The Real Reason Your Job Ads Aren’t Working

Crafting job ads that resonate with job seekers is an art. Yet, many employers find themselves puzzled, wondering why their incredibly detailed, HR-approved job ads aren’t sparking the interest they expected.

The missing ingredient? An authentic emotional connection.

It’s time to go beyond the ordinary and discover the keys to unlocking a flood of high-quality candidates who are eager to join your team.

The Disconnect: When Job Ads Aren’t Working

The primary reason your job ads aren’t working is the failure to establish an emotional connection with your target audience. Most job ads focus on the company’s needs rather than addressing what matters to the job seekers. 

Active job seekers aren’t just looking for a paycheck; they’re searching for a better boss, a new team, and a supportive culture. They’re willing to dive into one of life’s most stressful events, the job search, to start fresh.

Until your job ad addresses your ideal candidate’s needs, desires, and values, it’s unlikely you’ll find the rock star candidate you’re hoping to hire.

How to Improve Your Job Ads

If your job ads aren’t working, you have to shift the focus away from money and benefits to attract candidates who are genuinely interested in your company’s values and vision. Consider who your current job ads are attracting and who you want to attract.

1. Focus on the Employee

Shift the narrative of your job ad from what your company needs to what the employee stands to gain. Highlight your values and where your company is heading to attract candidates who align with those values.

2. Provide a Sense of Purpose

Job seekers want to feel like their work makes a difference. They spend the majority of their waking hours working with you and they want that time to mean something. 

Your job ads aren’t working if you haven’t shared the value your business creates. Clearly communicate the impact they can have on their own life, their team’s lives, and the community. Emphasize the purpose of the role and how it contributes to a larger mission.

3. Create a Sense of Belonging

People aren’t meant to work in a bubble. They want to be a part of something bigger. Harvard Business Review recently conducted a study that found people are 55% more engaged and 66% more likely to stay with their employer if they feel a sense of community at work.

Showcase your company culture and values to attract candidates who will feel at home. Emphasize a supportive work environment that will give them a sense of belonging and identity.

Who Are the Right People?

If you want a team focused on more than their paycheck and paid time off, you need to sell the job a different way. Too often, employers create gravity around money, benefits, and flexibility. Naturally, numbers become the focus during the interview. But are these the people you want on your team – people obsessed with their salary and time away from work?

It’s time to step back and look at your job ads. What’s the focus? Who are you attracting? Who do you WISH you were attracting?

A Rideshare Owner With a Heart for Service

Many of our clients come to us with job ads that don’t align with who they’re actually hoping to hire. Rick was no exception.

Rick owned a rideshare service for senior citizens. He needed to hire 200 part time drivers in two months. He got 1,000 applications the previous month and hired 50. But he didn’t have time to sift through enough applications to fill the demand. Even with a flood of applications, Rick wasn’t finding the people he actually wanted to hire.

During the interviews, he learned the applicants wanted seasonal jobs with flexibility and lots of money. He was frustrated to learn they weren’t even interested in the service his business provided. He quickly realized that in order to create the business he dreamed of, he needed to hire employees who really cared about senior citizens and had a heart to serve. This job opportunity was far greater than just driving someone from one location to another.

When Rick studied his job ad, he discovered it was heavily focused on money and flexibility. “Looking for a lucrative part time job with flexible hours?” This was his selling point. No wonder the job seekers were all about money!

Ultimately, there was no alignment between what he was asking for in his job ad and what he actually wanted.

Rick needed people who would go the extra mile – not the type of person who was just looking to make some cash on the side. Once he adjusted the job ad to reflect his true vision, he was able to interview and hire people who were the right fit for his team.

Rick’s experience highlights the need for an authentic emotional connection in a job ad. By adjusting the focus from money and flexibility to qualities like patience and compassion, Rick attracted candidates who were the right fit to serve his clients well.

Moving Forward

If your job ads aren’t working, it’s time to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the job seeker.

You have to provide clarity, focus, and intentionality in your job ads. Put yourself in the job seeker’s shoes and tailor your ad to their needs. Align your job ads with your company’s culture, be transparent, and deliver on promises. After reading your ad, the right candidate should be able to picture themself thriving at your company.

When you start hiring people who fit your culture and align with your company’s vision, they’ll connect with your values and be committed to staying with you for the long haul. They’ll be able to see themself working with you and making a difference. They’ll see their work as fulfilling – something far greater and more rewarding than money or benefits. 

This approach may result in fewer applications, but the ones you get will be of higher quality, aligning with your company’s values and vision.

Ready to Start Getting Results?

By revolutionizing the way you write job ads and prioritizing the needs of job seekers, you can build a team that is not only skilled but also aligned with your company’s culture and vision. A well-aligned team leads to outstanding service and sets your company apart in your industry. 

If you’re ready to radically change the way you write job ads, but are feeling lost on how to begin, give us a call. Our coaches are highly skilled in writing customized job ads that will attract the type of candidates you need to dramatically impact the way you do business.