Vacant jobs are being advertised at record numbers and applications per job ad are at the lowest observed level in a decade. Couple this with an unemployment rate of just 3.5 percent as of June this year, and it’s no wonder that employers across all industries are struggling to fill roles. 

So, with the competition for talent so high, how do Hiring Managers attract appropriate job seekers? 



As a specialist recruitment agency with experience sourcing hard to find talent, we would argue that a job advertising alone most likely won’t be the answer. However, if you are going to post an ad, it needs to cut through the noise. A job ad acts as the calling card for your business – a way to provide information about a vacant job, company culture and benefits that will hopefully entice job seekers enough to hit the “apply” button.  

But with a plethora of ads being featured across job sites, LinkedIn and even platforms such as Instagram, it’s important to write something that stands out from the crowd. 

The expectations of Australian employees and job seekers have changed since the pandemic, and it’s important that Hiring Managers take this into account when crafting job ads. Furthermore, with advancing technology, the ways in which job ads are found and applied for has also altered in recent years. 

Here, we provide a quick guide on the five things Hiring Managers and employers should include within their job ads to attract candidates in the current job market. 

The option to work from home and flexibility 

According to SEEK, “work from home” is now the top keyword searched on the site. So much so, in fact, that many jobseekers choose to search it over any job title or industry. As of May this year, 61 percent of job seekers indicated that the option to work remotely was a big factor in their decision to apply for a role, and that if remote work wasn’t offered with their current employer, they would be likely to resign and look for another job. 

Despite this however, SEEK revealed that only approximately 5 percent of job ads on the platform explicitly mentioned words and phrases relating to the option to work from home. 

With the desire for flexibility around working hours and location so high, it would be remiss of organisations to omit this from their job ads. By including this detail, not only will you be more likely to attract more candidates, but also improve the searchability of your job ad, due to the inclusion of relevant keywords. 

If working from home isn’t something your organisation offers, perhaps due to the nature of the work or structure of your organisation, then this is also important to mention. While it may deter some job seekers, it’s better to be transparent from the outset than hire someone and find out six months down the track that you’re a mismatch.  

Remember too, there are many ways to allow for flexibility in a role. Whether it is allowing employees to choose hours or offering a position as full-time or part-time, flexibility can expand applicant numbers. 

Company values, diversity and Inclusion 

According to the Harvard Business Review, 76 percent of employees said a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. Furthermore, they will actively ask questions about diversity targets and strategies, which make it a poignant inclusion to your job ads. 

This can be done by declaring yourself as an equal opportunity employer, using gender-neutral language within your ads, and even mentioning any diversity initiatives your organisation has developed. It is also recommended that you only focus on criteria for the role that is absolutely critical, as research shows  women will be less likely to apply if they don’t meet most requirements. 

An effective diversity and inclusion strategy is something that needs to be addressed across multiple areas of a business and can take a significant amount of time and effort to create. If you feel as though your organisation isn’t quite there yet, it’s important not to deceive potential job applicants, with 81 percent of candidates stating it’s important for advertisers to be completely honest in all aspects of the job advertised. Instead, you can say it’s something you are striving towards and place great importance on. 

A great ad summary 

With attention spans getting shorter and such an enormous number of ads for job seekers to scroll through, it’s important to grab their attention quickly. One of the best ways to do this is with your job ad summary, which is what appears first on the search results page and is where people spend approximately 80 percent of their time when looking for a job. If you fail to grab their attention here, you’ll fail to win their click. 

With 74% of people more likely to apply for a job if the job ad if it clearly lists the employee benefits, it’s important to consider what really sets your workplace apart from others. Try to avoid overused, blanket statements such as “great culture” and “work-life balance”, which are omnipresent in the search results. Instead, highlight the specifics that make the job and your organisation appealing: do employees get to choose their WFH days? Do you have an annual team getaway or monthly lunches that highlight a great working culture? Perhaps you offer employees a wellness bonus each year to spend on a program of their choosing. 

Whatever it is, make sure to promote these benefits quickly and directly to help you score the click through to your job ad. 

Write with clarity 

Recent research has shown that concise, succinct job ads that quickly provide the necessary information about the role and organisation are more likely to attract candidates, as engagement with an ad often happens within the first 10 seconds. This includes using standardised job titles for your ad, so it can be more easily found in searches. 

Ensure to include action words within the summary, as well as the location, which will be a big factor in whether someone deems the role appropriate for them. Candidates also want to know the specific of the job – what they’ll be doing in a day-to-day capacity – with simple and direct language detailing the most important criteria of a role being favoured by 71 percent of candidates. 

There is a fine line here though. While job seekers want to understand the specifics of a job, there is such a thing as too much detail. To manage this balancing act, include dot-points of the main job-defining responsibilities and tasks to help people make informed, quick decisions. 

Also consider how well your ad will be optimised for those individuals searching for jobs on their mobiles. If your potential candidate must endlessly scroll for information, chances are they’re going to move on pretty quickly to something else. Remember, one line on the desktop is roughly five lines on mobile, so make sure you’re also writing for ease of reading and comprehension on mobile devices. 

To mention salary or not... 

Many job ads leave the salary out, but this can be a huge factor when aiming to attract potential candidates to the role, especially given that financial benefits are still the most important for two in five people.  But this can be difficult for organisations if they are unable to keep up with the salary growth that’s occurring across some industries due to the competitive nature of the market. 

For this reason, it’s important to do your research and understand where the salary you’re offering sits. If it’s on-par or above your competitors, then consider including it in your job ad. If you’re worried it isn’t, then it’s likely best left out. If this is the case, be sure to highlight benefits other than just the salary, whether that be free on-site car parking, flexible work policies, staff discounts or a company car. These can help candidates take the full picture into consideration. 

If you’re looking for talent or struggling to find candidates in the current market, partner with the professionals and contact Bayside Group today.