Sharing a job announcement with qualified candidates is crucial for finding the best person to fill an open position. An effective job posting spreads the word about your opening to the right audience and motivates suitable applicants to apply. Here are some tips for properly sharing a job announcement:
Post on your company website
The most obvious place to share a job posting is on your company’s careers or jobs page. If you don’t already have one, create a dedicated page or section of your website for open positions. This gives candidates one easy-to-find spot to look for openings.
Make sure the job announcement is easy to see and access from your homepage. Place a link in the main navigation menu at the top of every page. You want job seekers to be able to find open positions within a click or two from any part of your site.
Also, include prominent links on other relevant pages, like the “About Us” section. And don’t just rely on text links. Use eye-catching buttons, banners, or boxes to highlight job openings. Your goal is to promote the job posting throughout your site.
When writing the announcement itself, follow best practices for crafting compelling and informative job descriptions. Include an attention-grabbing overview, detailed responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, and clear instructions for applying. Use descriptive language to “sell” the position and get candidates excited about the opportunity.
Leverage job boards
After your own site, job boards should be a key part of your posting strategy. Research to find the best niche, regional, and national boards for your open position. Job board options include:
- Industry-specific boards for your field (ex. Dice for tech jobs)
- Local/regional boards targeting your geographic area
- Broad national mega-sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Monster, etc.
When posting to job boards, follow their guidelines for formatting and content. Make sure to include relevant keywords and optimize your description for findability. Most boards also offer options like premium or sponsored listings to increase visibility.
Pro tip: Don’t just set it and forget it when posting to job boards. Actively monitor and manage your listings by checking traffic stats, adjusting keywords, and renewing expired posts. This helps maximize the impact of your investment.
Distribute through professional associations
Relevant trade, industry, or professional groups are a valuable source of targeted candidates. Identify associations related to your field and location. Then distribute your posting through their job boards, social media, email lists, and other channels.
A few examples of professional groups that commonly share job postings include:
- Trade organizations like the American Marketing Association
- Industry associations like the Software & Information Industry Association
- Local chambers of commerce
- Alumni associations like college alumni networks
Posting through these established hubs gives access to an engaged audience of qualified candidates. And many professional groups will share your announcement for free or minimal cost.
Advertise on social media
Social platforms offer simple, direct ways to broadcast your job opening. Tailor your message for each channel and leverage organic sharing and paid options:
- Facebook: Post the listing in relevant Facebook Groups and on your Page. Create an eye-catching graphic with key details to share visually.
- Twitter: Tweet a brief summary with a link to the full posting. Engage users through strategic hashtags like #jobopening, #hiring, or #careeropportunity.
- LinkedIn: Publish the job description as a post on your Company Page. Use native job posting options to reach qualified followers.
- Pinterest: Create an infographic with images depicting the job and details. Link to your site for the full announcement.
Many social platforms now offer paid options to boost exposure. For example, you can run a LinkedIn job posting as a Sponsored Update targeted to relevant members. Social ads are an affordable way to get your announcement in front of more of your target audience.
Email contacts and prospects
Don’t underestimate good old email for sharing job postings. Send your announcement directly to relevant contacts, including:
- Current employees who may have referrals. Offer an employee referral bonus to incentivize sharing.
- Previous applicants and candidates from your database who may be interested.
- Customers, partners, vendors, investors, and others in your network.
Also consider purchasing an email list through a service like InfoUSA or ZoomInfo to target prospects by job title, industry, skills, and geography. While buying lists requires extra cost and effort, it can connect you with more passive candidates open to new roles.
When emailing your job posting, use an informative subject line like “Open Position: [Job Title]” and brief intro before linking to the full description on your site or attached PDF. Make it easy for recipients to quickly scan details and forward the opportunity through their own networks.
Partner with schools and recruitment programs
Develop partnerships with external organizations to source candidates. Examples include:
- Local high schools, colleges, universities, and trade schools. Connect with guidance counselors and career offices about sharing opportunities with soon-to-graduate or recently graduated students.
- Workforce development nonprofits that train and place candidates. For example, YearUp provides internships and job placement for underserved young adults.
- Military and veteran recruitment programs like Hero2Hired. The military trains people in many applicable skills from technical abilities to leadership experience.
- Diversity hiring initiatives like PowerToFly that connect companies with women candidates in tech.
