A poorly written recruitment advertisement often leads to
receiving too many applicants which leads to far too much time
spent on sifting through resumes and interviewing candidates who
aren’t actually qualified. An ineffective ad can also lead
qualified employee prospects to pass over your opportunity because
the basic information needed to peak their interest wasn’t
included. All of this results in an ineffective use of valuable
time. In addition, in the case of the long, over-written
advertisement, you have paid for advertising space that was not
necessary to effectively communicate your needs. The main goal of
any position posting should be to tell job seekers why they should
work for you rather than your competition.
WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) offers these solutions to
writing effective recruitment advertisements:
Keep it organized and concise. Carefully arranging your
copy is critical. Don’t mix messages such as requirements, job
description and contact information together. Use sub headings,
bullets and different type to clearly communicate your message.
Don’t use unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. You are
paying for the space, so why waste it? Try to avoid irrelevant
information that will only cost you more.
Give a company description. List the products and
services your organization provides. Remember that you are trying
to sell your organization to potential candidates so always be
positive and convey what makes your company attractive.
Use descriptive job titles. Don’t get hung up on using
the exact internal job title. Be descriptive about what you are
looking for so that qualified candidates don’t see the title as a
barrier.
Provide a clear description of the position’s requirements
and responsibilities. This should eliminate inquiries from
unqualified candidates.
Avoid asking for a specific number of year’s
experience. This can create a barrier for potentially-qualified
candidates.
Include the position’s salary range. Ads that don’t
include wage information gather little attention from serious job
seekers.
Highlight benefits. Describe what’s in it for them. You
don’t have to outline the complete benefits package, but make it
difficult for the job seeker to overlook your opportunity.
Make your message personal. Always make the tone of
your copy conversational. This allows the candidate to mentally
picture themselves in the position. Make your copy seem as if you
are speaking directly to the job seeker.
Include clear contact information and instructions. Be
clear on how, when and where you’d like to be contacted. If a
prospect finds it difficult to inquire about the position they will
most likely move onto the next opportunity.
A properly-written recruitment advertisement will generate
more qualified candidates and in some cases, significantly reduce
expenses. This will allow you to recruit and retain top
talent.
