Formal: 77%
Casual: 60%
Compensation: 61%
Qualifications: 49%
Job details: 49%
Performance goals: 33%
Company culture: 28%
Monday: 20%
Tuesday: 19%
Wednesday: 18%
Thursday: 15%
Friday: 13%
Crafting a job description that attracts quality candidates is tricky. That’s why we analyzed the way millions of job seekers interact with job posts on LinkedIn and provided seven powerful tactics to help you write stronger job descriptions.
TIP 1
Many people look at job descriptions on their phones. That could explain why job posts with fewer than 150 words can get candidates to apply 17.8% more frequently than job posts with 450 to 600 words.
Takeaway: Shorter job posts get more applicants.
TIP 2
Candidates in our study were 2x–4x less likely to apply when the mock job description was extremely casual. Coming off as too conversational can give the impression that you are unprofessional – so keep it friendly without going overboard.
Candidates are less likely to apply to a very casual job description
Formal: 77%
Casual: 60%
Which parts of the job description were most important?
Compensation: 61%
Qualifications: 49%
Job details: 49%
Performance goals: 33%
Company culture: 28%
TIP 3
Candidates may spend only a few seconds reading your job description, so make sure you cut to the chase. Details like compensation and qualifications were consistently highlighted as the most helpful part of a job description.
TIP 4
Candidates care about your company; it’s just not what they’re looking for in a job description. They rated company, culture, and mission as less important, rarely highlighting it as helpful.
HEATMAP LEGEND
HEATMAP LEGEND
TIP 5
Stand out from the crowd by providing specific metrics that your candidates should hit after one year on the job. This can set up expectations and reflect positively on your company.
TIP 6
When it comes to posting jobs, earlier in the week is better. Most candidates apply on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday – with just 15% coming in over the weekend.
Candidate job post applications distributed by day of the week
Monday: 20%
Tuesday: 19%
Wednesday: 18%
Thursday: 15%
Friday: 13%
TIP 7
Men applied to the jobs that they viewed 13% more often than women. Job descriptions with “masculine” wording can turn away qualified prospects. Using gender-neutral language encourages a more diverse pool of applicants.
Our original research study analyzed millions of job post interactions to find out how certain approaches affect job seekers.
jobs posted in 2016 and 2017 in the United States and the United Kingdom were analyzed for LinkedIn’s behavioral insights, referenced in tips #1, #6, and #7.
from the LinkedIn Market Research community were surveyed for LinkedIn’s heat map study, referenced in tips #2, #3, #4, and #5.