6 Tips For Writing Great eLearning Job Descriptions

6 Tips For Writing Great eLearning Job Descriptions
Summary: In order to reel in the best talent, eLearning job descriptions and advertisements must be written to appeal to candidates. Here's how to improve your eLearning job descriptions.

Are Your eLearning Job Descriptions Written To Appeal To the Best Talent?

Are your eLearning job descriptions and advertisements getting lackluster results? Or maybe the types of candidates applying don’t have the right skills or qualities your company needs?

In a competitive labor market, how well you draft eLearning job descriptions matters a lot. It can be tempting just to include the basics, to cover the legal verbiage and the job requirements, but this won’t effectively reel in top talent. As a recruiter in the eLearning space, it’s up to you to take steps to make sure your eLearning jobs stand out.

Writing eLearning Job Descriptions Is Like Marketing

Steve Bates, who writes for the Society for Human Resource Management, says that experts think of job descriptions more like strategic marketing tools today. The biggest problem with many job descriptions are that they are too wordy, filled with industry jargon, and failing to connect with the best eLearning talent out there. As eLearning recruiters, we can do a much better job of attracting candidates who have the skills and expertise we want to hire.

Here’s some helpful tips on creating attention-grabbing eLearning job descriptions within your recruitment advertisements.

1. Stick To A Formula For Success.

Every good eLearning job description should include the critical elements that tell job seekers what the company is looking for, what qualifies them for the job, why the company offers a great career opportunity, and instructions for submitting an application. But beyond that, the description needs to include elements that appeal to eLearning candidates. What the company stands for in terms of branding and philosophy, how it’s different or better in the market it serves, and where the company is heading can be a good start. But also shed light on what the work environment looks like. Give a sneak peek into the culture and the way peers work together. Share what’s coming up in terms of new projects or developments.

2. Job Descriptions Need To Be Flexible.

Too many job descriptions happen to be inflexible, limiting the career goals of candidates before they’ve even had a chance to explore career opportunities. No one wants to work for a company that only offers dead ended experiences. Instead, include information about the kinds of investment that the company has in each person as an individual. Share some testimonials of other employees and how they designed their own career paths with the support of the company. Talk about training opportunities and the value of ongoing learning in the workplace. This all lends itself to full flexibility in the job description crafting process.

3. Highlight The Strong Brand That The Company Has. 

All eLearning candidates are looking for ways to show off their chops in rewarding projects and working with high level clients. Does your career portal reflect this kind of brand? It doesn’t matter if you are a startup company or have been in the business for a long time, or if you are a recruiter representing a client; there are ways to improve the brand presence of every opportunity.

4. Watch The Language Style In The eLearning Job Description. 

Along with branding, language style matters. Erica Swallow writes for Mashable that it’s important to choose a writing style and wordage that aligns with your company values – to embody the personality of the company. For example, consider the distinctiveness of the corporate culture and how you will express in active positive words. Your language style should always lean towards the future. Have a little fun with it and inject humor and wit wherever you can. The end game is to attract eLearning talent that’s right for the company. Speak to them using their own language.

5. Indicate Performance Expectations, From Both Sides.  

Most job descriptions do little in the way of addressing the expectations of candidates, and they certainly miss the boat in terms of indicating the performance expectations of the person hired for the job. This must be a part of any well-designed eLearning job description, otherwise too many misunderstandings can occur. The job ad should clearly state the duties and responsibilities of the person and the short and long term performance goals of the job itself. So too, the company should indicate what the candidate can expect if hired.

6. The Compensation Needs To Stand Out. 

Many jobs skip around or are too elusive when it comes to including compensation data. While this isn’t the only reason a candidate is seeking a new job, it’s a very critical aspect of taking a new position. Make sure your company includes information about the competitive nature of your compensation package, and include any information about benefits, interesting perks, and the outstanding team a candidate may be working with. This has to be very appealing and recruiters should be prepared to discuss this aspect at any point with more detailed information.

Keep This eLearning Job Description Template Handy

While there are generally formats for placing eLearning jobs online, here are some guidelines for what belongs in your eLearning job descriptions.

Your eLearning job description should include:

  • An attention-grabbing job title.
  • The objective or purpose of the job.
  • A brief summary of the company history and brand.
  • List of general duties and goals of the job.
  • Key functional skills, responsibilities, and tasks.
  • Required work history and education.
  • Description of the working relationships (who reports to, works with, etc.).
  • Any special equipment or physical requirements of the job.
  • Information about the compensation and benefits.
  • How to apply for the job.
  • Title IV, Equal Employment Opportunity Information.