Drive down nearly any main street in America right now and the most common sign you will read is “Help Wanted.” While unemployment numbers have stayed very low, many companies are in search of talented people to be a part of their team. 

In realizing that at your stores, you’re likely competing against everything from restaurants to big box retailers and everything in between. When advertising for your openings, there are some key things you need to keep in mind to make sure any of your online job openings stand out. 

Here are 9 tips to attracting employees through online job boards:

  1. Look at competitors’ ads – what are the listed duties, titles, pay, etc.
  2. Create job descriptions that are short and simple – keep it to the point to engage the applicant
  3. Create multiple posts for the same position using different titles (ie: Clerk, Assistant, Specialist, etc)
  4. Sponsor your jobs – even a small amount of money helps keep your ad at the top of the page
  5. Update your post(s) every week to keep them fresh – candidates see how long the position has been posted
  6. Respond to candidates quickly – For instance, on Indeed, the faster you respond, the faster you will earn the “Responsive Employer” badge on your posts
  7. Look into the Candidate Mining option on Indeed – there are packages available that allow you access to uploaded resumes
  8. Post your positions on all of your social media, such as Facebook
  9. Offer a referral program to current employees to incentivize them to recruit employees

Remember, potential employees have choices right now, so you have to ensure that any of your job listings stand out. No longer can you just put a job listing out and forget it, you have to ensure you are actively paying attention to the listing, the resumes/applications that are coming in and responding in a timely manner.