Job Posting Optimization

Your job postings are repelling top talent. Here’s why. Most companies think about hiring people like this: "We need to fill this position.” But here's the reality: Top talent isn't looking for positions. They're searching for stories they can be part of. The biggest mistake companies make in job postings? They sell jobs. Not journeys. This is what I mean… Two identical roles. Two different approaches. First approach: "Senior Project Manager position available" → 47 applications Second approach: "Lead our expansion into Asia, build teams across 5 countries" → 312 applications The difference? One offered a job. The other promised a journey. Here's what most companies do vs. what they should do: Traditional Approach: ↳ Lists responsibilities ↳ States requirements ↳ Mentions salary range ↳ Describes benefits package The Journey Approach: ↳ Shows growth trajectory ↳ Paints future possibilities ↳ Reveals mentorship programs ↳ Demonstrates impact potential ↳ Highlights learning opportunities Because exceptional candidates don't just want: - A salary - A title - A desk They want: - Impact they can measure - Challenges that stretch them - Stories they'll tell for years Here's what I've learned about attracting top talent: 1. Paint the future, not the present 2. Show growth paths, not job descriptions 3. Highlight challenges, not just responsibilities 4. Share the 'why,' not just the 'what' The companies winning the talent war aren't selling jobs anymore. They're offering chapters in people's life stories. And that's what makes all the difference. Share in the comments if you’ve experienced great hiring 👇 🔔 Follow me (Mostyn Wilson) for more insights on career development. __ P.S. Enjoying these insights? Subscribe to my newsletter for fortnightly deep dives: https://lnkd.in/eE287NTG

Why I Ignored 99% of Job Applications (And What This Means For Your Job Search) Here's a reality check from the hiring side of the table: I'm currently hiring for 4 roles. 600+ applications received. Only 5 getting interviews. Why? Because only 5 people actually read the job description properly. The Hidden Test: ↳ Simple instruction in JD ↳ "Send a 3-minute video answering these questions" ↳ Less than 1% followed through What This Reveals: 1. For Job Seekers: ↳ Attention to detail matters more than experience ↳ Following instructions beats fancy resumes ↳ Extra effort eliminates 99% of competition 2. For Hiring Managers: ↳ Create intentional friction points ↳ Quality filters save countless hours ↳ Better candidates emerge naturally 3. For Everyone: ↳ Shortcuts lead nowhere ↳ Details determine destiny ↳ Effort indicates interest The Real Truth: • Most people skim job descriptions • Most people take shortcuts • Most people eliminate themselves Think about that: 595 people lost their chance not because they weren't qualified, but because they didn't take 3 minutes to read carefully. Your Next Job Search: 1. Read everything twice 2. Follow instructions exactly 3. Go the extra mile 4. Stand out by showing up Because in today's job market, attention to detail isn't just a skill. It's your competitive advantage. What's the most unusual job application requirement you've encountered? Share below. ------------------------------------------------- Follow me Dan Murray-Serter 🧠 for more on habits and leadership. ♻️ Repost this if you think it can help someone in your network! 🖐️ P.S Join my newsletter The Science Of Success where I break down stories and studies of success to teach you how to turn it from probability to predictability here: https://lnkd.in/ecuRJtrr

You have 7 seconds to catch a recruiter's attention. That's a frequently shared stat that comes from a study a few years ago using eye scanners to watch recruiters review resumes. I think it's really useful, but it clouds the full story, because many are under the impression that recruiters ONLY spend 7 seconds on resumes and that's simply not true. The INITIAL scan is ~7 seconds. And in that scan, here's what I (and likely others) look for: 1. Location 2. Job titles for the last 2 jobs 3. Companies for the last 2 jobs If those basics don't line up, then we'll reject. If they DO line up, then we'll do a much deeper dive that could run 1-5 minutes (even longer if we need to research to understand more of how the person's background aligns. So what steps can you take as an applicant to "win" against this quick review? 1. Include your metro area location on your resume ❓What if I'm moving in 2 months and applying in my new location? ➡️ use the new location where you'll be working from. ❓What if I'm open to relocation? ➡️ note "open to relocation" on your resume (though this will still be seen as a risk factor). 2. Consider how your last few job titles align to the jobs you're applying for. ❓ What if my job titles don't really align with what I'm applying to but my day-to-day work did? ➡️ adjust your title and/or include context next to your title. Ex. "HR Manager (Sr. Recruiter)" if you had a general HR title but performed mostly recruiter responsibilities). ❓ What if I'm making a pivot into a new field or going back to an old one that's not related to my last few jobs? ➡️ this is where I think a summary or career highlights helps so you can bring forward those earlier experiences, and make sure that's the first thing the recruiter sees. Functional resumes can be helpful here too but there's also some bias against them, particularly if titles/employers aren't also listed. 3. Add a statement that provides company insights so the recruiter doesn't have to do much research. This can look like, "series A fintech startup", "1500-person manufacturing company specializing in sustainable materials", or "AI-powered analytics tool used by enterprise IT teams". ❓ What if I don't have strong industry alignment? ➡️ prioritize jobs that don't ask for industry alignment, or those industries where we're seeing more hiring (healthcare, construction, education), and leverage your summary or opportunities to add extra context to explain your interest/connection to the industry. For me personally, after this quick review, then I'm deep diving into other areas - specific projects you worked on, metrics that show strong performance, hard skills that align with those in the job posting, etc. And fair warning: you can make all these adjustments and still not "pass" that quick review - app volume, stronger apps, and timing can all prevent you from moving ahead. But the more alignment you show, the more likely a recruiter is to see the potential.

