A recent survey shows that about one quarter of workers in the United States use social media exclusively to look for a job, rather than more traditional methods such as newspapers and recruiting firms.

Worldwide, the number is even higher, with almost one-third of workers saying they rely on social media to look for employment.

The survey canvassed about 170,000 people around the world.

The effectiveness of job posting online, however, is uneven. Part of the problem is that employers will give information about the qualifications needed for a job and the application process, but give little information about what the job itself involves.

Even with the technology available online, such as audio and video, job postings are not engaging or interesting.

Recruiting consultant Lou Adler advises that to  write a good, engaging job posting, the first thing to do is avoid using the job description, which generally uses dull, plodding language that no one finds interesting.

Also, Adler says, make use of search engine optimization techniques. These involve the use of keywords in the website address, in the meta language and in the text itself to make your job advertisement easier to find. You need to expand the use of keywords to make sure your ad is positioned well on the job board. If people can’t find your ad, it won’t matter what you put in it.

You also want to try and make your titles as attention-grabbing as possible, and avoid using titles that are used within the company. The more unusual, the better, since they are more likely to attract the attention of job seekers. For example, one bank advertising for tellers, began with the title “Are you a desperate housewife?”

The first two lines of the advertisement are the most important. The typical job seeker will give your ad at most 10 seconds before he or she decides whether to continue reading or move on. So, the first two lines have to catch their interest. Adler gives the following example, “Jumpstart the entire accounting and reporting for our newly formed international distribution unit,” rather than the more sleep-inducing, “Reg#AB1007-3: must have CPA w/10 years of experience in international distribution.”

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