What Sort of Ads Appeal to You? Writing Job Ads Made Easy

Recruitment Systems

As with all good advertising, you need to write your job post in such a way that will prompt good applicants to respond. Put yourself in the shoes of a job seeker. What sort of ads would appeal to you?

A good ad has the following attributes:

  It is directed towards a person who has the right attributes.

  It states what the main purpose of the job is, and what the expected results should be.

  It focuses on responsibilities.

  It does not avoid pointing out what barriers there may be.

  It does not make a big issue of the money or compensation.

  The content of the ad is truthful.

  The ad is challenging e.g. it could point out the fact that not many people can do this job in the way you want it performed.

Here are some tips:

  Be factual and to the point.

  Don't exaggerate the attributes of the job.

  Use language that's easy to understand.

  Include all the important details:

  Job title

  Remuneration

  Location

  Hours

  Key Objectives

  Main duties

  Main personal requirements

  How to apply for the position

  Any special requirements

  Highlight the true advantages of working for the hiring organisation. For example:

  Working hours (flexible hours if applies)

  Young or mature team

  Training and support provided

  Interesting and/or challenging work

  Clean work environment

  Supportive work place

In your enthusiasm to attract lots of applicants you may be tempted to over-embellish the details of the job. Exaggerating job ads usually leads to inflated expectations on the part of the job seeker and this only leads to problems later on. Keep your ads as factual accurate as possible.

Before deciding to advertise for an employee, recruiters must familiarise themselves with all the relevant details about the job they're wanting to fill, as well as the sort of person they'd like to employ. At first glance these details may seem obvious, but more often than not, it is the lack of this specific detail that causes major problems in the hiring process.

The consequences of missing out on all the relevant details about the job you are wanting to fill are usually:

  Poorly written ads.

  No clear idea as to the personal attributes of the employee required.

  Poor online screening questions.

  Poor questions at the interview.

  Hiring the wrong person.

  A lot of paperwork for you to handle.

  Not enough real performers applying, as they respond better to more challenging ads.

  A tough job of finding the best performers amongst that huge pile of responses, even if you have a great recruitment software package to help you.

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