What is a job announcement post?
A job announcement post is a recruitment ad that describes an open position and provides details about the role, responsibilities, requirements, benefits, and application process. The goal of a job announcement is to attract qualified candidates to apply for the position. Writing an effective job post is an important part of the recruitment process.
Some key elements of a good job announcement include:
- Job title
- Overview of the company
- Location
- Description of responsibilities and duties
- Required and preferred qualifications
- Details about compensation and benefits
- Instructions on how to apply
Why are job announcement posts important?
Well-written job posts serve several important purposes:
- Communicate key information to job seekers – The post allows you to share all the pertinent details about the open position so candidates can determine if they are a good fit.
- Attract qualified applicants – An engaging, informative job description will encourage suitable candidates to apply, increasing your chances of hiring the right person.
- Reflect your company culture – The language and tone of the post can convey what it’s like to work at your organization.
- Enable targeted recruiting – You can optimize the post for SEO to reach passive candidates already searching for similar roles.
- Filter out the wrong candidates – Clearly stated requirements and expectations will deter unqualified applicants from applying.
In short, the job post is your first impression on candidates. The better and more strategic your announcement, the higher the quality of applicants you will attract.
How to write an effective job announcement post
Follow these tips to create compelling job posts that will capture attention and draw in top talent:
Craft an informative job title
The job title is the first thing candidates will see when browsing openings. It should communicate the essence of the position. Include key terms, but keep it concise.
Good examples:
- Digital Marketing Manager
- Software Engineer
- Accountant
Lengthy or vague titles should be avoided, such as:
- Expert in Leading Digital Campaigns for Our Organization
- Guru of Numbers
Highlight company details
Give applicants context by providing a brief overview of your company and what you do. Share details that make your culture unique and will help candidates determine if they are a culture fit.
For example:
XYZ Company is the leading provider of software solutions for the architecture industry. We value innovation, creativity, and transparency. Our culture is relaxed and collaborative with a beautiful office space designed to inspire our team. XYZ has been voted a Best Place to Work for the past 5 years.
Specify the location
Be clear about where the position is located. Simply stating remote or listing the city and state will suffice.
This helps candidates determine if relocation is required or feasible.
Describe the role and responsibilities
Use this section to outline what the job entails on a day-to-day basis. List the core duties and functions of the role. Use bullet points to organize responsibilities for easy skimming.
For example:
- Develop and execute digital marketing campaigns across various channels
- Manage PPC and SEO efforts to drive qualified web traffic
- Create landing pages and optimize user experience
- Track and analyze performance data to identify areas for improvement
- Collaborate with designers, content teams, and developers
Specify requirements and qualifications
Clearly state the required and preferred skills, experience, and education needed for the role. Separate out the “must-haves” from the “nice-to-haves.”
For example:
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field
- 3+ years of digital marketing experience
- Exposure to WordPress and Google Analytics
- Excel and data analysis skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree
- Experience with HubSpot
- Photography and design skills
Highlight compensation and benefits
Give potential candidates a sense of the compensation package and benefits offered. You do not need to provide exact salary ranges, but indicators of what is typical for this role at your company will be helpful.
For example:
We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. The typical range for this position starts at $XX,000. Our benefits package includes health insurance, 401K plan with matching contributions, generous vacation policy, commuter benefits, tuition reimbursement, and more.
Explain the application process
Close out the post by providing clear instructions on how to apply. Let candidates know what materials to submit (resume, cover letter, portfolio, etc.) and how they should submit them. Direct applicants to your online application portal or email address.
For example:
To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to [email address]. Include the job title in the subject line. We are accepting applications until [deadline date].
Formatting tips
In addition to strong content, make your job post visually engaging and easy to read. Follow these formatting best practices:
- Organize sections with headings and bullet points
- Use short paragraphs and white space between blocks of text
- Bold key words and phrases for quick skimming
- List requirements and responsibilities in bulleted lists
- Use a clear, standard font like Arial or Times New Roman
- Avoid walls of dense text that is hard on the eyes
An example of good formatting:
Digital Marketing Manager Role
Location: San Francisco, CA
Department: Marketing
Reports to: Director of Marketing
Type: Full-time
You will be responsible for managing and executing digital marketing campaigns across platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute digital marketing campaigns across various channels
- Manage PPC and SEO efforts to drive qualified web traffic
- Create landing pages and optimize user experience
- Track and analyze performance data to identify areas for improvement
- Collaborate with designers, content teams, and developers
Writing tips
In addition to formatting, make sure your writing is clear, concise, and compelling. Here are some writing tips for job posts:
- Use active voice instead of passive voice. For example: “Develop marketing campaigns” instead of “Marketing campaigns will be developed.”
- Avoid jargon or overly technical terms candidates may not understand.
- Be specific. Use hard numbers and facts when possible.
- Use keywords optimized for search engines to attract passive candidates.
- Highlight exciting projects the hire would work on.
- Convey the appeal of your company culture to attract the best fits.
- Write a compelling overview focusing on your company’s strengths.
- Use a warm, conversational tone to engage readers.
- Emphasize opportunities for growth, development, and impact in the role.
- Make sure important details are easy to spot through formatting like bullets, bolding, headings.
