- Over half (57 per cent) of job seekers say jargon in job ads puts them off applying
- A quarter of respondents highlight spelling mistakes as a regular occurrence in job ads
- ‘Leverage’, ‘self-starter’ and ‘bottleneck’ among the worst jargon offenders
Employers posting badly written job ads littered with jargon, unexplained acronyms and basic spelling and grammatical errors are missing out on good candidates, according to a recent poll by Monster.co.uk.
In a survey of over 2,000 job seekers, three quarters say they regularly see jargon or acronyms while searching for jobs and over half (57 per cent) say this puts them off applying. With 60 per cent of respondents saying they find jargon or acronyms in job ads annoying and a third (32 per cent) saying it confuses them, terms such as ‘leverage’ , ‘self starter’ and ‘bottleneck’ were highlighted as the most common offenders.
Worryingly, many job seekers also report spelling mistakes and basic grammatical errors as a regular problem in job ads. Almost a quarter of respondents (23 per cent) say they are shocked by the number of spelling mistakes they come across, particularly when many ads specify they are looking for candidates with ‘good attention to detail.’ Examples of the worst spelling mistakes given by candidates include an employer looking for someone ‘capable of ruining an office’, and another recruiting a ‘Resauce Manager’ (Resource Manager) and an ‘Ales Manager’ (Sales Manager).
Unclear and nonsensical job titles are also a problem for job seekers with 40 per cent of respondents regularly seeing job titles they don’t understand and almost two thirds (64 per cent) saying this puts them off applying for the job. Unclear job titles could cause other problems for employers, as they are not ranked highly in search engine optimisation (SEO), so candidates may not be able to find the roles in the first place.
“In such a competitive job market and with many employers still reporting skills shortages, it is worrying that so many job seekers are put off applying due to poorly written job ads,” says David Henry, Marketing Director at Monster.co.uk. “We regularly see job ads flooded with jargon, with businesses looking for candidates who can ‘hit the ground running,’ before ‘penetrating the market’ with ‘top line ideas’. Our findings suggest that corporate waffle, jargon and acronyms could be seriously affecting employers’ chances of finding the right candidates. Furthermore, advertising a role unclearly or incorrectly means many recruiters could be wasting time sifting through unsuitable CVs.
“However, the most worrying finding is the extent of spelling and grammatical errors reported by job seekers, with one in four reporting this as their biggest bugbear. A job ad must make a good first impression and poor attention to detail could not only put off talented applicants but also cause permanent damage to employer brand.”
* Example of spelling error seen in job advertisement
Monster.co.uk advises businesses to do the following when writing their job ads:
- Minimise jargon and acronyms. Ensure you don’t include language specific to the company or even the sector, as those applying for more general jobs will be less likely to apply.
- Keep job titles clear. Job titles should be descriptive and to the point as this is more search engine friendly. Don’t be afraid of simply using one-word job titles such as ‘administrator’ or ‘receptionist’ as a more comprehensive description of the role can be given later.
- Include a general statement about what the company does. This will help the search engine ranking. For example, using a description such as ‘Top 10 international law firm’ will help improve the search engine ranking of the ad.
- Give a description of the type of person you’re looking for. The more detail you add, the more likely you are to get a suitable candidate, and it also gives the job seeker an indication of whether or not they will be a good fit for the role.
- Provide the location of the job. This should include a postal code, as many candidates are looking for local positions, and are less likely to apply for roles that do not give locations.
- Include salary details. Even if you’re not keen on publishing the salary range in the ad, it’s a good idea to include it. Candidates will find your job ad if they search for the salary range, as it will still be visible to the search engine.
- Be creative. Candidates will remember ads that stand out.
- Think about your company brand. The ad should be in line with your employer and company brand and tone of voice. This will encourage the right type of applications from suitable candidates.
- Make the application process clear. Whether it’s an email address or an online application process, this should be simple so candidates don’t need to search around for details.
- Proof read! Once the ad has been drafted it should be passed to others to check for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that could have crept in.
Read more on Monster.co.uk if you’d like further advice on making your job ad more search-engine friendly
