How to Write a Great Job Advertisement

Job advertisements are designed to bring in the most ideal candidates to your company, which is why writing a great job listing is so curial. Otherwise, if you write a sloppy or inaccurate job advertisement, the people who will apply for your company’s position will not fit within your ideals. Below is a great and comprehensive structure that you should employ when writing up your next job listing.

The basic structure of a job ad

Most job advertisement follow a basic structure that is meant to be easy for readers to understand and break down. Most advertisements have this structure:

The job

This section talks about what your candidate will be doing with this position, and it often encompasses these points:

• What tasks the job involves them to do
• Whether the job is offered as full time, part time, casual or a fixed term contract

The requirements

This section is where the job listing tells the readers what they need to already have in order to make it into the position.

• What are the skills or qualifications your candidate will need to have to get the job? It is also a good idea to pinpoint the specific skills or requirements that are a ‘must’ so that you candidate knows.  
• What work experience the ideal candidate would need to have. E.g. “minimum of four years in a managerial position.”

The company

It is not just about learning about the candidate and what they can bring to the company, but also what your company can offer to the candidate. This is where you need to talk about your own company, why it is such a great company to work for, and why your candidate should work for your company instead of rivaling companies. So here you would talk about:

• What sort of organization is this company? Is it flexible and casual or structured and formal?
• What benefits can you give, as a company, give to the chosen candidate?

The necessities

The necessities are simply how can your company be contacted to discuss these jobs further and general administrative details. So here you would briefly mention:

• Where is this job located and what are the hours involved (if it is not a full-time job)?
• Closing date for applications
• Who to contact for further information?
• What applications need to be sent in. E.g. a resume and a cover letter
• How to send in applications. E.g. via email to the HR manager.