Job Posting Guide: How To Prepare And Post Your Job On Zippia

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Writing a good job posting is critical to finding qualified job candidates, especially when the job market favors employees. A well-written job posting can help you find a candidate that is not only qualified but also a great cultural fit.

In this article, we’ll break down how to write a job posting so that you can attract the right candidates for your role. We’ve also included an example job posting you can use as a reference.

Key Takeaways:

• Break up your job posting with headers and bullet points.

• Include a summary of what your organization does, as well as information about the specific position.

• Remember to separate the “would be nice” from the “must-have” qualifications.

Why It’s Important to Write a Good Job Posting

Writing a good job posting is important because it’s your chance to convince top talent to apply for your position. Job seekers aren’t looking to decipher long paragraphs of complicated jargon or to spend time applying for a position they know little to nothing about, so it’s essential to make your job posting clear, concise, and engaging.

While Zippia can help you get your job posting in front of qualified potential candidates, we can’t do much if your job posting is confusing, overwhelming, or vague. That’s why we put together this guide to help walk you through the process.

How to Write a Job Posting

1. Gather information. Ensure you have all of the details of the position at your fingertips before you start writing. This includes:

   • Job title

   • Qualifications

   • Role responsibilities

   • Salary range

   • Location

   • Hours (full-time, part-time, swing shift, etc.)

   • Benefits

   If some of this information hasn’t been identified or established yet, now is the time to do that – these are crucial elements that every job posting needs to have.

2. Write a summary of your company. Give job seekers a quick pitch about why they should work for your organization. Talk about what you do, your mission, your culture, and what makes you unique, using engaging language free of buzzwords and corporate jargon.

   This section doesn’t need to be lengthy – one paragraph will do.

3. Write a short intro to the position. Now that you’ve explained what your company does, dedicate a sentence or two to explaining how this position fits into that. Details such as who the position reports to or how it interacts with other departments can help communicate this.

4. Communicate the responsibilities of the position. Once you’ve clarified the overarching purpose of the role, you should list out what this employee will be in charge of. For now, focus on the big-picture tasks such as “Managing multiple donor accounts,” or “Supporting branch office’s administrative needs.”

5. List the position’s everyday tasks. You don’t need to – and shouldn’t – list out everything someone in this job will be doing, but give enough so that applicants have a good idea of what they’d be getting into.

   Here’s an example for an administrative assistant position:

   • Field department phone calls.

   • Manage supervisor’s calendar.

   • Order and restock office supplies as needed.

   • Support staff in a variety of tasks and projects.

   • Update and maintain customer mailing list database.

6. Note the qualifications required for the role. This includes:

   • Degree requirements

   • Work experience

   • Soft skills

   • Technical skills

   As you make your list of qualifications you’d like the candidate to have, remember to separate your “must-have” list from your “would-be-nice” list. If you put too much on your required list, you run the risk of missing out on great employees who feel they don’t meet enough of your extensive criteria.

   You should even put these two lists on your job posting so that candidates know what is most likely to be a dealbreaker and which ones you’ll overlook in light of other strengths.

7. Add the attracting and clarifying details. Close your job posting by sharing details like the salary range and benefits. Don’t feel like you need to go into all the nitty gritty, but list out perks such as:

   • PTO

   • Medical, vision, and dental coverage

   • On-site childcare

   • Tuition reimbursement

   • Flexible hours

   To avoid confusion, you should also add where the new hire’s office would be or say that it’s a remote role if that’s the case. You should also include what type of job it is (full or part-time) and any unusual hours it may require.

Example Job Posting

Tips for Writing a Job Posting

• Use short paragraphs. Walls of text are daunting, and it’s easy for readers to miss important information when they have to sift through that much text. Keep your paragraphs to three to four lines long to make your job posting more palatable.

• Break up your posting with headers, bullets, and bold words. Busy job seekers want to be able to skim job postings for the most important information; make it easy for them to do so.

• Avoid jargon or acronyms. Even if these words and letters feel like second nature to you, they’re confusing to most people on the outside. Use clear, concise language in your job posting, leaving out buzzwords. If you must use an acronym, make sure you include the full phrase as well.

• Use conversational language. You’re trying to convince job seekers to work for you, so don’t talk them out of it by using a stilted or overly formal tone of voice. Use language that reflects your company culture and is easy to understand.

• Don’t leave out the pay range. Not only is omitting this information illegal in some states, but it also makes job seekers less likely to apply for your position. And the phrase “competitive pay” is viewed by most job seekers as a copout, so don’t think you can put that down and get away with it.

Job Posting FAQ

1. How does Zippia billing work?

   Zippia billing works by charging you for your subscription every month. To make this easier and more secure, we’ve partnered with Stripe, one of the world’s largest payment processing companies.

   When you sign up to post your job on Zippia, you’ll choose a subscription plan, and then we’ll send you over to Stripe to enter your payment information. If you have a free trial, we’ll honor that – we’ll just make sure your billing information is all ready to go so the transition from a free trial to a paid subscription is smooth.

   If you decide you want to cancel your subscription before your free trial ends, you can do this from your Zippia employer account at any time. Keep in mind that this will also redirect you to Stripe.

2. What happens if I cancel my Zippia employer subscription?

   If you cancel your Zippia employer subscription, we’ll still advertise your job postings until the end of the subscription period. So, if you cancel your subscription two weeks before your next billing date, we won’t end your subscription services until that billing date.

3. What happens if I cancel my Zippia employer subscription during the free trial?

   If you cancel your Zippia employer subscription during the free trial, we’ll keep your job postings up until the end of the trial period. After that, you won’t be billed, and we’ll take down your job postings.

4. What happens if I upgrade or downgrade my Zippia employer subscription?

   If you upgrade or downgrade your Zippia employer subscription, you’ll receive a prorated charge on your next billing date. Stripe will automatically prorate this amount based on your previous subscription price, your new price, and the billing time period you selected (annually or monthly).

5. What should I do if I have a problem with my Zippia subscription or job postings?

   If you have a problem with your Zippia subscription or job postings, contact us by calling (205) 947-2651 or emailing sales@zippia.com. One of our team members will be happy to assist you.

Final Thoughts

Making a good hire starts with writing a good job posting. While this can sound daunting, just follow the steps we outlined in this article, and you’ll quickly have a clear and engaging job posting.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia where she has written 140+ articles that have reached over 1 mil viewers as of June 2023. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research.