As a society, our attention span seems to be getting shorter and shorter (and this applies all the more to students looking for a part-time job or entry -level job). We want quick information and clearly presented. An applicant decides in a few seconds whether your vacancy text is worth his/her time. A compelling intro text motivates you to read on. Formulate in a short paragraph which products/services your organization provides, repeat the job title and write a short sentence about the tasks. You can expand on this in a later paragraph.

The job title is the most important thing in a job posting, as job seekers often start their google searches on a job title. Therefore, ask yourself how the applicant will find the vacancy. Google trends is a handy tool to discover which function names are most searched for. For example, a creative term such as ‘host service’ or ‘hostess service’ in the region of the netherlands does not give any results. Almost every applicant appears to search for ’employee service’.

Make sure the job title describes the job well and is relevant. Also state in the title whether it is a full-time or part-time position. In addition, make the job title attractive, so that candidates quickly click on the vacancy. This can be done, for example, by mentioning the high hourly wage, if this is the case.

Job seekers often screen a vacancy text for what the company has to offer. Ask yourself which characteristics make your organization special. Is this work location special? Do you have good (secondary) employment conditions? Be sure to indicate this in the vacancy! Mentioning career opportunities, working in an informal/formal environment or attractive preconditions is also smart. Potential candidates can thus more easily assess whether this is the vacancy they are looking for.

Make sure it is clear what kind of candidate you are looking for. Describe the job requirements as extensively as possible, so that only candidates who could actually fill the position apply. However, don’t make the job requirements too impossible either. That is scary. An example of an impossible requirement: a young starter with 10 years of experience. Can it be an ounce less?

In addition to respect, research shows that transparency and trust are the most important core values for applicants. Be clear, but also honest in the vacancy text. Don’t make the function more beautiful than it is. The fact is that brightening up a text ensures that many applicants respond, who may eventually drop out, because the position does not appear to match their expectations.

An organization therefore saves itself a lot of work by simply being honest. Honesty ensures that only people who are likely to really like the position apply. We go for quality, not quantity.

Mentioning salary also falls under the heading of ‘playing your cards open’: don’t make it a taboo. Of course, as an organization you also go for intrinsic motivation, but recent research shows that for 63%, the salary is still the biggest pull factor for a new job. State the amount, regardless of the amount.

Also look at it from the applicant’s perspective: how frustrating it is when job after job offers no guidance on whether it will pay the rent. Sooner or later salary really has to be discussed. If the applicant has to respond ‘blindly’, it increases the chance that the application will fail at a later stage during the employment conditions interview. A waste of both time.

Be short, but strong. A vacancy text must contain all important matters, so that the applicant has a clear picture of the company and what is being sought for a candidate. Please note that the vacancy text is not too long. This ensures that a candidate stops reading faster. Also provide lists in the text (this is clear) and write concisely.

Writing a vacancy text can be done in five minutes. However, if you want to find a good candidate quickly, it is advisable to invest a little more time. In addition, have the text checked by a colleague, so that you can be sure that everything is clear and that there are no spelling errors.

Spelling mistakes in a vacancy text are killer. Is this obvious? Maybe. Important? Absolute! An applicant may be coming into contact with your organization for the first time and a typo like ” I will be ” doesn’t convey the right message. Writing a good vacancy text takes time. A free tool like grammarly can help with this.