Job Posting Rules, Guidelines & Tips


  Job Posting Rules

With over half our job seekers viewing job postings on their mobile phones, we have to enforce this rule strictly.

No internal job codes, type, status, term or duration, locations, calls-to-action, marketing slogans or phrases, unnecessary characters, etc. in the title. Much of that information is already displayed in the posting header and is redundant.

Program names should preferably not appear in the title either. However, if the program name itself conveys meaningful information an exception can be made but it must come after, not before, the actual job title.

Some title examples:
External Posting: QW3-567SD (23FGT) Full Time (0.8 FTE) Afternoon Shift Nit Picker - Nitpicker Eradication Program with Nitpickers,Inc in Vancouver, BC
Help create a Nit-free utopian society by joining us as a Nit Picker!!!
Global Nit Eradication Program Nit Picking Manager
Nit Picking Manager (Global Nit Eradication Program)
Nit Picking Manager

The region should indicate where the applicant is expected to spend at least 80% of their time working. This must not be used as a "this is the pool of people I want to reach with my posting" list.

Why not? Well because it is very frustrating for a job seeker who sets up alerts to find jobs in one specific area, to receive alerts for jobs posted in faraway areas they have no interest in. In turn it becomes frustrating for us as we then receive complaint emails about jobs posted in the wrong areas.

While we do allow for multiple selections to cater for edge cases (such as multiple similar positions required in different areas), in most cases only one should be applicable for most jobs.

Another example: if the position is a Work-From-Home position, but the candidate will need to attend a once a month meeting at the office, then select Work From Home and feel free to select the few surrounding areas where it makes sense for the candidate to travel from.

This is the practice of closing and reposting the same job frequently. This practice is ineffective on our site and will often lead to less, not more, job views.

Why? Well it:

  1. frustrates job seekers;
  2. creates a lot of noise in alert subscriber's email inboxes;
  3. gets our alert emails flagged as spam by big email service providers (like Gmail, Hotmail, etc.);
  4. causes issues with some of the social networks we upload new postings to;
  5. gets the job flagged as duplicate content and thus low-ranked with the main search engines;

Ask yourself: Would I be doing this if I was paying for each new posting? Under most conditions, the same job should not be posted more than once a month.

For ongoing recruitment efforts for high-turnover positions or volunteer opportunities, please post the job for at least a 3 month duration. If a position has not been filled by a deadline, please edit the posting and extend the deadline rather than closing and reposting.

Finally, please note that jobs flagged by the system for not adhering to this rule will likely incur an up to seven day delay in being reposted.

Even with a slightly modified title or description, top-posting's evil twin, duplicate posting, has the same negative effects. Create only one posting for one specific job. If you are recruiting for multiple positions with the same job title, type, location, etc. then please create just one posting. This also applies to different shifts of the same job, just mention the different shift details available in one posting.

Jobs in slightly different locations but within the same region should also be combined into one posting. A good rule of thumb - if for the same job the locations can be accommodated under the same item in the 'Regions' dropdown, then it should be only one job posting.

For example, you're running a face-to-face fundraising campaign and need to recruit 20 canvassers to cover the malls in the Vancouver area. Instead of creating 20 postings for 'Canvasser' and changing the location of each one to a different mall, create one general posting and in the description part list all the malls you're targetting. Again, ask yourself: Would I be doing this if I was paying $500 for each posting?

Why?
  1. Many users set up automated email alerts that notify them whenever a job matching certain keywords in the description is posted. Jobs posted without detailed job descriptions are unlikely to trigger user alerts.
  2. Visitors that search for jobs containing certain keywords from the search page or search engines will likely not find your posting if the keywords aren't there to be indexed.
  3. Postings with minimal descriptions get significantly fewer click-throughs because job seekers are often browsing quickly through available jobs and, unless they know the organization or are particularly captivated by the job title, they tend to skip it and move on to the next job posting, rather then break their train of thought and go hunting on another site for one specific job posting.
The same reasons as in number 5) above apply here. There is one condition where an exception is made - when different shifts of the same job are being filled. In these situations it is recommended to advertise the job title and then, in the actual posting description, highlight the different shift details that are being recruited.
Our mission is to provide job posting services free to Canadian non-profits allowing them to save significant amounts of money. If you feel it necessary to also post on other paid sites then by all means do so, but please don't link to ads at competitor sites from ours - it goes against everything we are striving to achieve with our site.
  1. No résumé farming. You are not allowed to post an open ended, generic job to accumulate résumés. Why? Because it frustrates the heck out of job seekers. You may only post a specific job ad on behalf of a client with a specific opening for that job. We reserve the right to ask for proof that a job exists.
  2. No teaser jobs (see point 5 above).
  3. No postings for unnamed or confidential organizations. This is not only due to many complaints of suspected 'phantom' jobs previously, but most job seekers care about which organization they will be working for and don't want to waste time applying for a position in a non-profit whose cause they do not support. The organization name field must clearly state who the applicant will be working for.
  4. No postings for employment fairs, workshops, and so on.

We'll contact you if the rules aren't followed the first couple of times, often we'll even modify something small for you without bothering you. If the issue keeps repeating the posting will stay in 'ISSUE' mode until you have fixed it. However continually ignoring the above rules may eventually result in accounts being suspended without further notice.

 
  Job Posting Guidelines & Suggestions
Job seekers are bombarded with thousands of job postings from all directions. Effective job postings need to attract a wide variety of candidates, but at the same time should also pre-screen those applicants that may not be qualified. By following the few simple guidelines below you can gain a competitive advantage in attracting the best candidates.
  • Always keep in mind that your job posting is also an advertisement for your organization. Consider the marketing aspects, character and tone conveyed about your organization in your posting.
  • Carefully review your job posting before making it public to ensure there are no spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and that the formatting, fonts and line breaks look the way you expected. Use the 'preview' button regularly to see exactly how the job will look to a job seeker.
  • Try and think from an external person's perspective and target your audience appropriately. A posting written for an internal job board should often be modified substantially when targetting external applicants. Don't assume that everyone knows your organization's mission or are familiar with what your DSAWKE program does.
  • Try to include a brief description about your organization and/or program in the job posting.
  • Always doublecheck your contact information. Typos are easy to make and can be costly if they go undetected in your job posting. If using an email address just for applications, send yourself a message to that address first to verify it works.
  • Include a salary range and information about benefits. Most candidates have a certain minimum income they need to live on, no matter how appealing the job. Stating up front the salary range and benefits can dramatically reduce wasted time for both parties.
  • Remember that quality candidates often spend a significant amount of time drawing up cover letters and fine-tuning their resumes before applying. Extend them the courtesy of closing your posting if the position is filled early to avoid them wasting their time.