Your job title is silently killing your job search. And you have no idea it's happening. While you're wondering why recruiters aren't responding, they're scrolling past "Project Manager" and stopping at "Campaign Marketing Manager." The difference? One tells them nothing. The other instantly signals value. I see this pattern destroy careers every week: → "Project Manager" when you mean "Go-to-Market Manager" → "Marketing Specialist" when you're really a "Performance Marketing Manager"   → "Business Analyst" when you're driving "Customer Acquisition Strategy" Your title should never need a 15-minute explanation. If it does, it's the wrong title. The marketers who fix this? Response rates jump 40-60% within weeks. Because suddenly, their titles are market-legible. Recruiters instantly understand their function. Hiring managers see their value at first glance. Here's my 4-step process for title optimisation: 1️⃣ Map Your Work to Market Functions What do you actually do daily? Run campaigns? Manage product launches? Optimise conversion funnels? Get specific. 2️⃣ Translate to Recognised Titles Research how the market labels your function. Job boards, LinkedIn searches, company career pages - these are your guide. 3️⃣ Align Across All Platforms LinkedIn headline. Resume. Professional profiles. They should tell the same story. Mismatched titles kill credibility instantly. 4️⃣ Validate with Market Feedback No improvement in 2 weeks? Adjust. The market will tell you if your title works. This isn't about gaming algorithms. It's about clarity. Making it impossible for the right opportunities to miss you. When your title accurately reflects what you do, magic happens. The network expands. Conversations start. Doors open. 👉 Ready to stop being invisible? Start with your title. ✅ Save this. Your career will thank you.

Ben Horowitz, co-founder of a16z, says "knowing what you want" is the most important step in hiring. Most teams skip it. Then they wonder why their job posts attract 200 applications and zero qualified candidates. Here are 5 principles that fix this: 1. Write what they'll ship, not who they are "Strategic thinker" and "detail-oriented" tell candidates nothing. By Day 90, a Senior PM should have launched the first version of the signup experience and improved new user activation by 10-15%, built a 6-month roadmap with engineering and design, and set up the core metrics dashboard. That's outcomes. When hiring managers send you buzzword JDs, send them back with this template and three examples. You're the expert. Own it. 2. Use the action-result template every time "By Day 90, you have [action] [problem area] to deliver [measurable result]." For Enterprise Sales: built a territory plan and outreach system, started 10 qualified conversations, closed one new customer. For Engineering Manager: reduced system downtime to near zero, hired two senior engineers, cut code review time by 25%. When hiring managers push back, ask them what success looks like. They'll figure it out fast. 3. Let the wrong people opt out When outcomes are specific, qualified candidates see themselves in the role immediately. Unqualified candidates see the bar and move on before applying. This is self-selection. This saves your team 20 hours of screening per role. When you deliver better candidates faster, you become indispensable. Clarity is your leverage. 4. Measure what matters: passthrough rate A/B test buzzword post vs outcome post. Track your apply-to-screen passthrough rate by source. If it jumps from 15% to 25%, your targeting improved. If time-to-fill drops by a week, your self-selection worked. 5. Avoid vague outcomes that don't filter "Improve conversion" is not an outcome. "Lift week-1 activation by 10-15%" is. "Build relationships with customers" is not an outcome. "Close one land deal and progress two expansions to commit" is. The difference is measurability. If a candidate can't picture hitting the metric, it's too vague. Push back on hiring managers when outcomes are fuzzy. Your job is to attract the right talent, not process 200 wrong applications. Personally, I always start with first 90 days, and first 12-18 months outcomes. All the standard things you design your loop around (experience, strengths, etc.) are much easier to crystallize once you know what this person needs to do. — Try it now: Replace 3 adjectives in your next job post with 3 day-90 outcomes. Publish it. Measure passthrough. Show your hiring manager the difference. This is how you go from order-taker to strategic partner.

