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Get Candidates to Apply – Think Like an Online Marketer

By Jenn Steele - Dec. 18, 2022
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You got your snazzy job ad text together with your killer job description, and you’re ready to go. You rev up your favorite form-filling software and take a trip through as many job sites as possible. A couple of days pass. Then a week. You aren’t hearing a peep from remotely attractive candidates.

Chances are, you spent so much time figuring out the perfect job description and title and skipped over the part where you told applicants what to do. It’s time to take a focused look at calls to action on job ads.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jobs adds should always have a strong Call to Action, or CTA, which tells candidates exactly what they need to do and how in order to apply for your job.

  • Make sure that your job ad conveys your company’s atmosphere and personality, and that it sells candidates on why they want to work for you.

  • Don’t be afraid to change things up – try multiple versions of your job ad and use analytics to determine which ones get the best responses.

get candidates to apply: think like an online marketer

Online Marketing Strategies to Get Candidates to Apply

  1. Use a Strong Call to Action (CTA)

    “Show, don’t tell” is a popular phrase in copywriting and the marketing world. Throw that out the window when it comes to writing calls to action for your job ad and description. Tell candidates exactly what they need to do to get their dream job with your company. You’ll find 100 different examples of calls to action on HubSpot. 

    Some useful techniques for CTAs in job ads include establishing an incentive if applicants contact you, separating the CTA from the main job description and using actionable words instead of weak phrasing.

    Call to action pitfalls include:

    • Not making it clear why or how to act on a CTA

    • Impersonal CTAs that don’t play up benefits

    • Hiding CTAs within large blocks of text

  2. Improve Phrasing

    Phrasing is key if you want great candidates jump on your CTA.  Avoid wishy-washy and weak text that doesn’t concretely tell the candidate what they should do. Start the call to action with a verb and elaborate the how, where and sometimes the when within the text.

    Candidates will get a sense of your company style and culture when they visit your site, and you’ll avoid potentially losing their interest when they see related job listings on external sites.

  3. Ditch Generic Language

    Marketing “gurus” go on and on about standard CTAs, such as “Apply Here,” “Call us Today” or “Send Us Your Application.” Your applicants see hundreds of these phrases daily. Show your personality, especially if half of your ad talks about your laid-back and fun atmosphere. Some examples of unconventional calls to action include:

    • Get onboard with the fastest-growing company in the industry.

    • Send us your resume to take control of your career.

    • Make the best career decision ever. Send us your resume.

    • Talk to us and make your life better through our flexible scheduling.

  4. Test!

    Your marketing team will tell you that even the most well-thought-out, well-crafted ads don’t always work. Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint the reason, sometimes it’s one of those oddly inexplicable occurrences.

    The variability of reaction even with proven techniques makes extensive testing an important and necessary part of the candidate-hunting process. A/B testing, also called split testing, uses two different versions of the job ad to see which one performs the best.

    When using A/B testing, keep in mind:

    • Only change one thing at a time. If you run two drastically different ads, you aren’t going to have any idea which parts actually make a difference and which parts are there because the marketing team needed more billable hours.

    • Use analytics tools to track performance. Treat it like a science experiment. You’ll need a control group, which would be your original underperforming ad, and the experimental group, which is the B in the A/B test. Set a time period to run your experiment and look over the results.

    • Start with your CTAs. After that, work through the rest of the ad bit by bit to determine what works and what doesn’t.

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Thinking Like an Online Marketer FAQs

  1. What attracts candidates to jobs?

    Feeling valued attracts candidates to jobs. Employees want to feel like they matter to employers, and that starts with the job application process.

    Make sure your job ad conveys that you are looking for a valuable new member of your team, not just another employee.

  2. How long should a job ad be?

    In general, a job ad should not be over 1,000 words at most. Thinking like an online marketer means understanding the importance of brevity in online copy.

    Your ad should be quick, to the point, and easy to read. Ideally, it will be as short as possible while still including all of the relevant information.

  3. How do I get the highest-quality job applicants?

    You get the highest-quality job applicants by offering competitive salaries and encouraging employees to make referrals. It’s fairly intuitive that the best candidates go where the pay is best. The more requirements and qualifications you include with your job ad, the higher the starting salary will need to be.

    In addition, if you already have employees you trust and whose skills make them valuable to your team, they may know other people with similar qualifications. Consider offering referral bonuses to encourage your employees to help bring in the best talent.

Final Thoughts

Getting strong candidates to apply to your job listing doesn’t have to be complicated. The most important thing is making sure that you give candidates a Call to Action so that they know exactly what they need to do in order to apply.

The best CTAs not only make candidates want to apply, but encourage them to take action immediately. This will increase the number of applications you get and make your job ad more efficient overall.

Author

Jenn Steele

Jen Steele is a dynamic, results-driven leader with over two decades of experience in the technology and marketing industries. As the CEO of KissMetrics, Jen is responsible for driving the company's strategic direction, growth, and overall success.

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