose, i.e. clarifying what exactly the position is. Avoid jargon and make sure to use relevant, searchable keywords. If you’re looking for an SEO-focused Online Marketer, you should clearly express this in the job title.

2. Positively introduce the company

Your company description needs to be short, snappy and interesting to capture the attention of potential candidates very quickly. More detailed company information should be moved to the end of the post for interested parties that want to learn more about the company. Always include the following information:

Who are you?

What is the company offering the position? What products or services do you offer? What is the company mission? Do you operate internationally? Make sure to list any awards, major achievements or anything that you think makes you an interesting employer.

Why are you hiring?

Clarify exactly why the company is hiring. Is the company expanding? Are you restructuring? Do you need cover for parental leave? Make sure that a potential candidate knows exactly what to expect.

3. Describe the position

In a short paragraph, briefly, describe the position being offered using positive language, but be realistic and avoid using hyperbole. Use bullet points to list the most important responsibilities and any relevant obligations to make it easier to scan. What kind of experience level will be expected of the candidate? Will they have to manage a team? Does this role report directly to the CEO? How big are the company and the team in which they’ll be working? Jargon is out of place here, so make sure to use common expressions that everyone can understand.

4. List specific skills and requirements

Now, switch your focus from the position to the candidate. What should the person bring to the position? It’s a good idea to divide this list into ‘must-haves’ and ‘good-to-haves’, e.g. perhaps fluent English is a must-have, and any other languages are a plus!

Any Visa or legal requirements should be listed here too, keeping in mind current legislation. For example, in many countries, it’s illegal to specify gender, ethnicity or any other detail that may be considered discriminatory. As an example, in Germany, it’s illegal to specify ‘Native German speaker’/’German as mother tongue’ as a requirement. The correct way to express the required language level is to say ‘Fluent German’/’Native-level German’. Make this list very brief and to the point.

What personal qualities would the ideal candidate have? Rather than just listing traits (e.g. good communicator) it’s a good idea to describe behaviour like, “As Comms Manager, you need to be able to write precise, print-ready texts under pressure”. Only list points that are relevant to the position, and don’t overdo it! Again, no ninjas required.

5. Describe what sets you apart as an employer

Candidates aren’t only looking for a suitable position, they’re also looking for a great company. In a short paragraph, describe what candidates can expect from you. What is the company culture like? What does a normal day look like at the office? What benefits do you offer to employees? What do you offer employees in terms of personal and professional development, including any seminars, workshops or training?

6. Give details on what happens next

Tell candidates how to apply for this position. How should they submit their documents? Who should they contact with any questions they might have? How exactly does the application process work, and what should they expect if they are called for an interview?

7. Include company background

If you wish, at the end you can add a few vital statistics about the company, e.g. foundation year, list of investors, name(s) of manager(s), etc.

So, it’s not rocket science! In as little text as possible, try to convey as much information as you can. The language that you write it in should, of course, depend on the position and the distribution channels that you use.

If you want to know exactly how successfully your job ads are performing, you can use our free employer’s’ tool which includes a company profile, job ads (also free!), performance and candidate analysis tools, and plenty of scope for employer branding.

Republished from Jobspotting and updated November 14, 2017.

Traditional hiring practices tell us that professional experience is one of the most important assets when determining which candidates are the best your organizational needs. Experience, education and overall presentation are the most attractive traits to an employer. But where does personality fall in the list of valuable skills?

You may be surprised but more and more hiring assessments are proclaiming personality is the most valuable skill. Assessment tools are used to determine what makes the best candidate for a desired position. You’ve probably taken a Myers Briggs personality test at some point in your career. The results or data from these types of tests helps an employer determine if a candidate is a good fit or crazier than Kat Williams.

The traditional difference between personality and skill is that skills can be taught and personality can’t.  While personalities do evolve over time, I see it as, you either have a great personality or you don’t. Why is a great personality so important? Let’s take a quick a poll! Who wants to work with someone who is difficult to communicate with, defensive minded and rude? Anyone? Didn’t think so! One of the main reason people quit their jobs is because conflict with co-workers, so that makes “fit” imperative to organization success.

Many jobs require a team dynamic – working together; cross trained to perform multiple duties are common. There is a shift to service –we are learning that companies that provide great customer service excel over companies that don’t. This is important because hiring managers are looking for good personalities to work in their cross-functional teams to interact with internal and external customers.

So here’s a few more examples of how hiring for personality can help you.

• Increased hiring efficiency – Employees that fit in well from an attitude perspective are more likely to stick around for a while. A lower turnover ratio means your hiring process is working quite well.

• Reduced negative attrition – This is closely related to turnover but slightly different, because some attrition is good. Yes, from a business standpoint you want positive movement in your organization, you know promotions and growth. However you don’t want to lose the good people – only the bad hires, so when you have a close knit team which has opportunities to advance, you have happy engaged employees.

• ROI – The decisions to hire new staff is a costly one, and every company hopes that a new employee will fit in with the company so they can reap a return on investment. Remember we’re talking training, compensation and benefits.

It’s simple:

good workers = good teams;
good teams = good products;
good products + good service = customer loyality, great word of mouth and more market share.

Chris Fields is an HR professional and leadership guy who blogs and dispenses great (not just good) advice at Cost of Work. Connect with Chris via email at chris@costofwork.com.