Management
Issue No. 64 - April/May 2012
Attracting talent using Internet job ads
by Trudy Dickson
Newspaper ads are down more than 20% from the same time last year and internet ads are up almost 5% over the same period, so if you don’t have a strong presence in on-line advertising you could be missing out on some of the best talent.
Attracting applicants to apply to your ad isn’t all that difficult, but getting the right applicants is another story. It’s not just about throwing words together, or laboriously listing all the criteria applicants definitely must have before they dare send you an application.
Crafting a successful internet ad is about understanding your target audience and what will motivate them to apply for your role - and then using creative language and layout to appeal to them. It seems writing an effective ad means you have to be a wordsmith, a personality profiler, a marketing expert and an IR specialist!!
Ad writing is time consuming and can be costly if you don’t get it right. Plus there are the added issues around ensuring you comply with Equal Employment Opportunities in advertising roles and also ensuring you protect your company brand through the application process. Handle the application process poorly and I promise you, people will talk about it. Protecting your brand is extremely important in attracting the best applicants.
There are some key areas you need to focus on to write an effective ad. You’ve heard the saying, What’s in it for me (WIIFM)? Your ad needs to clearly tell a story about the benefits of working in your business. Before you start to write you ad you should be able to answer this question: “Why would a great applicant want to work in this role and this business?” The answers to this ...
