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How To Write An Online Job Advertisement |
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Put yourself in the position of the jobseeker and think what would attract you to read the job details and click on the advert. Do not forget you are writing an online job advert, which is different to the process of writing for print or other advertising mediums.
The aim of a job advert is to attract interest, communicate clearly the essential points, and to provide a clear response process. The design should be focused on text, layout, and on conveying a professional image. Online job adverts should follow the classic AIDA selling format: Attention Interest Desire Action This means that a good job advert must first attract Attention (from appropriate job-seekers) this part is the headline; attract relevant Interest (by establishing relevance in the minds of ideal candidates) the information you provide is key it should relate closely to the way the reader thinks about the issues concerned; create Desire (to pursue what looks like a great opportunity) which relates to the jobs appeal and rewards to the reader so that they aspire to them and want them, and finally provide a clear instruction for the next Action or response this could be a telephone number to call or to download an application form. Job adverts written by people who fail to follow these vital principles will fail to attract job applicants of quality in quantity. Job Advert writing tips - Use one simple headline, and make the job advert headline relevant and clear. Normally the logical headline is the job title itself - this is after all what people will be looking for. - If the job title does not implicitly describe the job function, then use a strapline to do so. Better still, if you find yourself writing a job advert for a truly obscure job title which in no way conveys what the job function is, then consider changing the job title. - Make the advert easy to read. Use simple language, avoid complicated words unless absolutely necessary (for example if recruiting for Head of Rocket Science), and keep enough space around the text to attract attention to it. Less is more. Giving text some space is a very powerful way of attracting the eye, and also a way of ensuring you write efficiently. Efficient writing enables efficient reading. - Use short sentences. More than fifteen words in a sentence reduces the clarity of the meaning. After drafting your communication, seek out commas and 'and's, and replace with full-stops. - Use bullet points and short bite-sized paragraphs. A lot of words in one big paragraph is very off-putting to the reader and will probably not be read. - Use simple type-styles: Arial, Tahoma, Times, etc, - Try to avoid upper-case (capitals) even in headings - it's very much slower to read. CAPITALS HAVE NO WORDSHAPES - SEE WHAT I MEAN?) - Use ten, eleven or twelve point-size for the main text; smaller or larger are actually more difficult to read and therefore less likely to be read. - For the same reason avoid italics, shadows, light colours reversed out of dark, weird and wonderful colours. None of these improve readability, they all reduce it. Use simple black (or dark coloured) text on a white (or light coloured) background for maximum readability. - Get the reader involved. Refer to the reader as ‘you’ and use the second person (‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’ etc) in the description of the requirements and expectations of the candidate and the job role. This helps people to visualise themselves in the role. It involves them. - Stress what is unique. You must try to emphasise what makes your job and organization special. People want to work for special employers and are generally not motivated to seek work with boring, run-of-the-mill, ordinary, unadventurous organizations. - Job advert statements and descriptions must be credible. Employers or jobs that sound too good to be true will only attract the gullible and the dreamers. Things to avoid - Over-designed graphics (distracts and slows reading) - Extravagantly presented layouts and words (distracts and slows reading) - Coded and idiosyncratic communications - Too much technical detail about the job or the company - Uninspiring, boring descriptions of roles and ideal candidates - Too much emphasis on the job and not enough on the person Remember the job is your product; the readers of the job advert are your potential customers |
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