Advertisers advice
How to write brilliant job listings
Make your listing stand out on Trade Me Jobs! Check out our easy step-by-step process for writing great job ads below.
Crafting a job listing that not only stands out but attracts the right people takes thought and effort, but it’s worth it to make the recruitment process a success.
Your ad needs to be accurate, provide the right level of detail and be targeted to ensure you get good engagement and applications from qualified job seekers. So how do you do it?
How to write a job ad: the steps
1. Make it searchable
With so many New Zealand businesses looking for candidates on Trade Me Jobs, it’s key that your ad comes to the top of the pile when applicants are hunting. To do this:
- Make sure your ad is in the most logical category.
- Use relevant keywords in the title, including the position itself in industry standard language.
- Highlight some of the job’s most appealing points in the first paragraph or list of bullets.
- Differentiate your business, and the role, from all the other businesses who are recruiting for similar positions.
- Include information about your company’s size, age and key achievements.
Great candidates are out there, and your job ad needs to reel them in
2. Sell the role
Most Kiwis are after more than just a pay packet, so let candidates know why working for you is the best career move they could make. Include:
- Key interesting and unique information about the role: for example, being on the cutting edge of an innovative industry, or offering a great company culture.
- Salary info: some searchers filter by salary, so include a figure or range in your ad.
- Perks of the job: this could be anything from flexiworking to a gym membership or health insurance. These little add-ons can go a long way to convincing someone to apply.
- Professional development opportunities: how does your company encourage people to learn and grow?
- Your location: be it a buzzing central city office or a more relaxed scenic setting with no parking issues.
3. Include all the key information
Candidates want to know:
About the role:
- How it contributes to the business.
- What makes it special.
- Who they will report to, and/or who will report to them.
About the company:
- An overview of the company and its reputation.
- Information on the values and culture.
- Any particular achievements.
- Top level goals for the future.
About their responsibilities:
- Their core day-to-day duties.
About the role requirements:
- What work experience or qualifications are you looking for?
- Are these essential, or just desired?
About any job perks
- Only include these if you can genuinely offer them.
4. Know your target audience
Any accountant can count, and any builder can build. But what exactly do you need for your company? You should have identified your ideal candidate before posting the listing, to engage these people, try:
- Narrowing down your pool of candidates by putting the skills you require in context.
- Listing core daily duties.
- Naming specific tasks and expectations of the role.
- Asking for qualifications and experience required.
- Including information about the team and company culture.
- Adapting your language to attract the types of people you want.
5. Format it correctly
Information is great, but when it comes to writing a Trade Me Jobs ad, avoid big chunky blocks of text. Remember, bullet points, bolded subheadings and short statements are very effective.
We also highly recommend proofreading your ad a few times before posting it live. Spelling errors, grammar mistakes and missing information aren’t the first impression you want to give candidates.
Now you know what makes a good job ad, you should be good to go. If you want some further practical guidance, check out our guide on how to upload a job ad to Trade Me Jobs.
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