Hiring teams can use a range of tools to create eye-catching job advertisements. They can also rely on analytics to ensure their ads have the information job seekers need.

However, HR teams may not be aware that many prospective new employees are looking beyond job ads. Alongside inspecting your ad details, they’re also researching other sources to find the following information: 

Company Reputation

Whether they’re looking for jobs in fitness by Lensa or a café role posted on a public noticeboard, job seekers are often curious about company reputations. This can be especially true if they frequently notice vacancies for the same company. They may wonder whether staff retention levels are low or the business is experiencing exponential growth. 

You might not post about your company’s reputation in job ads, but that doesn’t mean prospective employees aren’t looking for it. They can read online reviews, explore your social media accounts, and talk to other people. 

If you know your reputation isn’t what it could be, put steps in place to change public perception. You then might find it easier to hire and retain valuable employees. Fortunately, you can take a number of steps, such as: 

• Getting involved with your community
• Being transparent
• Providing excellent service
• Responding to reviews
• Getting help from branding experts 

Pay Information

Any secrecy surrounding remuneration can be frustrating. Job seekers won’t apply for jobs that don’t pay enough for their needs. Yet, they may not know they don’t until they go through the interview process. While leaving out salary information to give you negotiation room is tempting, it’s typically not advisable. 

You might miss out on skilled employees who want to know all the facts before applying. You might also be in legal trouble if the Salary Transparency Act is enacted. This bill was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. 

The Salary Transparency Act would mean employers must publish the wage range for public or internal job postings. Even if it’s not yet in place, you may still be required to post salary information.

A number of states already have pay transparency rules in place. Regardless of any legal ramifications, publishing pay ranges can be worth your time. Job seekers may feel that applying for jobs with mystery pay offerings is not worth their time. 

Company Stability

Changing jobs can be exciting, but it can also be risky. Employees are giving up the safety and security of a job they know for the potential benefits and challenges of another.

Before applying for a new job, many job seekers find out information about company stability. If you have a large company, they can perform many of the same checks an investor would. These include: 

• Researching company data
• Exploring its return on equity (ROE)
• Looking at the quality of earnings
• Researching earnings stability
• Exploring earnings growth 

Job seekers may find it harder to learn about small business stability. However, this information might be readily available from past employees and other local business employees. 

Company Culture

Healthy corporate culture is important for inclusivity, community, and teamwork. Many business owners also value it for employee retention, productivity, and reputation.

Job seekers may be interested in learning more about whether a company’s culture is healthy because it can often translate to happy employees. If a workforce is overall satisfied, that can be a desirable prospect for new employees. 

HR teams are in a strong position to review their company culture and see if it would attract prospective applicants. If it doesn’t currently meet the mark, your business can take some of these actions: 

• Assess its current culture
• Set company culture goals
• Establish processes to support a new culture
• Monitor your culture changes   

Job Perks

Some employers will leave out job perks and benefits information in a job ad, preferring to discuss them with applicants in person. However, these details can be as important for prospective employees as a competitive salary. Highly skilled workers may not want to go through all the effort of applying for a job without knowing if it’s worthwhile. 

Rather than leaving out these important details, consider highlighting them to make your job ad stand out. Knowing how important perks are may also have you considering whether you’re offering enough to current and future employees. With many businesses now facing worker shortages, you might be able to attract and retain employees by offering the following benefits: 

• Private healthcare plans
• Retirement or pension plans
• Training and development opportunities
• Flexible work structure (remote, hybrid, and flexible hours)
• Extended leave
• Life insurance
• Mental health benefits
• Incentives and rewards (gym memberships, free snacks, company-sponsored tickets) 

You don’t have to offer all of these perks and benefits, but many of them can be what attracts skilled workers to apply for jobs at your company. 

Growth and Development Opportunities

Many vacant positions within companies can be stepping stones toward greater opportunities. Sometimes, that can be more important for job seekers than upfront competitive remuneration. If you have exciting growth and development opportunities, include this information in your job ads.

You can also provide information about growth potential on your website for job seekers to see before applying. If you don’t currently offer development opportunities, explore them as a possible option. Providing upskilling opportunities can provide businesses with many potential benefits, like: 

• Filling company skills gaps
• Attracting new talent
• Increasing employee retention rates
• Competitive industry advantages
• Enjoying a highly-skilled team 

Your Management Style

There is only so much space in a job ad. As a result, you might decide not to include information about your company’s management style. If space allows, it can be worth adding a few details about this subject. 

Job seekers can be curious about the approaches you take for managing staff. They also want to ensure that specific management styles suit how they work. At a minimum, make such information available on your website. Prospective employees can then make an informed application decision. 

HR teams sometimes find it difficult to know what to include in job advertisements to attract the right applicants. However, knowing this information can be vital. The more of these key details you include, the more applications from suitable job seekers you might receive. 

Written by HR Future Staff Writer.