Contact: 0345 3000 406 or customerservices@fish4.co.uk

Job TiTleThink about which keywords job seekers commonly use in their searches, and tailor your job description accordingly. Keep it brief yet relevant. This will result in your advert ranking higher in the search results and being served in more job alerts by email.

locaTionThe key is to provide as accurate a location as possible. A county is too broad and could potentially either put off eligible candidates or mislead those that consider the job to be closer than it really is. On Fish4jobs only town, city or postcode are permissible location entries. The location description is a free-type field, and this is what will display to jobseekers on Fish4jobs.

SalarySalary guidelines are proven to generate a much more relevant and higher response from job seekers. They also deliver more traffic to your advert as job seekers filter by salary and will be more likely to click onto an advert containing salary guidelines.

If you’re concerned that the salary stated will put off the most experienced candidates from applying, provide a wide salary range, but keep it realistic; don’t set expectations that can’t be fulfilled.

If you decide to exclude the salary there is the option to hide it from the job description but still enable the job to be included in search results for jobs within the salary range. Only the salary description field is displayed on the site, and this is a free-type field allowing you to enter “competitive” or “dependent on experience” if you prefer to do so.

benefiTSHighlighting the key benefits of the organisation is crucial to attracting candidates to apply, especially if the salary is not especially competitive. These needn’t be financial; less tangible benefits include the opportunity to make a difference, chance to work for a leading brand in its field, modern offices set in exciting location, work gym etc… You can relate any “About the Company” information to the benefits if relevant.

How to write a good job advertA well-written job advert is crucial to ensuring you attract the right candidates to your vacancy. A well-structured job advert clearly states the purpose of the role, highlights the benefits, and makes it easy for job seekers to quickly ascertain all the key information required to convince them to submit their application.

Contact: 0345 3000 406 or customerservices@fish4.co.uk

abouT THe roleConsider signposting this section with a subheader such as; “job description”, “about the role”, “the opportunity”. Then think about the most concise and efficient way to explain the role requirements (bullet points are a useful way to convey these).

abouT THe candidaTeThink about the specific skillset required and then quantify them where possible (e.g. – number of years’ experience or equivalent). We recommend you list candidate requirements in bullet points for greater clarity and to reinforce each requirement as a unique and important prerequisite for the role.

Keep the requirements broad if you are getting a low response, and tighten them up as required according to the calibre of job seeker you require.

Making your Job adverT SearcHableThink about the keywords a job seeker would most likely use when searching for a particular role, and make sure you include the most obvious keywords in the job title as well as within the job description. The Fish4jobs relevancy algorithm behind search result listings calculates relevancy based on the number of times keywords are included, but also gives greater weight to those listed earlier on in the job description.

In summary; when trying to optimise your job advert to appear higher in the search listings, focus on incorporating the most obvious keywords into your job title and the introductory paragraph. Avoid using chunks of keywords; ensure they are spread out organically throughout the job description to avoid being penalised in the search results.

You can map your job advert against a maximum of 3 main sectors, and then within one of the main sectors you can select a further 3 sub sectors.

cHeck your workIf you’re serious about attracting quality candidates, a final spellcheck takes seconds or ask a colleague to proofread it. Ensure your logo is uploaded to reinforce branding on the job advert (dimensions 360x180 pixels). There is the option to include supporting documents and an application form. Be aware that we cannot track downloads of these documents. Ensure the closing date for applications matches the expiry date of the job advert so that jobseekers don’t have the option to apply for a job that is no longer available. Finally, don’t forget to add your own reference as this helps easily identify each job advert if you have multiple postings with the same job title.