Top considerations for a stand-out job ad
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The SEEK Employment Report for April has revealed yet another rise in jobs being advertised on the site – this is the fourth month in a row this has occurred. With so many ads to compete against, how can employers make sure their ads stand out from the crowd?
There are lots of different things that can make a job advertisement stand out, and very few organisations will be able to compete on every level. Following are some ideas for making your ads stand out that you can pick and choose from as appropriate to your business.
Brand name
Job ads for organisations with strong (positive) brands will always stand out in the marketplace because people will covet the opportunity to work there. Conversely, candidates are savvy to the fact that a well-known brand on their CV is a great way for them to stand out for future job opportunities.
If your brand isn’t currently standing out in the job market, there is work you can do to improve on this. You don’t need to be a big organisation, championing an amazing cause to get attention. Small steps, like increasing your press coverage in publications that you know future candidates might read and being present at industry events, are good ways to start to build brand recognition.
Job title
There’s a temptation to go to market with clever job titles to show off creativity and innovation. But a job title needs to be easily searched for and recognised by candidates, so it pays to stay close to what your candidates will expect. You could consider amending a job title with a successful candidate later in the recruitment process if unusual job titles are part of your company culture – just don’t use it in the job ad.
If you’re unsure what job title to use, do some research on job boards and professional networking sites to see what’s popular and common. HR and management forums are also a good place to discover the right way to label a role. If it’s a current role and you’re replacing someone, you’ll want to make sure the title is still relevant. If it’s a newly created position, you’ll want to be very clear about what’s involved to then give it the right title.
Description – it’s an ad not an essay
To stand out from other ads, it’s important to remember to “sell” the role. This doesn’t mean being dishonest, and it doesn’t mean including every last detail of the job’s responsibilities. It does mean you want to make the role attractive and appealing to your audience, giving them enough information that they’re excited about applying. Essentially a job ad is a marketing piece aimed at future employees.
Like any good marketing copy, you need your ad to highlight the benefits of the role for your candidates. A basic marketing principle is WIIFM (what’s in it for me). The goal of the ad is to entice the right people into applying for your position. After highlighting the benefits in a way that appeals to your target market, you want to finish your ad with a very clear call to action (what you want applicants to do next).
Resource
You can find information about the SEEK Employment Report for April here.
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Branding, in terms of human resources, is using marketing to distinguish a company or the products/services it offers by rapidly becoming known to consumers This may be accomplished by using certain noises, colours, features, or logos.
Shandel McAuliffe
Shandel has recently returned to Australia after working in the UK for eight years. Shandel's experience in the UK included over three years at the CIPD in their marketing, marcomms and events teams, followed by two plus years with The Adecco Group UK&I in marketing, PR, internal comms and project management. Cementing Shandel's experience in the HR industry, she was the head of content for Cezanne HR, a full-lifecycle HR software solution, for the two years prior to her return to Australia.
Shandel has previous experience as a copy writer, proofreader and copy editor, and a keen interest in HR, leadership and psychology. She's excited to be at the helm of HR Leader as its editor, bringing new and innovative ideas to the publication's audience, drawing on her time overseas and learning from experts closer to home in Australia.