User guide: creating the perfect tech job ad

Despite overall UK unemployment rising to a five-year high, the UK’s IT job market continues to flourish with more than 100,000 jobs created since the start of the pandemic and more than 300,000 in the last 3 years.

With the industry’s persistent skills gap, companies need to stand out from the competition and grab candidates’ attention. To encourage more applications for hard-to-fill roles, recruiters need to build punchy and informative job ads that engage with time-poor and passive tech candidates.

To help employers attract more tech candidates with their job adverts, we’ve put together this best practice guide on how to increase advert views, the number of applications and the relevancy of candidates applying.

Choosing the right job title

The job title is usually the first thing candidates see in an advert, so it needs to be just right. It’s a particularly important element on mobile, where candidates skim search results before applying for jobs.

A useful tool for finding job titles is our search technology StepMatch. Using artificial intelligence, it intuitively includes similar, or matching titles that can increase the reach of a search and boost the relevancy of the results.

Tips for writing a job title

Writing the job description

Research shows that people now consider more than 30 potential employers during their job search, so it’s more important than ever for businesses to stand out in their recruitment campaigns.

The job description presents employers with an opportunity to highlight what makes them unique by detailing what the job entails and why candidates should apply for the role.

Tips for a compelling job description

How to structure a job description

A brief introduction – Who the company is, what it does and why it does it. Including some history of the company can also make the opening paragraph feel more personal.

The role – Explain what the successful applicant will do in the job and how the role fits in with the overall business structure. This section should also include the candidate’s duties and responsibilities.

What the company is looking for – Clearly state what is expected from a candidate in terms of skills, experience and qualifications. We recommend summarising this in a bullet-pointed list and separating the ‘essential’ criteria from the ‘desirable’.

Company culture – Explain what it’s like to work for the business and tie this in with its values and mission.

Company benefits – CWJobs’ research has shown that tech candidates are more likely to apply for a role when company benefits are included. Highlight any benefits that make the offering unique, e.g., free gym membership, on-site childcare, remote working opportunities.

Include salary information

Job adverts that include salary information receive up to 20% more applications. CWJobs’ Tech Candidate Survey also reveals that 58% of our candidates find missing salary information the most frustrating aspect of the job search.

Companies should therefore try to be as specific as possible, ideally listing the exact salary on offer. If including a salary range, try to keep it as small as possible. Candidates appreciate transparency as it allows them to make informed decisions on which jobs to apply for.

Under the heading of salary, it’s also useful to include other information like annual leave allowance, pension contributions, healthcare and company car allowance.

Tips for using location in job adverts

Using screening questions

Including a series of screening questions in the application process can save recruiters time in finding the most relevant candidates.

They help employers pre-qualify candidates, which gives them a more targetted talent pool to choose from.

At CWJobs, we offer a comprehensive set of questions to assess a candidate’s suitability for specific roles. Recruiters can choose from a range of questions types like yes/no, single selection options and tick-boxes.

Check job ads for unconscious bias

Research reveals that candidates are less likely to respond to ads that contain words that are biased towards a certain gender.

To overcome this, our sister site, Totaljobs, created the Gender Bias Decoder to help recruiters identify gendered words in emails, job descriptions, or any other text.

With more companies implementing diversity and inclusion policies, we advise that recruiters and employers take time to consider the language used in their job adverts and remove any unconscious bias.

Creating a company profile

CWJobs’ internal data reveals that job adverts that showcase a company’s brand deliver 16% more relevant applicants than job adverts that only use text.

On our platform, employers can create a profile page dedicated to showcasing what it’s like to work at the company. By directing potential candidates to their page, companies can increase the relevancy of candidates applying for roles.

The company profiles can also be used to target specific candidates during recruitment campaigns. For example, for certain entry-level jobs, employers may only want to target graduates. Companies can also use e-shots, programmatic display advertising, site banners and our Social Job feature to reach a more qualified pool of candidates.

Upgrade to a Premium Ad

Upgrading to a premium advert on CWJobs’ platform can deliver 16% more relevant applicants than a standard job listing. The feature enables companies to upload photos and videos to increase candidate engagement. The adverts can be instantly shared with the most relevant candidates via email and employers receive instant recommendations based on their requirements.

Videos in particular, can improve candidate engagement as they provide a more immersive impression of a company. With a premium advert, recruiters can add personal touches, such as office tours and interviews with colleagues.

Our video interviewing software also enables companies to speed up the selection process and to meet more candidates in less time. Candidates can record their answers at their convenience, further enhancing the overall candidate experience.

Get in touch with Customer Services or your account manager to find out more.