HELP WANTED:
Warm body to fill empty space at struggling widget company at undisclosed location. Due to high turnover, working hours and salary non-negotiable. Opportunities for advancement: nil. Send resume and references to: www.boringwidgetcompany.com. We’ll get around to your resume eventually, SO DON’T CALL US.
Obviously, your company has more to offer than the Boring Widget Company, and you can certainly compose a better job ad than that . . . right?
How to Write a Job Ad
Writing the perfect ad can be harder than it looks. What do you say? What don’t you say? Here are the basics to include:
- Job title
- Employer name
- Location of job
- Concise description of business
- Description of role in company
- Profile of desired candidate
- Required qualifications and experience
- Salary information
- Instructions on how to apply
- Contact information
Other considerations:
Is the position full- or part-time? Will you be adding the new employee to your payroll indefinitely, or is it a short-term, contract assignment? Consider mentioning other perks, including opportunities such as a pension, company car, etc. Include your website to encourage candidates to explore your company. Here are more do’s and don’ts for writing a job ad:
Do: |
Don’t: |
| Include the top 4-5 skills most essential to the job. | Request specific personality traits or characteristics that could be viewed as discriminatory against protected groups of people (age, gender, race, etc.) |
| Target the area or skill you have found most difficult to fill. | Be boring. |
| Talk about what may be important to applicants. Do you offer a family-friendly environment? Flex-time? Health care? | Give too much technical detail. Your job ad is not the place to discuss awards your company has won or the size of your facility. |
| List salary info or a salary range. | Use too much jargon. |
| Specify how employees should contact you. | Overdesign your ad; a clean design is best. |
| Make it easy to read and pleasing to the eye. | Use all CAPS. |
| Keep it short, but not too short. Say what you need to say. | Make it too long. |
Source: “How to Write a Job Ad,” Entrepreneur.
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