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Five Ways to Make Your Job Ad Stand Out

Five Ways to Make Your Job Ad Stand Out

Five Ways to Make Your Job Ad Stand Out

Recruiting health professionals right now is more competitive than ever. So, it’s important to put your best foot forward. And, since many job seekers browse for jobs online, we’ve compiled some tips to consider as you work to create your best digital footprint, so you and your organization can move forward, and upward, together.

1.    It’s a Job Ad, Not a Job Description

We’re talking about the language you want to use to make your job opening stand out. We know there’s a lot of importance in a job description (we see you, HR professionals), but we want to put our marketing caps on first.

So, what should you put in a job ad? What matters to the job seeker! 

And what does matter? A common approach to answering what matters to employees is to apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the workplace. In short, you want to be able to answer these questions (and, of course, include them in your job ad):

Belonging: Am I the kind of person you’re looking for?
We’re looking for a motivated, mission-driven nurse who is looking to be part of our growth, as well as their own.

Fulfillment: Will I be content?
We see patients from pre-birth on up. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide health care for all aspects of our patients’ health and wellbeing, and we’re looking for someone committed to providing care for our diverse patient population. 

Esteem: Will I be respected?
Our team is just that: a team. We thrive around our culture of respecting a team-based approach to care, and we see the results in the care we deliver. This position includes an opportunity for growth into a supervising role, as well as opportunities to precept nursing students through a local partnership.

Prosperity: Will I thrive?
Learn more about this job, as well as our focus on teamwork and our culture that emphasizes our team members’ health and well-being as much as our patients’. We can’t wait for you to see what we’re about.

2.    Get Input From The Experts (Your Staff)

What matters to the hardworking, dedicated professionals with whom you already work? Why do they work there, and not somewhere else? Listening here is key! What keywords and phrases carry meaning and impact? 

Remember to keep your staff in the loop AFTER you get your ad put together, too. They can create a powerful marketing team to help you get the word out.  

3.    Make it Visual

If this sounds intimidating, you can blame social media for this (Ok, not really…). No matter how this came to be, this is for certain: we have become very accustomed to seeing pictures, videos, and more when browsing online. And that means this is also true when we’re looking at jobs online. So, what’s a recruiter to do? 

  • Section out your content so it’s easy to read (and scan!). Keep in mind, many job seekers might be looking at your ad on a phone or tablet.
  • Include helpful links
  • Add a link or embed a simple video. Doesn’t have to be Hollywood-level quality – but maybe include a short video of a current employee and why they like working at your place of employment, or even a virtual tour of your facility.
  • Photos. Think about how you can use pictures to share more about your people, facilities, and surroundings.

4.    Don’t Do It Alone

Recruiting is a team sport. We’ve already talked about the importance of including your staff as you put together your job ad. One of our core beliefs is that teamwork is key to your recruiting for retention success. 

No matter the size of your organization, you need to think through your process and the various roles needed to accompany this work. Here are some common roles we encourage you to consider as part of your core team and support team:

Core Team:

  • Recruiter
  • Contact person
  • Coordinator
  • Candidate interviewer
  • Spouse recruiter
  • Reference and credential checker

Support Team:

  • Promotion developers
  • Site visit team
  • Site visit hosts
  • Contract negotiator

Community Team:

  • Real estate agent
  • School contacts
  • Financial planner
  • Banks
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • Community hero (someone who does something meaningful for the community, for example a former pro athlete that moved back and does speaking engagements at the local high school)

Taking the time to thoughtfully think through your process can make a big difference in your recruitment efforts. 

After all, it would be disappointing if no one followed up with a great lead who reached out after they saw your impressive, engaging job ad, right!?

5.    Still Have Questions? We’re Here to Help.

3RNET has decades' worth of experience in rural and underserved-focused recruitment and retention. 

Learn more from us through our Recruiting for Retention Guides. Login to your 3RNET dashboard and find these helpful resources under the R4R Resource Center.

Join our Recruiting for Retention Academy! Our six-part series is dedicated to teaching you more about rural and underserved-focused recruitment and retention best practices.