How to Write a Job Ad Aimed at Top Candidates

Minda Zetlin reports with tips from Michael Overell:

"While a giant job board may attract millions of visitors, it might not be the best place for your job ad, any more than the site with the highest overall traffic is necessarily the best place for your product ad. In both cases, it's better to pick a site that will reach the specific audience you want. The best side for a job ad will vary, depending on the type of job and its location...[W]hat terms are your ideal candidates searching for? You can try using online keyword tools to find out, although they may not index terms on all job board sites.You might learn more by looking at other companies' ads for the position you're seeking to fill. Review several of these and you should get a feel for which keywords seem most relevant...[Y]our job ad should probably skip a lot of detail about who reports to whom, and include some sense of your company's culture and mission, the benefits you offer, and why it's a great place to work...[T]hink about structure and use subheads and bullet points. The ad should be divided into clearly labeled sections...The title you put in your ad doesn't have to be exactly the same as the title a new hire will actually have...The smartest companies optimize their job titles for search, rather than choosing a title for how it fits into their org chart...Use your ad as a screening tool...With fewer unqualified candidates in the screening process, you'll have a less overwhelming pile of applications to get through on the first round, and you may be in a better position to spot the real gems...[I]nclude a very specific instruction somewhere in the middle of the copy. For instance, write that you will only look at the application if the email contains a particular word or phrase in its subject line...Ideally, you should get at least one read by someone who has applied for the same type of position in the not[-]too[-]distant past...Before you post the ad, set up a system that will ensure every applicant gets a response. It doesn't have to be a personal response--though of course that's always best. Even an auto-responder that thanks them for applying and says you will get back to them by a certain date if you're interested in learning more about them is a whole lot better than no response at all."