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Learn from top marketers how to write better job ads

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Job ads should convince passive candidates that in their current position they`re "missing out on something", says advertising expert Mike Beeley.

It`s far harder now to reach really good talent than it has ever been, says Beeley, a founder of employer marketing company Reagent.

"In this environment people are quite understandably nervous about moving; good talent`s bunking in. Anyone can write job ads that generate hundreds of applications... but to actually find the sort of person you really need is becoming harder than ever, because the haystack has doubled in size but the amount of needles in it is actually shrinking."

The key is to get top talent to question whether they`re really happy where they are, he says, or whether they should consider moving. That means convincing them that they`re "missing out on something".

"It`s not about just informing people about vacancies. That`s like saying... I`m just going to go out into the street and kiss the first person that walks past. That might make you feel better for five minutes, but you`re not going to find your partner that way."

A job ad, he says, should make workers question their state of mind and say "maybe you`re not happy where you are, maybe there`s something you`re missing out on that could be better than what you`ve got at the moment", he says. "That`s the purpose of a recruitment ad. It`s not to get people to commit infidelity with their current employer by applying to you, it`s to put that question in their mind - `am I really happy where I am at the moment?` Once you`ve done that the rest of the recruitment process starts taking over, but that`s the first and foremost thing to do."

Get the language right

When writing a job ad it`s crucial to "think closely about the type of person you`re after", Beeley says. "The most effective method is to try and imagine the ideal candidate sitting across the desk from you, then use the language and the phrases and the sentences that you would use in speech with them in the recruitment ad."

Recruiters get too carried away with publishing job descriptions, he says, when "anyone who`s worth their salt for the role knows what they`re going to be doing. An auditor knows they`re going to be looking at numbers, you don`t need to tell them they`ll be looking at the P&L and at the balance sheet. What we need to do is persuade them that they need to be brave and think about moving right now - not appealing to the masses of people already looking for work, but appealing to the ones who are more spooked than ever about moving."

Get inspired

The recruitment ads created by advertising companies are often big-budget, but they contain effective marketing elements that every recruiter can adapt and apply in their job ads.

ReAgent used titles like "Do you sit in the front of cabs?", "Can you burn toast without swearing?" and "Do you have more smile than frown lines?" in display advertising to attract "happy" people to work for BankWest, Beeley points out.

The BankWest ads also use informal language and highlight benefits such as "fat discounts... which might even make owning your own home a reality sooner".

Showing that there`s no need to put dull and uninspiring titles on ads for lower-level jobs, one of ReAgent`s award-winning ads for IBM - for call centre/help desk roles - begins: "STOP doing your job. START doing the best for your career." It then goes on to list in bullet-point-form the features and benefits of working for IBM.

In the UK, 60 Watt Communications used the deliberately controversial headline "Wanted: Young, sexy, single, white female" to recruit for a chief talent officer with experience dealing with HR issues.

After describing the job as "a mould-breaking role and life-changing challenge" the last line adds: "It`s also a terrific opportunity to help us avoid running any more advertisements like this one."

Global communications agency Draftfcb recently used a highly creative yet low-cost campaign to recruit a "really attentive" accountant.

It targeted its competitors in Austria, Switzerland and Germany and achieved an amazing 60 per cent response rate when it transferred one euro into their accounts and used the posting line to advertise the job.

Source:
http://www.recruiterdaily.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&stream=All&selkey=
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