A large part of my job is writing our "job ads" for sites like CareerBuilder, The Ladders, our own website of course, and a niche boards like LatPro, the Society for Women Engineers, etc.
I feel like I'm in a rut.
All my ads feel the same to me -
- Title - the actual job title not an ad title
- Description of the hiring company and the main objective of the job
- A basic overview of job responsbilities
- An "ideal candidate" summary
- Basic requirements
- More about why you would want to work for this company or want this particular job (i.e. the sizzle.)
Sometimes there is a really great story to tell - and that makes it easier but other times...
So here's what I'd like to know from anyone that happens to stumble by:
- What would catch your eye in a job ad
- What are the best and worst job ads you've seen (I hope none of mine make the worst list!)
- Where do you (or people you know) go to look for jobs in your field (it's helpful if you identify the field too!)
- What are your biggest pet peeves about job ads
- Are opening lines like "Do you want to be a creative force in a fortune 500 company?" effective or cheesy?
I'd also be interested to know from any fellow recruiter-types what you've found works best for you?
Oh - and if anyone knows how to make Iowa sound like the BEST EVER place to live that would be great to know too!
3 comments:
I always think the worst job descriptions are ones that obfuscate something. It happens so much in the marketing field. You see jobs listed as marketing when in fact they are nothing more than telephone sales.
If feasible, I'd try to put the "sizzle" first or close to first. Start with what's going to grab people and make them want to know more.
Another idea is to ask some of your recent hires what they thought of the ad and if there's anything you could have done to make it more enticing.
If the job is to work on a giant SAP implementation, use the words "SAP implementation" in the ad so as to warn off anyone who never, ever wants to work on such a project again. The candidate will figure out it's SAP, even if you call it Global Transformation! during the interview and wonder why you are both wasting your time.
Post a Comment