Job adverts need to change

For all of you jobseekers out there, this will not be a surprise. For the employers and recruiters, you need to start to focus on your candidates.

Change is needed.

The average job advert is simply not good enough. Why? For the same reasons employers and recruiters are moving towards automation to make the work of sifting and selection more efficient, the candidate needs the same.

Looking on LinkedIn and many other job boards we see a common structure to job adverts.

Paragraph 1

A long winded description of a company, more often than not, unnamed by a recruiter to avoid other recruiters pitching to the company. Often it is a brief potted history of the company, how long they have been going and what they do. Generally a puff piece.

Paragraph 2

About the role. Generally a good verbiage on the role, in many cases its a description of a role that does not match the level of the role as set out in the Job Advert title. Frustrating.

Paragraph 3

How wonderful it is to join said company and what life will be like when you join.

Paragraph 4

A long long long list of bullet point duties and expectations of the role

Paragraph 5

A long list of benefits. Some get this right (impressive benefits) some big up quite trivial things as benefits 'Free piece of cake every week!'.

Paragraph 6 (generally a good scroll down the page)

The criteria sought from the candidate.

Paragraph 7

We have an automated system, we will ghost you if we are not interested in your application (but generally in nicer words).

Sadly, more often than not,

1) no salary range outlined, in which case 'competitive salary' is listed.

2) no contacts to have any chance of asking questions.

So where's the problem? Paragraph 6. Every single time. The candidate has spent time reading your advert from top to bottom only to find some killer requirement further down.

These include:

• Must have worked in x, y, z sectors.

• Must have a qualification or do not apply.

• Must speak Japanese and Dutch and English fluently.

• Must have done exactly this job before.

And so on. A set of things which are instant disqualification from the process. The point is that candidates' time is precious too. Put the requirement at the top of the advert. If people are interested, they can read further. But save all that scrolling. Put the essential criteria at the beginning. You are not helping the candidate by making them scroll. You do not want them to apply if they don't meet the criteria. If you do, say so up front and perhaps ease the criteria.

If candidates did the same thing, put all the vital information a recruiter or employer needed at the end of a CV rather than the beginning there would be a storm.

Candidates Matter is here to help Candidates, Employers and Recruiters break the cycle of this downward trend in the industry and the recruitment processes.