7 tools to write the perfect vacancy text

To write successful vacancy texts you need to have a few skills: first of, writing skills, of course, followed by target group knowledge, and creativity. But you also need knowledge of laws and regulations, SEO, and labor market communication. Fortunately, there are handy online tools that make writing vacancy texts a lot easier. Below we highlight 7 tools with which you can write the perfect vacancy text in no time.

1. Find the most searched job keywords with Google Trends

Before you start writing a text, think of the right vacancy name. Job names like ‘Director of the first impression’ (receptionist) and ‘Ambassador of Buzz’ (corporate communications employee) may sound nice, but you will most likely not reach the right candidates for the vacancy. It is therefore important that you choose a vacancy name or job name that people often search for.

Google Trends is a free tool in which you can compare the most used search terms of the world's largest search engine. By checking the category 'vacancies', you will get all vacancy related results. Based on this, you can determine what your vacancy name should be in order to be found properly.

2. Gain knowledge of the target group with GlobalWebIndex

If you know who your target audience is and what their ambitions and interests are, you are leading 1-0 in recruitment. Of course, you score even more points if you use that target group knowledge in your vacancy texts.

GlobalWebIndex gives you everything you need in the field of target group research. This includes data about the ration between men and women, frequently used job titles, motives, desired working conditions, hobbies and interests. These data can be easily translated into recruiting texts, for example by processing male or female targeted words or by adjusting the order of employment conditions to the wishes of the target group.

3. Use Crystal knows to address the right person with your vacancy text

By creating a persona you are able to easily imagine who you are writing for. Crystal knows is a (paid) tool that has a personality profile of everyone who moves online that includes communication tips, motives and character traits. It may sound vague, but Crystal Knows is shockingly accurate in personality analysis based on the social footprint that people leave online. Crystal Knows also shares do's and don'ts such as whether or not to use a business tone or switch topics.

4. Avoid long, illegible sentences with Debatrix

Debatrix helps you find your longest sentences in a text. Writing sentences that are too long is a pitfall for many writers and a stumbling block for readers. And with the knowledge that sentence length plays an important role in addressing the right audience and chasing away unsuitable candidates, this tool definitely adds value when it comes to preselection.

The tool is not yet available in English, but it also works simply with English texts. Your longest sentences are then displayed in a red box below the text box.

5. Do not exclude specific groups of candidates using Textmetrics

Diversity, gender neutrality and inclusion are a hot topic in labor market communication. It, therefore, also plays an important role in writing vacancy texts. Nevertheless, it remains important to be careful in the context of laws and regulations.

Textmetrics specializes in the consistency of content and developed software that sees whether a text excludes (a group of) people. In addition, it looks at word usage and can scan for character traits.

The tool also looks at the language level. For example, are sentences too long or do you use difficult words? Is it understandable and readable for both higher educated and people with low literacy? This also is a form of excluding people.

6. Avoid spelling mistakes by using the spell checker in Microsoft Word

A spelling mistake is normal. But there is nothing more annoying than a text full of errors. In a vacancy text, you want to appear professional as a company. So, take advantage of Microsoft Word's built-in spelling and grammar checker. Unfortunately, Microsoft Word does not 'see' crooked sentence constructions, so therefore a bonus tip: read the text out loud to yourself before publication or let a colleague read along.

7. Use Wordcounter to prevent certain words from being used too often
It can look unprofessional, when certain words are repeated multiple times. With the Wordcounter tool you can quickly see which words are used most often. This way you can find an alternative for those words. You can use Thesaurus to find suitable synonyms.

With the help of the above tools you will quickly have an easy to read and professional vacancy text. Do you need help with the content of your text? Then read these 16 tips for writing the perfect job description.