At some point or another, you may find yourself looking to bring a new employee on board. But before you can find a picture perfect candidate for the job, you need to learn more about posting job openings. Read on to learn the do’s and don’ts of getting the word out about an open position at your business.

6 Do’s of posting job openings

Posting a new job opening for your company is exciting. After all, you get to hunt for top talent and bring someone new to your team. But, along with the excitement also comes a few steps—including a few things you absolutely should do to find the ideal candidate. Without further ado, check out six must-do’s for job posting success. 

1. Write a solid job description

A major “do” of posting a position is nailing the job title and description. Your job description is the first thing candidates will see and read about your company. So, it needs to be on point if you want to find top talent.

Generally, a solid job description includes:

• Title of the position (be specific and clear!)
• Job duties and responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Work environment
• Summaries about your company (don’t be afraid to let your personality shine here)
• Perks of working for your business (e.g., paid time off, health insurance, etc.)

Your job description should be intriguing, concise, and truthful. The goal of the description is to get people interested in working for your business and entice them to apply. Use this as an opportunity to sell candidates on why they should come work for your business.

2. Ensure your posting is compliant

Another absolute must-do when it comes to posting job openings is to remain compliant. This means keeping things legal (i.e., no discrimination of any kind).

Make sure your job posting is free from any discrimination based on:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Gender
• National origin
• Age
• Disability
• Genetic information

Follow the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) rules for employers about discrimination and harassment. If you have questions, consult the EEOC directly.

To let candidates know that you’re an equal opportunity employer who does not discriminate, add an equal opportunity statement to your job description. And, make sure there is no trace of discriminatory terms or language in your description.

3. Double-check to find flaws

The best way to finetune your job posting (and find spelling and grammar errors) is to read through your description and go through the application process to ensure everything makes sense.

When looking through your job description and the application process, look at factors like:

• Wording
• Navigation
• Ease of applying
• Accessibility

After you look everything over with your job description and the steps to apply, consider asking someone else to do the same. That way, you can get feedback from them about wording and the process. 

Depending on what you find, you may need to do some tweaking to ensure your job description and process is in tip-top shape for candidates. 

4. Determine where to post your job opening

After you touch up and perfect your business’s job description, you can begin posting it (woohoo!). So, what’re some of the best ways to advertise job openings? Thanks to modern day technology and the internet, you can post job openings on:

• Your business website
• Social media
• Job boards

You may also decide to let people know you’re hiring by putting up signage around your business, handing out flyers, or taking out an advertisement in the newspaper. 

To help spread the word about your open position, you can also ask current employees to share the job posting and encourage them to refer others.

The more strategies you use to let others know about your open position, the better. That way, you can have access to a larger pool of applicants. 

5. Use applicant tracking software

An applicant tracking system (ATS) can make it a breeze to recruit and hire candidates. Not to mention, it can help keep candidate information neat and organized. 

To make the job posting process easier and automate certain tasks, consider utilizing an ATS. You can use an applicant tracking system to:

• Post to various job sites at once
• Sort resumes
• Filter applicants
• Store resumes
• Schedule interviews
• Communicate with candidates

Of course, it’s not mandatory to invest in an ATS. However, it can help save you time and let you narrow down your applicant pool more quickly. And thus, hire somebody more quickly. 

6. Analyze results to make improvements in the future

When it comes to posting job openings, you want to know what did and didn’t work, right? Right. So to be able to make improvements the next time you need to post a job, track and analyze results from your job postings.

When analyzing results, take a look at whether the language on the job posting attracted the right candidates and if you used the right platforms to find candidates.

If needed, do some tweaking for future job advertisements. You can experiment with new job sites, wording, and techniques. 

Don’ts of posting job openings

When it comes to posting a job opening and finding candidates, there are some huge no-nos to avoid. Here are some things you absolutely don’t want to do when posting your company’s open position. Do not:

• Discriminate
• Make the application process too long
• Start the hiring process before preparing
• Be too vague with your description
• Forget to double-check your job title and description before posting
• Limit where you post the job opening

To help find the ideal candidate for your company, steer clear of these “do nots” and keep them in mind during all stages of the hiring process.

After you find the perfect candidate for the role, you need to add them to payroll (woohoo!). Patriot’s online payroll makes it a snap to add and pay employees. Plus, we offer free setup, support, and direct deposit. Start your 30-day free trial today!

This article has been updated from its original publication date of June 27, 2013.

This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here.