Writing A Compelling Job Ad

The WSJ print edition carries a story from Erin White on lessons learned by AIMCO (and apartment management company) for writing job ads.

Use plain English.

    "When apartment-complex operator Aimco analyzed high employee turnover, it found an unlikely culprit; poor job descriptions in its recruitment advertising.

The ads didn't help applicants understand the work they would do.  Instead, they featured jargon-laden task lists, adn emphasized education and experience requirements.  Many new hires quit shortly after realizing the job wasn't what they thought." (WSJ, Monday, Mar 12, 2007, B3)

When I post jobs at one of my local recruiting sites, I often ask the person who submitted the job to rewrite it.  The problem is one of clarity - if you can't tell what the job really does, then you are using the job posting to source resumes rather than find candidates.

We know that candidates respond to job ads, often without reading them. Is that because job postings don't deserve to be read?  As a candidate, you know that job postings often represent best case scenarios - what the hiring manager wants if all of the stars aligned.  Considering that you can't always get what you want - many candidates submit their resumes hoping to catch the manager's eye, or convince them to hire by getting in front of them.

And it's not a bad strategy - because most managers will admit the job posting has little to do with the actual job.

So what do you do?  Be honest.  Be straightforward. And be simple.  My general rules for a job posting are they should be easily understood by a 15 year-old, an HR lawyer, and a geek.  Plain language has the advantage of using words that can't be twisted. If you say you want someone to work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., you can say so, without typing, "flexible hours may be required."

If you want someone with a BA in Business, consider that the role you are hiring

In job postings, as in life - you often get what you ask for.  If you're not getting targeted resumes from your job postings, you might consider working on your communication skills.   Better yet - work on how good you talk.