Did you know that you have less than 15 seconds to grab a job seekers attention?

When posting job ads on jobs boards on the Internet, it is vital to have an understanding of the behaviour of online job seekers, in order to create the best adverts possible.

The most important fact to remember is that Internet users have a short attention span.  You have less than 15 seconds to grab a job seekers attention!

A multitude of distractions (and other job ads) are just a mouse-click away, so your advert really has to be well prepared in order to be successful. Job seekers (and Internet users in general) scan, rather than read, online text so your advert format and style must allow for this.

Here are the most relevant tips to memorise:

·         Use bullet points that deliver bite-sized chunks of information that can be consumed quickly and easily.

·         Use short words and sentences, for the same reason. Eliminate ‘waffle’ by sticking to the most important facts.

·         Include an accurate job title and check that it contains the most relevant keywords – the terms that job seekers use to search for positions. For example, use the term Sales Manager instead of Super Sales Guru, or Senior Java Programmer instead of Java Ninja.

·         Be accurate and honest, and avoid strategies that will gain you more views but fewer potential candidates. For example, only advertise the job as available in the relevant geographic locations.

Top Tip: Contact our sales team for insider tips and advice to create the most attractive job ads and attract many excellent candidates: 011 713 9000

Why advertise online anyway?

Online advertising has many benefits over the traditional printed recruitment advert.

·         Online is cheap: by comparison, online ads are less expensive than print. In fact, print ads are usually restrictive as content size is often relative to cost. However, regardless of length or detail, online ads have a fixed rate.

·         Online has more reach: the South African online audience is huge (Careers24 reaches 8 million browsers!) - far larger than the readership of any newspaper. With an online advert you can also use social media to spread the word to another huge audience of potential candidates.

·         Online is easy to edit: online ads are easily updated so job detail changes are simple to update and change if the need arises, while print does not allow for this at all.

·         Online is instant: with an online job advert you can have your position up and under candidates' noses in minutes, and applications coming in almost immediately.

·         Online is flexible:  With options from Careers24, you can post a single once-off job ad, or you can purchase a bundle and advertise many positions at once. Choose from 4 options to best suit your hiring needs.

Do you have vacancies to fill? Post your job(s) now.

- Elizabeth Mamacos