Mastering the Art of Irresistible Job Descriptions

Having a thorough and fully inclusive job description is a great way to ensure employees are clear on their job expectations.  However, when it comes to attracting the right candidates, simply copying, and pasting your internal job description in the online ad is not enough.  In order to gain positive applicant interest, an online job posting needs to be attractive and clear, all while effectively communicating and selling the idea of the role.  A clear marketing opportunity to both brand and highlight the unique employment offering.  

Human resources departments are focused on competing for talent and solving recruitment difficulties.  With most employers being under pressure to find people, appealing to your target jobseeker market is key. Candidates want to know what’s in it for them as they seek to satisfy their needs.  Here are a few tips to ensure your posting is top tier: 

1. Location is a highly ranked search parameter for most candidates and sometimes simply nonnegotiable.  Make sure that this information is clearly stated and consider if there is an opportunity for remote work.  The term “remote” has become a top key search term, per AgCareers.com 2023 USA Job Report, and being able to include remote work language in your posting is sure to be an immediate way to gain views. 

2. Compensation is also a key indicator for applicant traffic.  AgCareers.com discourages employers from leaving the salary field blank in job postings. Our research has shown that jobs with something listed in the salary field perform better.  Additionally, pay transparency laws require salary data to be included.  Check your local laws to ensure your job postings are compliant if you don’t typically include wages.  Including compensation can help ensure applicants are genuinely interested in the role at the wage provided.  If not required by law to list the salary range, alternative options include competitive, negotiable, or DOE (depending on experience).  These options are better than leaving the field completely blank.  

3. Career Growth and Development is a proven motivator for jobseekers to leave a job for a new position.  Highlighting opportunities for employees to grow and advance in their career are examples of the juicy details that potential candidates are looking for.  This could be as simple as outlining what the jobseeker gets to do in the role or who they work with, and/or what they will accomplish.  Any details that can help build a picture of how the organization can positively contribute to an employee’s career. 

4. Benefits allow you to truly compete against other organizations, but candidates don’t know about your stellar 401k or office casual environment if you don’t tell them.  Benefits can be anything offered to employees, tangible or intangible, formal programs or implied perks. Not sure what benefits to mention?   Ask current workers what is important to them, talk about what perks and incentives are valued the most.? If it matters to the people in the job, it will likely matter to the people you are looking to hire.   

5. Culture has risen in popularity of what matters to job seekers and how employers compete.  This can often be difficult to convey but can be a first indicator that your organization makes a positive work environment a priority.  Think about how your culture might also play out in terms of the value proposition to the employee.  For example, offering hot benefits like flexibility to employees to care for themselves or to allow for shorter work weeks to encourage better work life balance. 

6. Outside of the box thinking is needed to revise your standard job advertisements, but it can pay off.  Think about why you’d want to be employed with the organization and build from that viewpoint.  There are likely valuable aspects of your organization’s employment offering that are underrepresented.  Take time to cultivate these ideas with the job seekers in mind, avoiding gimmicky tones and focus on clear, concise language that is presented neatly and organized. 

Put your newly polished job posting to the test on AgCareers.com and find new talent TODAY! 

For more employer-related advice, check out our AgCareers.com Employer Resource Library!