Your job ad should REPEL 90% of applicants

Your job ad should repel 90% of applicants.

Controversial? Maybe. But at Heart Talent, we know you need quality more than you need quantity. By constructing a job ad that repels the wrong people, you can attract more of the right people to your organisation. 

Photo by Yosep Surahman on Unsplash

Why your job ad should repel applicants

Every leader wants to make the right hiring choice for the betterment of their team.  Unfortunately, bad hires aren’t uncommon. In fact, 76% of senior managers believe they have made a recruiting mistake. 

Avoiding a bad hire isn’t just about time and stress. Hiring (and onboarding) the wrong person can be a costly exercise, in addition to holding your team back from achieving its full potential.

An effective job ad should be clear in targeting the talent you need. In reaching out purposefully to quality, engaged talent, your advertising materials can turn away applicants who won’t be a good fit for your team or your mission. 

In a market where more than 3 in 4 leaders view matched talent attraction as a key challenge, a targeted job ad is more important than ever. 

How to repel the wrong applicants

So often, people and culture teams focus their efforts on attracting great talent. So what should you do if you want to repel poorly matched talent? 

The answer is simple. You need to understand and showcase your employer brand and write a compelling job ad that speaks to your target audience. 

Understand and showcase your employer brand

Your employer brand represents the who, what and why of your organisation. It helps talent understand what you offer as an employer and what they can gain from being part of your team. 

Research shows that 75% of job seekers consider an organisation’s employer brand before applying for a role. This means that understanding and effectively articulating a proactive employer brand can help you target the right people. 

Evaluate the employee experience you provide. Seek feedback from your brand ambassadors. Understand who you are as an employer and what brand you present to the world. 

When you showcase your employer brand effectively, you can show talent what to expect from an opportunity at your organisation. Well-matched applicants will become more interested in applying, while ill-suited candidates will click away. 

Write a unique, compelling job ad

Your job advertising materials are critical in allowing you to communicate your offer and share your value with an engaged network of job seekers. 

By crafting compelling hiring content, you can treat the recruitment process as a marketing exercise and market your employment offer to the right kind of consumers. A good job ad can give great people a reason to display interest in your team. 

Think carefully about the employee experience you’re offering. Look beyond salary and benefits to consider the lifestyle your organisation can provide for its employees, and include this information as part of your job ad. 

A compelling job ad that authentically represents your organisation’s offer can be powerful. It will appeal to the people who are best suited to your team while repelling those who may struggle to fit in with your organisational culture.  

Wrapping up

Repelling applicants might sound counterintuitive, but it can actually help you save time, money and stress while identifying the best possible talent to drive organisational growth. 

Need help understanding your employer brand and creating great recruitment content? Contact the Heart Talent team for further support.