And do you know what they're doing?
They’re looking – among other things – at your job ad. While they’re sitting in the metro, standing in line at the supermarket, watching Netflix, or chatting with their partner. Yep, you heard right. They're not sitting at home, fully focused, with a serious expression and in their housecoat while reading your ad.
They’re on the go or multitasking.
These distracted, smartphone-consuming people are the ones you need to learn to write to. And why do you need to learn this? Because mobile dominance is your new reality.
More than 65% read job ads on their phones
Currently, over 65-70% of all traffic on Jobindex comes from mobile users. Small screens demand shorter and simpler writing, and that’s exactly what you'll learn in this blog post.
People are no longer sitting in peace with their newspaper on a Sunday morning while drinking coffee to read the news or look for jobs. They're on their phones.
We often spend only a few seconds deciding if an ad, career page, or product is interesting or not
They quickly scroll through a series of jobs to see if anything catches their eye. It’s a bit like shopping on Zalando – we’re speeding through the different items to find a sweet deal.
In other words, everything moves fast. And we often spend only a few seconds deciding if an ad, career page, or product is worth our time. Sure, some of us still sit in front of a computer browsing at a leisurely pace. But that’s not the case for the majority.
So how do you capture your distracted smartphone reader?
So how do you capture your distracted smartphone reader? It’s not that difficult at all. We've created a guide that can serve as a reference for your content, whether it's a job ad, a career page, or maybe a newsletter.
#1 Dare to be simple
Texts should be read and understood instantly. People have very little patience when reading on their smartphones. You can convey complex messages using simple language without compromising professionalism. Yes, you can.
So ask yourself: can your text be read and understood instantly? For instance, ask your colleague (or your mom) to read it quickly. (No re-reading sentences allowed.) If they don't have a crystal-clear understanding of what the text is about, then you've made it too complicated. Simplify your sentences.
#2 Guide the reader with subheadings
#2 Guide the reader with subheadings Use descriptive subheadings so the reader can quickly get an overview of the job ad while skimming. This gives them a fast idea of what the job entails, making it worthwhile to guide their eyes towards the key points.
#3 White space – use lots of it
White space can also be described as blank space between paragraphs. We need white space to navigate a text. Make sure your text is light and airy – this improves readability.
#4 Focus on the essentials – cut out the rest
To keep your text simple and easy to read, you need to remove any unnecessary fluff. Get to the point and ask yourself – what’s the core message of the text? Highlight the main tasks of the job or your company's purpose. Remember, you don’t need to dive into every detail in a job ad.
Keep it as concise as possible. Otherwise, your reader will click away to another site that gets to the point quicker.
#5 Short sentences, short paragraphs
In line with point 4: If you want to capture your reader’s attention on a smartphone’s small screen, you need to use short sentences and short paragraphs.
Long sentences and paragraphs are impossible to read on a small screen. We need to be able to navigate the text, which is why we quickly scan it to see if it’s worth our time.
Therefore: keep your paragraphs to a maximum of 3-5 lines on mobile. Anymore, and it starts to look cluttered. It also depends on formatting, so always check your text on a phone to see how it looks. Three lines in Word can easily turn into seven on a smartphone.
So, what should you do now?
Give it a try! Start by checking your texts on your mobile – how do they look? Can you easily scan through the text and still grasp the core message? If so, you’re well on your way.
