So you are looking to hire some new talent with CAD skills within your organisation. Job boards such as the CADjobhunter network are one of the best ways to attract the right candidates for you to choose from.

The only way you are going to maximise your return on investment in the fastest way is if you prepare an effective job description. The aim of which isn’t to get the most candidates but the highest ratio of suitable candidates.

Here are my 12 top tips to job advert success:

1. The first rule of writing job adverts is a job description is not a job advert!

2. The second rule of writing job adverts is a job description is NOT a job advert!

Since starting the CADjobhunter Network I am often surprised by the number of adverts I see which contain every single aspect of a specific job. An effective job description outlines what duties a potential employee has on a day-to-day basis.

An effective job advert accentuates why a qualified job seeker should apply for the position.

3. To the point

All job advertise should have a light tone, be interesting to read and lack waffle. Do not feel compelled to include the minor aspects, instead highlight the most exciting parts of the job.

4. Make an entrance

Kick start your advert with a high impact opening paragraph. Hit them with the most exciting aspects of the role, the company and what it will do for the candidate. Also mention the job title, the location and the salary in this section.Now, put yourself in the shoes of the reader, does it grab your attention?

Also worth considering that the first paragraph is often included in the preview of the job results page.

5. Enter a salary

…or at least an indication. Statistically jobs which state a salary receive more applications. I appreciate it might be a political knightmare with existing employees or you are flexible for the right candidate, but what does this actually mean? If you are prepared to pay somewhere between £20,000 and £30,000 for a new Product Design Engineer then it’s well worth mentioning this.

6. Follow a format

By giving structure to your advert it not only makes it easier for the reader to digest it also reflects positively on your companies brand:I recommend splitting the advert into 4 main sections:

a. The opening paragraph (as mentioned above)
b. The key responsibilities of the job
c. The core skills and experiences required for the role
d. The salary, benefits and the opportunities for training and career progression

7. Use bullet points

Bullets points are proven to catch people’s attention and they also help you keep your content concise.

8. Time to dig out your thesaurus…or hit shift F7

Do your best to create a stimulating spec by including inspirational words. A thesaurus is a great tool for looking up alternative words which could inject a bit of pizazz. If you are a member of HR, an internal recruiter or an agency recruiter then often the only thing you have to go on it was you have been given, however if it is not enough make sure you go back and ask for more content.

9. Concentrate on your best bits

All jobs have parts that are less interesting and job seekers know this, there is no point in broadcasting them. Focus on the positives of the role.

10. Tell them where they can be tomorrow

What I mean by this is talk about their career with you rather than just a job. Tell them how you will develop them and for their hard work they will be rewarded with promotion and career progression.

11. Do not include your contact details at the end of the advert

It can be tempting to include a section at the end which gives your name and contact details and even include links to other roles you are recruiting for, however it’s my advice not to.Being completely transparent; as someone who looks after job boards, I want all candidates to apply to your job by pressing the big ‘apply’ button as it allows me to gather some contact details along with important stats on the number of applications. However by allowing candidates to apply via an external route or directly to your email address this won’t be tracked by the job board and therefore skew the return on investment of your advert.

12. Review and amend

Most job boards allow you to log back into your job and make changes, so keep an eye on your advert. If you are not receiving the amount to candidates you hoped, or indeed the wrong type of candidates then you can change what you have written.

Give it a go and I would love to see whether you see an increase in applications.