If someone wants a field service job, they have lots of options. As of this moment, there are 3,018 field service jobs posted on Indeed.com and 4,864 on Monster.com. That number will fluctuate every hour of the day as listings go up and down, but the sheer volume is overwhelming. Add to that the lowest unemployment levels in 50 years, and you’ve got a world of possibilities for technicians and engineers—and a difficult situation for hiring managers.

What can you do to make sure your job posting draws attention and that you get the candidates you want? Here are some ideas.

1) Don’t Focus on Your Needs, But on What You Can Give

So often job postings are nothing more than a massive list of requirements. But how often do they offer a jargon-free explanation of why someone would want to work for you? (The “dynamic organization that looks towards the future!” line is not helping you.) 

Include things that stand out in making you a desirable employer. For instance:

  • Do you provide training opportunities?
  • Do employees have some degree of control over their schedules?
  • Do you offer holiday pay or bonuses?

If you’re offering any of these things, make it clear in the job posting. But don’t lie! If you post that you get three weeks of vacation per year, but the bosses never let you take it, you may get people hired, but they’ll quit as soon as possible.

2) List a Salary Range

Many states have laws prohibiting you from asking about a job candidate’s salary history, so that path to compensation is closed to you. And for a good reason—you should be paying market rates no matter what someone earned in their last job. 

To get the best candidates, you need to go first in the salary game. Say what you’re offering and what can be done to increase that number. For instance, you can write one of the following:

  • Starting pay $15/hour with a $2 increase after you complete training.
  • $15-$25/hour, depending on experience.
  • Are you already certified in X? Then pay is $25/hour. If not, we’ll train! Training pay starts at $15/hour and moves up as you complete each certification. Within three years, you’ll be earning $25/hour.

Be realistic. However you determine your pay range, share it with job searchers. You don’t want to waste your time interviewing people who want twice as much as you’ve budgeted for, and they don’t want to waste their time, either.

3) Limit the Necessary Skills

Did you know that a good number of women won’t apply for a job unless they have close to 100 percent of skills listed, while men tend to apply when they meet 60 percent of the qualifications? When you list 20 different skills, you’re effectively excluding people who would could easily be trained to do the job—including those women. Odds are, a new employee won’t know how to complete every single task on day one, but a good one will be eager to pick up new skills and learn how to work effectively within your systems.   

Instead, pick five or so core skills that candidates need. Limiting your job posting to these few skills will increase your talent pool and make you a more desirable employer.   

Remember, job postings are marketing documents, and right now, you need to sell to candidates. You have a lot of competition out there. 

ABOUT Suzanne Lucas

Avatar photoSuzanne Lucas spent 10 years in corporate human resources, where she hired, fired, managed the numbers, and double-checked with the lawyers. She now writes about Human Resources and Business for a number of different publications.