Building relationships with schools and specialized hiring programs gives access to motivated, qualified talent. It also boosts diversity and supports positive community impact.
Promote referral rewards
Referrals from current employees tend to provide some of the highest quality candidates. Motivate referrals by promoting referral reward programs and bonuses. For example, offer $500-$1000 for a successful referral who gets hired and stays 6-12 months.
Communicate details through internal HR announcements and manager cascades. Encourage all employees to share openings throughout their own networks. This personal outreach coming directly from workers can feel more authentic and compelling to potential applicants.
Host a hiring event
For some roles, consider hosting special in-person hiring events to attract local candidates. These could include:
- Job fairs: Rent a booth at a general career fair or host your own invitation-only fair for high-demand positions.
- Open house interviews: Hold an on-site open house where candidates can drop in for quick on-the-spot interviews.
- Assessment days: Invite a group of candidates to participate in skills assessments and meet with the team.
Events like these allow you to screen many applicants efficiently. They also give candidates a chance to visit your office, meet employees, and get a feel for your culture.
Post flyers in your community
For local openings like retail, food service, childcare, etc., distribute printed flyers at visible locations around your community. Options include:
- Coffee shops, libraries, community centers, rec centers, gyms
- College and university campuses
- Grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, laundromats
- Churches, hospitals, doctor’s offices
Create eye-catching flyers with key details like position, hours, pay, qualifications, and instructions to apply. Seek permission first and follow any policies organizations have around postings.
While somewhat old-school, physical flyers can be a simple way to reach candidates who live nearby and frequent local establishments. The tangible, offline presence can capture interest in ways a solely digital approach may miss.
Ask for help spreading the word
Don’t be afraid to ask colleagues, managers, stakeholders, and partners to help share your job posting. The more people who distribute and promote your announcement through their own networks, the wider the reach.
Send personal emails asking contacts to pass the job description to any qualified candidates they know. Request help posting to additional job boards or social media groups as well. With their assistance amplifying your message, useful referrals and candidates are more likely to find your opportunity.
Just remember to thank anyone who lends a hand! Showing appreciation will make them more eager to aid your recruiting efforts again in the future.
Follow up with candidates
Once you’ve shared the job posting, don’t neglect critical follow up communication:
- Thank applicants for applying and provide next steps on the hiring timeline.
- Keep candidates updated if the process is delayed or the role is put on hold.
- Notify applicants once the position is filled so they stop waiting for updates.
Following up shows you value and respect candidates’ time and interest. It keeps your employer brand positive even with those you don’t ultimately hire. Just be sure to customize communications and avoid simply blasting out generic auto-responses.
Review and refresh your listings
Check in regularly on all the places you’ve shared the job posting. Update when needed to:
- Edit the description if duties or requirements evolve.
- Highlight if the opening is urgent or a priority hire.
- Change language to breathe new life into an outdated posting.
- Add new keywords or requirements to reach more candidates.
- Extend expired listings that still need applicants.
Stale, neglected job listings reflect poorly on your employer brand. By keeping posts active and up-to-date, you show candidates you’re eager to fill the role and responsive to their interest.
Remove and retire closed postings
Just as important as proactively managing current listings, be sure to promptly remove closed or filled positions. Candidates get frustrated seeing the same “No Longer Accepting Applications” message for months. Regularly sift through and refresh your listings to showcase only open, available roles.
For positions you need to repost later, consider archiving the details in a separate applicant tracking system or HRIS rather than leaving up an inactive listing. You can reference back when the new requisition opens.
Review analytics for future improvement
Tracking metrics around your job postings provides valuable insights to improve future recruiting efforts. Analyze data like:
- Application volume and sources
- Job board views and engagement
- Social media reach and clicks
- Quality of candidates from each channel
- Cost per applicant
Look for trends on optimal platforms, messaging, and targeting. Identify lower performing channels to potentially shift budget away from. Apply these lessons learned to continually enhance how you share openings.
Conclusion
Distributing your job announcement far and wide ensures you reach the maximum amount of qualified, interested candidates. This not only helps fill the immediate role, but builds your reputation as an employer people want to seek out and apply to in the future.
Sharing roles on your website and major job boards lays the foundation. Then amplify further through social media, emails, events, flyers, and other creative distribution methods. Keep listings fresh and accurate, follow-up promptly, and track results. With an effective, multi-channel promotion strategy, you will attract your ideal applicants each time you have an open position to fill.