Recruitment copywriters, write like a human.
By Mitch Sullivan,
Have you ever used any of these words in a job ad?
Incumbent
Applicant
Candidate
Role
Position
Opportunity
Vacancy
If so, please stop.
Especially if you put an adjective in front of them. Successful applicant. Ideal candidate. Excellent opportunity.
Recruiters write like other recruiters. They pick up the jargon because everyone else uses it, and assume that’s how it’s done.
Nobody talks like this. Describe a job to a friend in the pub and you won’t call them the successful applicant. You’ll say “you”. Do the same in the ad. At the point someone’s reading it, they aren’t a candidate. They’re a reader, and “you” is the only word on the list that’s talking to them.
Drop role, position and opportunity as well. It’s a job ad. Nobody reading it needs reminding what they’re looking at. Use the space to tell them what they’d be doing and why they’d like it.
Then delete the adjectives. Most are unmeasurable clichés. “Excellent opportunity” tells the reader nothing they can check. Replace them with facts. Numbers, evidence, a story about someone who’s done the job.
Proof makes a claim believable. So does explaining why you’re asking for what you’re asking for.