The Problem With Jargon: Why Your Job Description is Putting Candidates Off

2 minutes | Posted 30 July, 2021

Do you use business jargon?

If you ask any business professional what their pet peeve at work is, the use of business jargon is bound to come up. Phrases such as ‘low-hanging fruit, ‘circle back’ or ‘take this offline’ are so common in a corporate environment, the majority of professionals are guilty of including jargon in their day-to-day language.

It’s not just during meetings and emails that jargon pops up, it has become more and more common for job descriptions to include business jargon and buzzwords that don’t actually add value to the job description.

Using jargon affects your Employer Brand

Your Employer Brand influences how your candidate market views you as a potential employer. In advance of applying for a position at your organization, it’s very possible that a candidate will have done research and have some idea of your Employer Brand. The fact that they would submit an application suggests that they’ve seen something they like – so don’t let your job description put them off at the last hurdle! Potential employees, especially for entry level roles, may see your brand as inaccessible and overly corporate if they see a lot of jargon in your job description. Over time, this perception may negatively impact your Employer Brand and may result in problems during our talent acquisition process.

Take a look at our recent article on Employer Branding for more information on the topic.

If you’re struggling to write job descriptions that work to entice the very best talent, we can help.

Scout Talent’s Recruitment Marketing team are experts in writing concise and appealing job descriptions that allows organizations to get the most applications possible for each vacancy.