| One of the irritations associated
with any direct response advertising is that the response may include unsuitable
candidates. The Internet is ideal for almost all events-related recruitment, but because
it reaches a very wide audience, you will need to word your advertisement carefully to
reduce the number of irrelevant responses. Once you have decided upon your job description, you are ready to
write your advert. This should include:
- the requirements of the job
- the necessary and desirable criteria for
job applicants
- the activities and working practices of
the organisation
- the job location
- the reward package
- job tenure (e.g. contract length)
- the application procedure
On the JobsInEvents site, you can even
include items such as screening questions, a full job specification and even an on
line application form. See below for a more in depth format.
1. Format
The starting point for a recruitment advert is having a consistent format.
2. Headline /
Job Title
You may wish to have a headline to attract attention to the advert such as ".Can you
make the difference?" Unless you are a copywriter, this is difficult to get
right. if you cannot think of a snappy Headline,use the job title.
Title is surprisingly important, and you should think carefully about what you
call the job. Several studies have shown that title ranks above salary in relation to the
importance attached to it by potential applicants!
The top of the advert
should also contain the salary range, and the location of the vacancy.
3. About the
Organisation
Your opportunity to "sell" the company to prospective applicants. You should
focus on the successes the Company has had, and the areas where it is or near being a
market leader. You should also point out what makes it unique and potentially attractive
to applicants. Include phrases like:
..Company is one of
the leading suppliers of motivation programmes in the UK. It has achieved significant and
sustained growth during the past x years and is now poised to enter the next phase of its
development with an outstanding .........
4. About the Job
The most important section of all. Here, you describe the job detail in such a way
that potential applicants know what they would be applying for. However it is also very
important to try and develop a "unique selling point" i.e. what is it that makes
this job better / different from other similar jobs in such a way that it would be
attractive to potential applicants. Include phrases like:
..this post represents
a unique opportunity. The successful applicant will be working at the cutting edge of
motivation programme design and will have significant opportunity for career development
both in the UK and overseas. In return you will be expected to work effectively as part of
a project team and be capable of working under considerable pressure...
5. About the Person
If you have robustly considered the person specification for the vacancy, this section
will be drawn from there. It will include the pre-requisite qualifications and experience
required. You may also want to point out the sort of personal qualities that will be
required: ..proactive, dynamic, good interpersonal skills, self-starting, lateral thinker,
flair, innovative, resilient, enthusiastic etc.
6. Rewards Package
Where possible, indicate the salary range and other benefits on offer (a competitive
package should have been worked up once the job description / person specification
had been finalised). Where you want to wait and see who applies before committing to a
salary level, then you still need to ensure that an appropriate message about the benefits
package is given out, e.g.:
Salary and benefits
are exceptional .....
Salary is in the upper
range for the industry, and benefits include.......
Salary is highly
competitive and will depend on experience and qualifications....
7. How to Apply
You need to decide how you want the individual to apply - standard application form (good
for comparison of large numbers of applicants), Curriculum Vitae (good for more senior
jobs - gives the applicant a better chance to express themselves; though can be difficult
to ensure you get all the information you need).
You may wish to
give the name and number of someone in the organisation who can be contacted by
prospective applicants to discuss the detail of the job.
You should also include
the contact name, address and email address from where an application pack can be
obtained. It is also good practice to put a closing date in the advert |