How to write an effective online employment advertisement

You would have noticed that nearly everything these days is online or available on the Internet. This is also true of the job advertisement market. Nearly every candidate now looks for jobs on the Internet first. Most jobs are now advertised solely on the Internet with many job seekers also searching solely online. The number of ‘jobs advertised online’ is now the standard measurement for new job creations as an economic indicator. It is also much cheaper to post your job advertisement online than in the traditional press.

This means that you cannot disregard the Internet as the major avenue for seeking potential job applicants. It won’t always be the most effective place for you to look for new staff, but it is definitely now the most frequently used avenue.

Despite aiming to achieve the same result, online job advertisements and those in the regular press or even those you may pin on a notice board are not the same. In this very tight job market it is important to understand the differences in order to attract the best talent. If your ad doesn’t stand out and sell your job for you, you wont attract the best applicants to your position and your business will suffer as a result. This article provides some tips and advice on how to write an effective online employment ad.

In addition to the change in where employment vacancies are advertised is the current worldwide skills shortage. This means that there is more competition than ever for the best employees. Its important therefore that you don’t waste your job advertising dollars and your ads are effective at attracting the kind of applicants you want.

As a result of the changes in both the employment market and the shift to the internet, the behavior of employees and job seekers has changed as well. The advent of online job newsletters and vacancy alerts enables many employees to just “keep an eye” on the job market. This provides you with exposure to potential applicants who may not be “active” job seekers. What it also does however is require that you stand out from the other millions of job advertisements in order to attract their attention.

This brings us to the first difference between an online ad and the hard copy version. Online job boards, just like search engine results, will show a job summary initially from where potential applicants can click through to the full advertisement. This job summary is the most important part of your whole ad. If it doesn’t grab attention and compel the reader to click through to your full ad, then your race is lost before it begins.

Many people make the mistake of trying to use their job ad summary to ask for what they want in their candidate. This is a mistake. You are vying here with every single other ad for your potential applicant’s attention. Ideally you are seeking the cream of the crop, not the desperado who will take anything.

Think of the type of person you are trying to attract. Are you seeking someone who is fussy about the jobs they apply for and who are looking for the particular job that will provide them with a challenge, or are you happy to accept someone who applies for anything and everything without discernment?

Use the job ad summary to sell the personal opportunity available, explain to the potential applicant what they can achieve. Then once you have enticed them in to read your full advertisement you can provide them with more detail about your organization and what you are offering before you then narrow your field by describing the skills and attributes you require of the successful applicant.

In the advertisement proper, you should include the following information.

• The opportunity – describe it in terms of the outcomes the position is to produce, provide your potential employee with a challenge and a sense of what they can achieve in the position;
• The rewards provided – for a lower level position this may mean including the salary and other benefits you are offering, for a more senior position you may instead mention that the salary is negotiable depending on skills and experience, you will definitely want to include any opportunities for advancement or achievement of bonuses or commissions as these items are incentive for high achievers;
• Information about your business or organization – employees will want to know what sort of environment the position will be working within. A high achieving employee looks not just for a position but for a business or organization within which to work, learn and progress. You will lose potential applicants by not including this information;
• Your selection criteria – this is important for two reasons, both to ensure you receive applications from qualified applicants and also to direct your applicants to provide you with the information you require to assess them against in order that you may short list them for further more detailed selection processes. Don’t be afraid to ask your applicants to respond to your selection criteria, it will make it easier for you to sort through the applications when you receive them.
• I also additionally recommend that as well as including the details of where they should forward their applications to that you should include a name and contact number of someone that they can contact in order to gather more information regarding the position if required. An applicant who is keen and motivated will often ring to find out more about the position.

If you follow these basic steps you will increase both the number and quality of applications you receive. Don’t be afraid of receiving hundreds of applications either, the more the better. If you have followed my advice with regard to the selection criteria you will easily be able to sort through and select the best applicants.

In summary, the secrets to writing top performing online job ads are to use the job summary to grab your potential applicants attention. Then in the full advertisement sell the opportunity, include the rewards available and information about the organization. Most importantly include your selection criteria and ask your applicants to address them.

About the Author

Tracey Bowyer is a recognized authority on the subject of employee recruitment and selection. Her website www.employee-selection-guide.com provides a wealth of information and articles on how to hire better and find the right employees for your business.