Dive Brief:

• If a company wants the best possible job candidate (or candidates) applying, creating the best possible job ad is mandatory, according to SHRM. The key, SHRM reports, is providing job seekers with the exact data they need to make an informed decision to apply in the first place.
• Matt Singer, vice president of marketing at Jobvite, told SHRM that the ever-elusive passive job seeker is the ultimate goal. That means avoiding "vague" job postings, which will cloud any evidence of cultural fit for job seekers.
• The perfect job posting is akin to a "checklist" for both employer and would-be employee. The ad must reflect a detailed description of job, and most of all it's got to be honest in terms of what the employer needs.

Dive Insight:

Chris Forman, CEO and founder of Appcast, a recruitment advertising technology company, told SHRM that if employers are not focusing on job ads, they risk wasting a good first impression.

“There is a real relationship between what you call a job, how you describe a job and the amount of people that flow through your recruitment funnel," she told SHRM. 

Empathy is critical, Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder, a job search site headquartered in Chicago, told SHRM. She said the ad must explain why it’s great to work for an employer, but also deliver a realistic idea of the type of work the job offers.  

The experts say to be concise (500-600 words at most) and limit the number of response options (email, phone, etc.) to minimize confusion.