1. How to write an effective recruitment advert
What is the point of a job advertisement? This tends to be a common
question for HR and recruitment professionals, and the answer can differ
dependant on the vacancy and company status. A job advert is vital for a
company to reach out and find the right calibre of applicants.
You should think carefully before simply writing a job advert, as it is a
company's marketing tool and should be written to attract the right candidates
for the job role. A well written job advert can draw in the correct candidates, and
by making sure you follow these steps, advertising a vacancy can be a smoother
and more efficient process for your company.
1. Consider what the job is, do you know the job title? Do you know what
the job involves? The more you know about the role the easier it will be to write
a job advert to attract the correct candidates.
2. Who is my ideal candidate? Before starting to write the job advertisement
it is important to build a mental picture of the sort of person that you can see
fitting in with the existing team. When you are writing an advert, write as
though you are speaking to your imaginary candidate that you are looking to
interview.
3. What skills am I looking for? A lot of companies are tempted to request
high-level academic qualifications to try filter out weaker candidates, but exam
results and qualifications aren't necessarily the best assessment for workplace
ability. You would be better off asking the candidates to demonstrate
experience in the related field of work.
4. What experience must candidates have? It is common to include in an
advert the maximum number of years experience you will consider for
employment. However, before writing an advert think to yourself is it really
necessary to have a certain number of years’ experience in the position you are
recruiting for.
5. What extra-curricular activities am I interested in? Sometimes asking a
candidate about their personal life can help see if they will fit in with the existing
team members. It can help assess candidate’s social skills, determination and
life goals.
6. What response do you want to get from the job advertisement? Before
jumping into to writing an advert it is important to assess what level of response
you want to get from it prior to advertising. Dependent on the role and the level
of experience you require give yourself a time frame for how long you are going
to wait for the right applicant to come through; a lot of the time you may need
to use other ways to reach out to candidates for example; Social Media,
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you may want to search for
people of specific job boards.
7. What facts must I include? At the very least your advert should include a
brief description of the nature of the business you are recruiting for, you should

2. also include the job title of the position being advertised and a brief summary of
responsibilities and qualifications. If there are any special requirements you can
include these in this section special requirements can include (out- of- hours
working) a closing date for applicants and details on how you are going to
contact candidates in the selection process.
8. How do I reflect the personality of the company? A recruitment advert is
an opportunity to market the company, so it is a good idea to get to know the
company and reflect this in the job advert. Depending if you are working within
a recruitment agency or you are an in house recruiter you should try use
corporate logos, colours, font and other company formats. Your choice of
wording is very important as too complex wording can give the wrong
impression. It can be a good idea to ask existing employees about their thoughts
and experiences within the company.
9. How can I make the advert stand out? Once you are happy with your
advertisement you should think about where you are going to publish it and
where it will receive the most attention. What competition do I have? What other
companies are recruiting for similar positions? Have you got a particularly
charismatic headline to draw candidates in? Then consider how you can word
your adverts to draw in candidates so that it stands out above the rest.
10. Have I made the job look attractive? Put yourself in the potential
candidate’s shoes and ask yourself 'if this was my expertise' would I be happy
within this company/job role. Would I be tempted to apply for this job role based
on the job advert? Find out what attracted the existing team member to apply
for their position within the company and use this information to draw in
potential candidates. You may find that there are company benefits that help to
attract candidates; this could be financial, training or pension packages.
Before starting to write an advert you should think carefully before simply
putting pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard as every aspect of the job advert
helps attract the right candidate for the job role.