5 Job Posting Mistakes To Avoid

By Francine Fluetsch on September 13, 2015

If you are trying to recruit college students, there are many things in the listing that will catch their eye, as well as some things that might deter them from applying.

image via www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com

And since you want them to apply, here are five job-posting mistakes that you should avoid to get as many college applicants in as you can.

1) Don’t be too vague.

When college students are hunting for a job, they are attempting to fit it in to their hectic schedules. They are going to be drawn to listings that have specific details in them, not just something vague like “barista wanted.”

You don’t have to write a book when telling them what they will be expected to do, but it would be helpful to list out key things that will be part of the job, preferred/required skills that they need, if they are required to have their own transportation (not all students have cars so this is a factor for them), as well as the actual pay they will receive.

Many students need jobs for resume boosters, but they also have tons of student debt to pay off and are trying to make their rent, so if you post how much they will make, they will definitely be drawn to your listing.

When things are too vague and will require them to keep emailing you for more information, more likely than not they might just skip on the application altogether if it is taking up too much time. The easier you make the application process, the more people you’ll get to apply.

2) Don’t be too strict on timing.

If you want to get as many applicants as you can, it would be beneficial to be flexible with the deadline for applying. Giving students a three week window means they will be able to plan out their application to its fullest potential, and will allow them time to get letters of recommendation if you require it.

Keeping it open for a bit longer will also allow you to promote the job opening on social media and through university websites (if they allow you).

3) Don’t make your posting too stiff.

If your job listing is worded like a robot wrote it, you aren’t going to get much of a response. Keep it smart and professional, but don’t be afraid to have a little fun with it as well.

Only go as far as you feel fits your company, but if you can make an applicant laugh or make them feel like someone actually took the time to personalize the listing, you will get more of a response.

Let’s look at the difference:

Stiff: “Uloop is hiring new writers.”

Fun: “Uloop is looking for some new, fun, upbeat writers to join our team and contribute some awesome articles to our news site.”

Both tell the applicant what is happening, but one is more appealing than the other. This can really be the fun part of your job listing, so put some time into it and enjoy the results.

4) Don’t make your application process too complicated.

Students want to get hired as fast as possible, so if they first have to fill out a bunch of applications, go through three interviews, and then anxiously wait for your phone call, chances are they might go somewhere else where the application process is easier.

The longer they spend in the in-between zone waiting to hear back from you, the longer they don’t have a job. And when you have a lot of things to pay off, waiting might not be an option for students. The faster you can make the process, the better.

5) Don’t settle for a sloppy job posting.

You really want to make sure that you read through your job listing and make sure you don’t have any spelling errors. Multiple small mistakes will make your listing look really sloppy and will be off-putting to potential applicants, not to mention it will make your company look bad.

Everyone makes spelling errors, we are only human, so after you type it up, make sure to have someone else take a look at it for you.

Sometimes we can miss simple mistakes because we have looked at the page for too long, so taking a little extra time to make sure that it is all spelled correctly will really help you in the long run. You also want to make sure that if you have links leading to the application or to your contact information that they are still functional and don’t lead to an error page. Keep tabs on your listing and test all the links after you post it to make sure everything is working properly.

If you make sure to avoid these mistakes, you’ll have students flocking to your listings and applying in no time. Good luck!

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