Maintaining that competitive edge is key when writing an advertisement, particularly if the market for certain roles is transient.

There’s nothing worse than writing an advert and then either not receiving any responses at all, or being inundated with applications from people who are completely not suitable for the role.

Improving the quality of your applications starts by having a well-written advertisement, as this is what sells your organisation and is what will draw in the right candidates.

When writing your job advert, you need to understand who your ideal candidate is, address them in the language they understand and offer them what they want. Your job advert needs to speak directly to them.

Here are 14 top tips that will help you sharpen the focus of your advert, clarify what you are offering and attract the most qualified candidates:

So how do you do this?

1. Do you have a job description and person specification? A job description describes the role the person needs to do. A person specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes which a candidate must possess to perform the job duties. The person specification should be derived from the job description and forms the foundation for the recruitment process.
2. A clear job title: Think about a job title that will translate outside of your organisation and be eye catching to the applicant. Outline a brief description of the role, who it reports to, does the role have a team reporting into it?
3. Is your salary competitive? Do some external benchmarking and see what your competitors are offering. To attract good quality candidates, don’t be afraid to put a salary range in the advert or advertising with an “up to” salary.
4. Are there any employee benefits you can add into your advert? I.e. a nice office environment/equipment, flexible working, free car parking, access to a medical scheme, corporate memberships to gyms, cycle to work scheme etc. Remember an advert is a two way process. As much as you are looking for that perfect candidate, they are looking for an employer of choice.
5. Distinguish ‘must-haves’ from ‘nice-to-haves’: Be clear in what skills candidates must have to fulfil the role, and what skills are desirable.
6. What hours do they need to work? Is it full time or part time? Over how many days?
7. Location: be specific as to where your job role is located and if travel is an essential requirement.
8. Provide a brief overview of your Company. What key selling points does your company have? What gives you that competitive edge?
9. Does the advert look attractive? Make sure the advert summarises key points and is not too long. Be informative and engaging yet succinct. You can always provide applicants with further details at the interview stage.
10. Diary dates: Ensure the advertisement stipulates a deadline to apply. Why not also be open about your first and second stage interview dates? This way the candidate knows what dates they need to keep free, if they are shortlisted.
11. Be aware of jargon and avoid language that could be viewed as discriminatory.
12. Always consider if you have any potential applicants internally first, you can always state on your internal advert that the role is also being advertised externally.
13. Think carefully about where to advertise: Was your last advert successful? Did it bring in the right sort of candidates? Do you need to consider other options.
14. Finally, provide a phone number for questions. Speaking to candidates on the phone may help to eliminate any unsuitable applications from the outset.