Jena Mertz is a partner and director of operations at Giant Voices, a Duluth-based strategic marketing agency providing branding, web development, and lead generation services to local and national business clients (which come in a range of sizes). Mertz knows that recruiting also requires a sense of marketing. That’s especially true during record low unemployment and intense competition for top talent. Mertz offers some tips for optimizing job postings. 

1. Use SEO-friendly language. Among your colleagues, you might call your accountants “dollar detectives” and your lead generation specialists “click captains.” It’s clever and fun—but your candidates won’t be searching for those titles. Stick with industry-standard and searchable descriptions in postings. 
2. Describe the position accurately. Resist the temptation to massage job descriptions around what you think a candidate might want. Instead, describe the position accurately and emphasize possibilities for advancement or position growth as applicable. 
3. Emphasize culture. What makes your company a particularly great place to work—flexible hours, competitive pay, access to learning and development? Include a separate section on your job posting that describes the benefits of joining your smaller, newer company instead of a bigger, more established one. What can you offer the kind of talent you need besides a salary?   

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