As a business owner, hiring can be one of your biggest, most time-consuming challenges. Not only do you need to pursue talent in the right avenues, you also need to be able to construct your job listings and overall media strategy in a way that is enticing and makes people want to come work for you.
Writing is so important in this aspect because even if you have a great job with excellent benefits and an awesome culture of success at your business, nobody will know unless you can convey it through your writing. In case you need to up your writing skills you that you can find the best employees possible, here are 5 writing tips to keep in mind.
1. Know Your Audience
If you’re looking to hire, you should have an idea of what the ideal employee would look like. When you visualize your ideal employee, you can then structure your job listings as if you were talking directly to that single person, rather than an entire field of candidates. This will help you come across as more personable, and when your target candidates read your listing they’ll instantly be drawn in.
2. Don’t Sound Overly Professional
This doesn’t mean you should write as if you’re looking for someone who isn’t a professional, but don’t sound too complex or stuffy. Avoid using a lot of big words and try to add in a splash of humor. Imagine you’re writing to somebody who is completely qualified for your job, but nervous and anxious about how they’re going to be treated by you. Put them at ease while letting them know what you’ll expect from them at the same time.
3. Read Your Writing Out Loud
After you’ve completed the first draft, read your writing out loud to yourself. It can be easy to distort your message when you are only reading it back to yourself in your head. By giving your listing a human voice, you’ll be able to tell much easier whether or not you’re hitting the mark. It might also help to read it aloud to a partner.
4. Start a Blog
This has nothing to do with job listings, but everything to do with improving your business through writing. Almost every business has some type of blog nowadays, usually on topics related to their niche. A blog shows potential customers that you have a deep knowledge of your industry and that you aren’t afraid to give away some of your wisdom for free. It’s endearing, and it works.
5. Master the Art of SEO
Search engine optimization is the practice of including certain keywords in specific areas of your blogs and job listings so that they pop up higher on search engines. This is crucial to getting hits on your page, so you need to learn it. There’s a lot to SEO but putting highly searched keywords in titles, headings, and subheadings is a great start.
Good Writing is the Secret to Success
Having good writing skills is crucial if you want to optimize the success of your business in today’s day and age. By putting together well-written job listings and starting an SEO optimized blog, you’ll see a much higher level of success no matter what industry you’re in.
Marla DiCarlo is an accomplished business consultant with more than 28 years of professional accounting experience. As co-owner and CEO of Raincatcher, she helps business owners with selling a business so they can get paid the maximum value for their company.