Home > Employers / Recuriters
Tips for Writing an Effective Job Posting

While the number of jobs on the CCFL site may be modest by Monster.com standards, all the jobs are focused on corporate accounting and finance positions. So, it is critical for you to write your posting so that it stands out from the crowd.

Unlike placing an ad in the newspaper, or some of the other online posting sites, the CCFL job posting form has no length restrictions. This offers you the opportunity to really sell your position to prospective candidates. You can include detailed information about the job and the company in order to present a clear picture of what the company has to offer.

Here are some tips to help you write an effective ad:

Job Title
The job title is one of the first elements of the ad that a job seeker will see. Be as descriptive as possible without sounding cheesy. For instance

• SEC Accountant or Tax Accountant rather than Accountant

• Division Controller instead of Controller

• But not Super Star Manger

Don’t use internal job numbers in the title (Manger of Finance #4568). These numbers mean nothing to the job seeker and distract from the job title.

Location
CCFL is a resource for over 34,000 CPAs in a multi-state area. Using city descriptions like Northburbs will not adequately describe your location for job seekers from outside of your immediate location. Also, job seekers using a key word search for a specific city will not see your job in their search results.

Salary Range
Although many companies are hesitant to include a salary range, statistics show that job seekers almost always include salary in their search criteria. The salary ranges from which you can select are designed to be broad enough to give job seekers a way to narrow their search without requiring employers/recruiters to list specific salaries. If desired, specific salary information or your own salary range can be added to one of the descriptive fields.

Requirements
Be clear about the requirements. List education, degrees, certifications, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and personal attributes. Separate “Must Have” from “Desirable” requirements.

Responsibilities

• List the job duties as specifically as possible.

• Note to whom the job reports and whom the job supervises.

• Mention travel requirements if applicable.

Don’t repeat information listed elsewhere such as job title or company information.

About the Company
This is your opportunity to give the job seeker insight into your organization. If you are a Fortune 500 company, this may not be necessary. But if your business is less well known, this section can make the difference between having your job listing passed over or seriously considered.

Tell the job seeker why they should want work for you. Tell them what your business does and where you are located. Tell them about your products or services and who your customers are. Tell them about your culture, benefits, training and career opportunities.

RECRUITERS: You should do this as well. For confidential searches you should still be able to give the job seeker an idea of the size, industry, benefits, culture and location of the company for whom you are recruiting.

If the position is open only to local candidates – say so. On the other hand, if relocation assistance will be provided, note that also. Remember CPAs and corporate finance professional from multiple states are looking at your job posting.

Website Address
Don’t make the job seeker work to find you on web – list your website in this field.

Application Procedure
It is imperative that you list complete information for the job seeker to apply for your position. If applicants need to apply via your website – add the link. If you’ll only accept an email, list the email address.

Do you want a Word document or ASCII format? Is there a job number that applicants should reference? Do you have a closing date? If you require a cover letter or salary history, list that as well. Be as specific as possible so you get the information you need.

Do you want to know which of your ads is producing results? Ask applicants to reference where they found the posting.

General Tips
Don’t abbreviate words Sr. Corp. Acct. – job seekers can search by key word and your job may be excluded using this approach.

Don’t use all capital letters – this makes the job posting very difficult to read.

Proofreading is vital. Your posting is often the job seeker's first impression of your organization. Don't ruin it with typos and misspellings.

Use formatting to create paragraphs and bulleted lists. The following HTML tags can be added to text.

© Copyright 2005 Center for Corporate Financial Leadership. Use of all information is subject to a disclaimer .