The No-Nos of Structure and Formatting 

Through Part II of this series, you learned new title writing skills to generate 100s of additional clicks on your job posting.  Now, you’ve got to turn those clicks into applicants.  I’ve got a list of 5 “no-to-do’s” that are guaranteed to keep applicants from taking you seriously:

1. DO NOT decorate the body of your job description in multiple colors. Keep it to one color--black or dark blue.   If you have to highlight a section, use *bold*, sparingly.  Otherwise you come off looking unprofessional.

2. DO NOT use several different fonts in the body of your job posting.   This is confusing and, if its clear you’ve simply cut and pasted from another ad, makes the opportunity look low quality.  Pick a font style and size you like, and stick to it. 

3. DO NOT include more than 2-3 jobs listed in your posting, and make sure they are all of the same category (Part-time or Full-time).  Potential applicants will not take a job posting seriously that has more than a few jobs in it, and worse will be confused if there is no consistency between them.  HiExpat.com once had a recruiter post 102 job opportunities in one listing!  Here's a recent one that lists 37 different jobs in different locations around Korea.  No one wants to waste time searching through jobs that aren’t described in the title of the posting.  These postings have far less clicks and applicants than similar ones that included just one job each.   

4. DO NOT write in poor English.  Again, like your title, have a friend or native English-speaking colleague take a look at the entire listing before you post it.  Try reading it aloud:  if it makes sense when you say it, its usually a good sign. 

5.  DO NOT overload your job posting with meaningless photos.  A good job posting doesn’t need any photos, and certainly no more than one or two photos, tops.  Graphics definitely drive interest in a job; but too many of them can not only slow down the time it takes to render the webpage to  an impatient viewer, they also distract from the underlying job posting.  If you must use photos, keep it simple with a photo of a classroom/facilities or the teacher’s housing, only.

Get The Most Qualified Applicants to Submit Their Resumes!

You've got a great Heading for your job posting -- and a flawless body.  You've avoided all the classic mistakes in the general structure and formatting.  Now all you need is the “Call to Action" to ensure that your target candidates submit their resume to you.

Again, simplicity works best.  Many websites do not have an internal method of application, so be sure to list your preferred method of contact.  At HiExpat.com, we’ve created a one-stop application process that allows recruiters and schools to access resumes and profiles instantly after an candidate has submitted an application.  

If you still decide to use another recruiting site to post a job, make sure to clearly note the materials you need from applicants (resume, letters of reference, diplomas, photos) and how they should transmit to you (phone, email, fax or other).  Also, ask the applicants to tell you where they saw your posting.  This way, you can best measure the effectiveness of your job listings on different sites, instead of guessing which websites are working best for you.

I hope this article was informative.  If you have any other suggestions that have worked, or any problems I missed out on, please feel free to submit a comment or write to me directly at danb@hiexpat.com!  I appreciate your feedback.

Good luck in finding the perfect employee.

Daniel Behrendt is a co-Founder of HiExpat.com, a website for English Teachers living in or coming to Korea.  The website has over 29,000 registered members and features a job board as well as 100s of posted resumes from qualified native English teachers.