Have you ever read (or maybe even written) an advert that starts something like "We are looking for a quant strategist with excellent communications skills”? 

You might be thinking, what’s wrong with that? Everybody writes adverts like that. Exactly my point. When hiring in such a competitive market like quant strategists and developers, you must find a way to stand out. Empathise with your reader and capture their attention by writing about things that will excite them and add value to their lives. If you don’t, you could be losing out on valuable job applications. 

 

Here are our tips on writing better job adverts:

1. Keep the language conversational and active


Remember, you're speaking to a person, not just another number in your inbox. Start sentences with 'you will' instead of 'we are'.
 

2. Have an introduction with a headline such as 'summary of the role'

If you are looking for a Senior Developer, for example, the intro could sound something like this:


  • You will work for a well-established financial services business with ambitious growth targets

  • You will develop and support the server-side components of the e-Trading applications used by various desks globally

  • Developing your business understanding as well as the technical skills will be a key part of your role

  • No day will be the same and you will collaborate with various stakeholders such as front-office, other developers and support.
     

    3. Have a heading 'about the company'

    You are trying to sell this role, so sell! Words like 'exciting' and 'great opportunity' are buzzwords and have been over-used. Describe what makes your company exciting and focus on that.


    4. Have an ‘about you’ heading

    This is where you describe the ideal candidate for the role. Think about more than just skills. Try and paint a picture of what stage they are at in their career and where they want to go. The right person will think 'that's me!' and is much more likely to apply for your job.

     
    5. Describe the team 

    When we speak to candidates, they often mention that they want to work with a good team whom they can learn from. Highlight whatever makes your team great. 



6. Keep it short and punchy


Remember this is an advert. You don’t need to go into a lengthy description of the job with 20 bullet points. Save that for the job description.

 
7. Describe the process behind the application

Not essential, but nice to have.  

Whenever we order something nowadays, we want to know the process behind it. If that's an Uber 3:00 in the morning or a Friday night in with a pizza, you want to know what's going on. Same for candidates. It's a nice touch, why not include it?

 
8. Add a link to your LinkedIn profile 


So candidates can reach out to you directly with any questions they might have.
 

A few simple tweaks like these can really make a difference in the number of quality applications you receive.