How to Design a More Effective Job Advert
Information provided by recruitment specialists, Mercury Search & Selection.
Think of it from the candidate’s viewpoint…
Advertising is by its nature a passive way of attracting candidates. You rely on attracting a candidate’s attention so it is essential that you think about your ad from the candidate perspective.
Typically an ad will get roughly 8 to 15 seconds to catch the reader’s interest and the candidate will be asking…
• Give me a reason to read
• What’s in it for me?
• Is it interesting/exciting?
• Can I do it?
• Is it a good move?
• What will it do for my career?
If the ad doesn’t satisfy these issues why would you read on?
Have a look through some job adverts yourself. Think about the ones that you find appealing and try and work out why? Then take those into account in your own advertisement.
What Will The Candidate Want to Know?
In terms of structure, the ad should contain certain elements of the information shown below.
But remember: the ad should be short and punchy rather than wordy and long-winded. Even if you cover all of the things which would be attractive to a candidate if they are put off by lots of text or simply can’t find the information they want they won’t respond.
The Company
• Define the employer
• Who are they?
• What have they achieved?
• What are their plans?
• What is their reputation/customer base?
• Investment/ signs of positive growth?
The Role
• Define the position
• What is its purpose?
• What skills/abilities do they need?
• What are the targets?
• What are the opportunities for progression?
The Candidate
• What kind of knowledge/skills/experience are they likely to have?
• What are they likely to have achieved?
• What type of personality/temperament will fit into the culture?
• What qualities should they have?
The Benefits
• Not everyone wants money
• What else does / can the company offer?
• Pensions, healthcare etc
• Office environment
• Social opportunities
Opportunities
• Broader role
• Training
• Career progression
Overall Benefits
• Including being with a market leader or innovator
• Culture – is it modern and vibey or serious professional?
Ultimately the key is you have to know who your target market is and what excites them. You have very little time to get their attention, particularly with mobile ads, need to be punchy and eye-catching – no long paragraphs of text. Many platforms facilitate the use of graphics and images and these should be used appropriately to hit your target market
