How to Write Job Posts That Catch Creatives’ Attention

Since 2011, the UK’s creative industries – namely IT, design, and the visual and performing arts – have seen steady growth. There are several factors fuelling this growth, including the enduring appeal of the sector and continued technological advancement. But it also takes skilful marketing to find top talent, and job posts play an outsized role in attracting the right creatives. When job posts are done right, they help different creative organisations gain visibility, extend their reach, and build up their bench. When they’re done wrong, your calls for talent go unanswered. Luckily, there are some simple, fun approaches to writing a creative job post.

Common job post mistakes

Crafting a compelling job post might seem easy, but employers make mistakes quite frequently. They leave out critical information like the job’s salary, the hours the applicant will be required to work, and the full scope of the job duties. In some cases, they might post the job under the wrong category. For example, if you need an IT expert for an advertising firm, and you post it as an advertising job, you might not find IT talent.

Additionally, some job posts aren’t optimised for mobile, and job seekers could be turned off by slow load times, grainy images, or fonts that are hard to read.

The language of the job post matters, too. If it’s employer-centred, the post will read like a list of instructions, which isn’t very compelling. Also, if there’s negative language, such as, “Don’t apply for this job if you can’t do the following”, it can scare away potential applicants.

Strong, creative job posts avoid these pitfalls and instead focus on more dynamic elements.

Ways to liven up job posts for creatives

There are several ways to avoid boring job posts and drum up interest from creatives:

• Use bold, specific titles: If you’re looking for a Software Engineer, simply titling your post “Software Engineer” gets the point across – it’s just boring. “Amazing Platform Software Engineer” hints at your company’s personality, makes the job sound interesting, and offers a little bit of detail about the specialisation you’re looking for.
• Start with the exciting details: It’s natural to start a job post with a list of duties and responsibilities, but that’s not what most creatives want to know about first. Grab their attention with the most fascinating information – salary, perks, and benefits. If they like what they see, they’ll read the rest.
• Talk about your process: So often, job applicants have no idea what’s going to happen once they apply. Instead of leaving them to guess, tell them. Include a few steps about what the interview process will entail, similar to this posting from HireVue.
• Show your personality: Job posts don’t have to be serious. You can use humour or any emotion that effectively communicates what it’s like to work at your company.
• Go behind the scenes: Talk about employee-centred accolades, similar to what Hubspot did when it was named one of the best places to work. You can also show a day in the

• Go behind the scenes: Talk about employee-centred accolades, similar to what Hubspot did when it was named one of the best places to work. You can also show a day in the life of your team or highlight testimonials from employees. Put your people front and centre and give potential hires a look on the inside.

• Pique their interest: When Verizon was looking for new software developers, the wireless company posted a code on its Instagram account and invited candidates to apply for the job by solving the code. For your company, what are fun ways that you can grab attention and test creatives’ skills at the same time?
  
• Be bold: Use graphics, eye-catching designs, video – anything in your arsenal that will make your job posts stand out. Think bigger than text on a page.

If you want to attract creative people to your business, you must reach out to them in creative ways. Standard job posts won’t cut it. Start experimenting and testing out new ideas, and you’ll have a full queue in no time.