Fortune 500, medium and small companies post crappy online job ads. Online ads are usually quite boring. The standard formula for an online job ad looks like this:
A. Company description
B. Title of Job and Job Description
C. Requirements
D. How to Apply
Simple? Not so fast. Is your online job description compelling? Would you personally be excited to change jobs after reading the verbiage? Why not mix the sequence in the formula, beginning with defining the job, skills, education and experience you want and need? An ad needs to entice the reader!
Writing an online starts with a team meeting to talk about the requirements. You can build a phone interview guide and interview guides for your team, if you prepare effectively.
Get Rid of Boring
Rather than:
“Manage the sourcing process for various areas including capital purchases and P&L through the sourcing process (RFP, bidding, negotiation, award, implementation), and supplier performance monitoring,”
Try this:
“You will manage the entire global capital purchases from cradle to the manufacturing floor with massive responsibility for RFPs, bidding and negotiations.”
Make it snappy! If your corporate culture is conservative, you’ll need to work even harder. We expect fun online ads from places like Amazon and start-ups. Your ad needs to reflect the culture of your company and the department. You need to demonstrate what a great place it will be for the candidate to work. Don’t treat the ad like you are ordering a machine part!
Title
Job titles can be very different, depending on the company. In Sales we have Account Executive, Sales Manager, Territory Manager, or Sales Professional. You might want to use the various titles within the ad to assure online searches reach the candidate, whose current title is Executive Sales. You might say, “Whether you are a Sales Representative, Sales Executive or otherwise identified, your sales skills and business acumen in consumer products will lead you to the next level in your career.”
Salary
Some people say putting the salary in the online ad helps. Of course stating the salary often deters a high potential candidate from applying. Rather than concentrating on salary, state the skills you need.
SEO
Make sure you include the words the candidates you want to attract will be the ones they use in searching. Do you know about Google’s Keyword Tool? It can help you choose words that the search engine likes when candidates plop their search words into the search box. The novice may need to take a class or read a few articles about Search Engine Optimization.
Requirements
Be realistic. Please don’t dump skills from three jobs into an ad for one individual, if you want to fill the position. What MUST the candidate know to do the job with little training? Did you have all the skills needed for your job when you started?
Additional Insight
I suggest you apply online to your company. How long did it take you to complete the application and fill in the blanks? Make it easy. I read one article in researching for this article that actually suggested making it difficult on the candidate. We like faster and better, especially in the supply chain business!
Writing an excellent online ad may not be your strength. If you have the luxury of a marketing person or creative associate, ask for help in writing a compelling online ad.
Warning!
Posting and praying for results is rarely effective. With maybe 80% of jobs being filled by referrals, writing the ad is the beginning of the race for talent. As you interview, you may find you need to refine the requirements, but this is the starting line. It’s a scary thought that someone you hire might not want to know the requirements!