Too many applicants to job posts, and not enough time to filter through them. I hear this complaint from hiring managers and talent acquisition teams repeatedly. If this sounds familiar, here’s one adjustment that could save you hours and dramatically improve the quality of your applicant pool: 👉 Lead with key job details—like schedule, compensation, and expectations—right at the top of your job post. Instead of keeping these crucial details at the end (or worse, leaving them out), put them front and centre. Here’s how: ✅ “This is a hybrid role: onsite Monday–Thursday, with Fridays from home.” ✅ “Compensation: $120,000–$150,000 + AWS + Performance Bonus.” ✅ “Team Structure: You’ll be leading a team of 3 and collaborating closely with cross-functional stakeholders.” Why does this work? 💡 It filters in the right candidates. People can quickly decide if the role aligns with their needs, saving you time. 💡 Transparency builds trust. Candidates feel respected when you’re upfront about the basics. 💡 It helps your job post stand out. Vague postings blend in, but specifics grab attention. While this small change can make a big difference, it’s important to remember that successful hiring often requires a deeper, more strategic approach. Recruiters not only source the best talent but also save you the hassle of screening, negotiating, and managing the process end-to-end. But if partnering with a recruiter isn’t an option right now, starting with clarity in your job postings is a great first step. Leading with the details candidates care about most could be the simple change that transforms your hiring outcomes. #Recruitment #HiringTips #TalentAcquisition

How much do the words in a job ad matter? More than you think. I’ve seen how often job seekers are left to decode the fine print in postings. The words matter. Lensa has analyzed 400M+ postings and 20M+ applications since 2015. We've identified five key factors you need to watch for: • Length: Postings in the 200-400 word range usually give enough detail without drowning you. Very short posts can mean vague expectations. Extremely long ones can signal a company that isn’t clear on priorities. • Salary ranges: If pay is listed, you can compare quickly and avoid wasting time. If it isn’t, know you’ll likely have to push for clarity later. • Coded language: Words like “aggressive” or “dominant” can tell you something about culture. If those words don’t fit how you work, beware. • Buzzwords: “Rockstar,” “ninja,” “genius.” These don’t define the job. If you see them, look closely at the actual responsibilities before deciding to apply. • Benefits: Health coverage, retirement, flexibility. If these appear early in the posting, it’s a sign the company knows they matter and wants to compete for talent. Read the ad like a preview of how the company operates. Clarity in the post often predicts clarity in the job. Make your move. But first, read the words.

LinkedIn only cannot get you your next job. It’s also important to know other platforms where companies put open positions as currently discovering a job as soon as it opens is the key to have higher chances of getting your profile noticed. Sharing a list of all platforms I was super active on during my Job Hunt and how I used them🔖 Naukri.com Used it majorly for discovering openings in bulk with a wide range of pay scales based on current role and CTC. Wellfound Majorly has startup openings, which generally open later on LinkedIn. Recruiters are also quite active and revert quickly if you fill the required details aptly. Instahyre The conversion directly through the platform was Okish, but it helped me discover jobs that were not present on any other platform. LinkedIn I had setup Job-alerts based on what I was searching for plus any of the portal I used to discover a opening in, made it a point to ask for referrals via LinkedIn. Company career portal This worked, when I was sure about a company I want to get in or companies which recently got funded. These generally have a lot of open positions on their career portal. 💡Pro-tip: Make sure you fill you profile properly in all these platforms and set-up a personalised filter. While it is time consuming consuming process in start but once setup, everyday you just need to open the created filters and apply. #jobs #jobmarket #PMjobs #jobhunt #layoffs #startegy

Candidates are screening you - long before you screen them. They’re not just reading the job spec. They’re reading between the lines. - What does your language say about your culture? - Who’s on the interview panel, and who’s missing? - Are your “benefits” actually useful, or just fluff? People are looking for signals. - That they’ll be treated well - That they’ll belong - That they’ll be trusted If your hiring process is focused entirely on assessing candidates - and not showing them what it’s like to work with you - then you're missing the point. It’s not just about whether they’re right for the role. It’s about whether you’re right for them. And they’ve already started deciding. #EmployerBranding #Representation #CandidateExperience

Re-entering the workforce is always challenging. Right now? It's downright daunting. And too many people get stuck on the first step: Choosing their next step. Many clients come to me paralyzed because they can't figure out what job will suit them best, and anxious because they don't want to make the wrong move. I guide them through their choices with a series of exercises, including something I call a "Gut Check." A "Gut Check" is a way to check out possible career paths and various roles. You can do this for yourself. Here's how: 1. Select 5-8 job postings that look interesting > Put aside the question of whether you are qualified, for now > Where there are acronyms or terms you don't understand, look them up. 2. Ask these prompts for each job > What is it, exactly, that appeals to me about this job? > Is there anything that doesn't appeal to me about this job? > Which duties do I feel I could do well? > Which duties feel like a stretch? > Do I need any additional training or certification? 3. Write down your answers to each prompt > Be as specific as possible about your likes and dislikes about the job, or company. > Note your emotional reactions. If negative (e.g. " they'll never hire me"), assume you don't know enough to draw any conclusions. 4. Look for themes > Notice what the roles have in common > Based on your reactions, choose 1 or 2 to explore further Now that you've narrowed down your options, it's time to do additional research, and speak to people who are actually in those roles to learn more. Remember, no job is a forever decision. It's all about the skills and lessons you pick up along the way. So there's really no bad choice! 🎉You've got this and I've got you!🎉 ♻️ Repost to help people reentering the workforce 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more career strategies 📌 Need help with your job search? DM me!