Common mistakes to avoid
Steer clear of these pitfalls when writing your next job announcement:
- Typos or grammatical errors
- Generic, overly broad descriptions that could apply to any company
- Unclear, loosely defined responsibilities
- Stating exaggerated, unrealistic requirements like “rockstar” candidates
- Listing every nice-to-have qualification diluted with fluff requirements
- Not specifying location, role type, department, or reporting structure
- Using cliches or overused, stale language that feels impersonal
- Failure to highlight company culture and benefits
- Neglecting mobile optimization so post is hard to read on phones
- No call-to-action or instructions how to apply
Where to post the job announcement
Once you’ve written a stellar job post, you’ll want maximum exposure through the following outlets:
- Your company’s careers page and LinkedIn page
- Relevant niche job boards like Dice for tech roles or Mediabistro for media jobs
- General job sites like Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter
- Social media channels like Twitter, Facebook
- University career centers if seeking new graduates
- Industry publications and blogs
- Relevant professional associations
- Your employee referral program portal to tap into existing employees’ networks
- Targeted email outreach and listservs for passive candidates
Cast a wide net through multiple platforms to attract the widest range of applicants for your opening.
Examples of well-written job announcements
Here are two examples of real-world job posts that do an excellent job attracting top talent:
InVision Designer Job Post
The opportunity
We’re looking for a Designer to join InVision’s Customer Education team. You’ll work on designing world-class educational materials to onboard and support users.
What you’ll do
- Create visuals to clearly communicate complex workflows and concepts
- Design presentations, one-pagers, infographics, and other collateral for multiple audiences
- Maintain visual consistency across educational content
- Collaborate with our Customer Education team and other cross-functional partners
- Help scale our rapidly growing online education programs
Who you are
- 3+ years working as a visual designer, content designer, or similar role
- Strong portfolio demonstrating experience designing appealing graphics and illustrations
- Proficiency with design tools like Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Sketch
- Ability to translate complex ideas into simple, engaging graphics
- Comfortable working in a highly collaborative environment
Why InVision
Our mission is to help teams design digital products people love. We’re one of the fastest growing SaaS companies in history — join us! Perks include excellent benefits, paid parental leave, engagement activities like volunteering, learning stipends, wellness incentives and more.
How to apply
Submit your resume and portfolio link to [email address]. We can’t wait to hear from you!
This post grabs attention with a bold title calling out the specific role. Key sections are formatted with headings to enable quick skimming. It paints an exciting picture of the opportunity while giving a realistic preview of expected responsibilities. The qualifications section separates required vs. preferred skills. It closes by spotlighting the company mission and culture to get candidates intrigued.
BuzzFeed Software Engineer Job Post
BuzzFeed’s Product Engineering team is seeking a talented Software Engineer to help build the tools and platforms that power our content and business operations. As one of our core engineers, you’ll work on projects like:
– Developing platforms to manage content ingestion from writers and external contributors
– Building interactive experiences into article pages
– Optimizing our publishing tools for speed and scale
– Designing systems that enable A/B testing across the site
– Supporting Product Managers and Designers to ideate and implement new features and productsYou should apply if you:
– Have 3+ years of experience building web applications
– Have expertise with languages like Python, JavaScript, Java, etc.
– Enjoy tackling tough problems through writing clean, maintainable code
– Love to ship – you have a track record of delivering projects efficiently
– Want to collaborate with other talented engineers to grow and learn together
– Are excited about being part of a fast-paced, mission-driven organizationPerks of being an engineer at BuzzFeed include:
– Competitive salary and benefits including unlimited vacation days
– Catered lunches and snacks daily
– Dog-friendly offices in LA, New York and San Francisco
– Onsite events like guest speaker series, hackathons, tech talks and more!To apply, please submit your resume through our online portal [link]. We can’t wait to review your background and experience!
This example also uses headings, bullets, and emphasis for scannability. The second paragraph draws in candidates by spotlighting exciting projects they would actively contribute to. It balances being specific about the role while also conveying the culture of collaboration and learning. The perks help sell the fun, engaging work environment to close strong.
Key takeaways
Here are the key things to keep in mind when crafting your next job announcement:
- Use a clear, descriptive title that communicates the essence of the role
- Highlight details about your company and culture that will excite candidates
- Provide an overview of the position’s core duties and responsibilities
- List required qualifications and preferred skills/experience
- Specify details like location, department, salary range
- Explain how to apply and materials required
- Use formatting like bullets, headings, and paragraph breaks for readability
- Write with active voice and compelling language that engages
- Emphasize growth opportunities and reasons the company is a great place to work
Following these best practices will help you write job posts that attract the most qualified applicants eager to work at your organization. With an excellent job announcement as the cornerstone, you’ll be on your way to building an outstanding candidate pipeline.
Conclusion
Well-crafted job announcement posts are a critical component of recruitment. They enable you to promote open positions and attract top talent that may not be actively job searching. Invest time upfront in writing compelling descriptions that paint an enticing picture of the role and capabilities sought. Format content for easy digestion using techniques like bulleted lists, headings, bolding, and white space. Distribute posts across multiple platforms to maximize exposure. By mastering the art of creative and strategic job post writing, you’ll take your hiring results to the next level.