A position just opened up in your company and you need to hire a new employee—what do you do? Quickly put together a job ad and rush to post it on every online job board that you know of? As the tough hiring market in Hawaii continues, finding qualified people with the specific skills you need will become even more difficult. That means old methods of recruiting and the mindset of “if I post it, they’ll come” might not be effective or accurate anymore.

With so many opportunities available to jobseekers, finding the best people starts with creating a top-notch job ad. That means it’s time to give a little more time and attention to your ad as a whole. So before clicking “publish” on your next posting, ask yourself these three questions to ensure that your ad is attracting the candidates you really want.

1. Why will your ideal candidate care?
   Thanks to the state’s demand for talent, jobseekers have many options. So if there’s nothing about your ad that says, “Hey, this position would be awesome!” then you’re out of luck. Look at your ad through the eyes of a jobseeker. What do you notice? Are you describing the job in a way that makes you want to work at your company? Maybe you need to put more emphasis on your fun work culture or the fact that you offer great benefits or sign-on bonus. Maybe the most intriguing part of the job is that it involves a lot of problem solving and creative thinking. Whatever it is that will be most attractive to your ideal candidate, make sure it stands out in the description.

2. Are you using popular/relevant keywords?
   Ensure that candidates can find your job posting through a search (on a specific job board or through Google) by making sure you’re using relevant keywords in your ad. Think about what phrases are pertinent to each job description and what a jobseeker might search for in order to find that position. That could mean focusing on company/branded terms, location-specific phrases, abbreviations, or industry relevant terms. Take a look at similar job postings to find out what may be working for other companies. Or use a free keyword research tool like Google AdWords.

3. How’s your grammar/spelling/formatting?
   It seems unnecessary to say that you should proofread your ad before sending it out, but you would be surprised by how many companies forget this small (but important) step. Typos in your job title or description may turn away serious jobseekers. Additionally, take a look at the overall visual appeal of your ad— do you use bullet points to help organize the description? If so, are they formatted correctly on the page? If you want to attract the type of applicants who review and nicely format their resumes before submitting to you, make sure you do the same with your job ad.

Now that you’re ready and equipped to attract top talent, start posting your open positions on Real Jobs Hawaii – it’s completely free for employers and there’s no limit to the number of jobs you can post.