Why your online job post is getting ignored (and how to fix it)

Job listings have become so formulaic that even strong candidates scroll past them without a second look. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Employers are currently competing for talent in one of the most digitally saturated hiring environments in recent memory. Job boards have never been more accessible, posting has never been faster, and yet many business owners are getting just a few applicants per job post — and even fewer qualified ones. Given how accessible candidates are, though, it makes sense to wonder if there's something fundamentally broken in the hiring pipeline. And that's what many business owners default to. They instinctively blame the labor market for their hiring troubles, assuming that candidates are being picky or that compensation expectations have shifted. In some cases, they may wonder if the role itself is just a tough sell. While those factors can certainly play a role in a poorly performing job post, they often obscure a more uncomfortable possibility: The job post itself is what's keeping candidates away. Online job listings have become so formulaic — copy-pasted from old descriptions and bloated with internal jargon — that even strong candidates scroll past them without a second look. So, before assuming the talent isn't there, it's worth asking whether the job post you're relying on is actually working. …