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Hot Management Tips ...
Job Advertising ...
Don’t rush writing a job advertisement to get it finished just before a newspaper’s deadline. A poor ad could attract far less suitable people. Since it usually takes a month before someone actually starts work, an extra day’s delay is not significant. But it can make a major difference to the quality of applicants.
Some suggestions for more successful job ads are set out below. Some may seem obvious, but a quick check in any classified column shows a high percentage of businesses make elementary mistakes with job advertising.
- Don’t advertise jobs in the three to four weeks before an election. You will get very few applicants. Similarly, don’t place your ads the day after a major news disaster.
- Consider mentioning in your ad that applicants can ring until 8.30pm. This attracts applicants who can’t or won’t ring during the day. Applicants who refuse to use their present bosses time to ring about a new job are often the most ethical. (Research suggests about 25% of people don’t like to ring for a new job during their present employer’s time).
- If stating the salary could cause internal trouble with existing staff, don’t state it. If it causes no problems and is competitive, then include it.
- Research says that once a person decides to apply for one job, they usually look elsewhere. So even if you attract people who were not looking for a job until they saw your ad, they will usually quickly check other jobs. So:
- make sure you are aware of what other employers are offering for that type of work - because the job applicants will either know or find out.
- try to fill the position quickly. Since applicants are looking for other jobs, the person you want may have already accepted another position. But if you decided quickly, they are still available. It is particularly important to fill clerical positions quickly.
- Don’t fill the job unless you find someone who suits you precise requirements. A week’s delay to advertise again is far less a problem than having an unsuitable person on your staff for a number of years.
- If your firm has a bad image locally, don’t give its name in your ad.
- Devote the first part of your ad to selling your business. Then give the job details. If you can paint a picture of a successful business, you are more likely to attract long term employees.
- Try to time your positions vacant ad to run after a major advertising campaign for your business. It makes a big difference to response. In an ultra-competitive computer industry, one little known firm had trouble attracting staff. So before it placed its job advertisements, it ran a series of ads selling its computers in computer magazines. This gave the status the company needed to attract suitable staff.
- Ask job candidates what they don’t like about their present position. It gives you clues how to advertise next time.
- Make it easy as possible for an applicant to apply for the job. In America, many advertisements accidentally make it hard to apply. This reduces response - and sometimes cuts out your best possibilities. Many employers feel if they make it hard to respond they will get a better type of applicant. This is not so.
- Eliminate clichés from your ads. Don’t use “initiative”, “self starter” etc.
- Don’t list fringe benefits that are common to your industry. Only list unusual fringe benefits.
- Keep a record of responses to each ad. Did it attract too many or too few applicants? Were the applicants good or poor? Such details will save considerable time and effort next time you need to fill the job.
- Make the writing style human. Write it the way your applicant would want it.
- Seven rules for writing job ads:
- Decide beforehand what to say.
- Use understandable English.
- Get it into a logical sequence.
- Start a new paragraph for each step.
- Keep the ad concise and factual
- Say what it is about at the start.
- End by saying how applicants can apply.
- It is easier to write your first draft long and shorten it, than write short and have to add more points afterward.
- Give the impression in your ads that you want people prepared to work in an aggressive, hardworking organisation. It attracts better workers.
- Interview applicants within 24 - 48 hours. Delay too long and applicants lose interest.
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