5 Common Job Advertisement Mistakes

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Writing a job advertisement is not as easy as it sounds, which is why we offer job advertisement writing services here at Employment Office – advertisements that are known to attract the best applicants and find you the right people for the job.

For many, job advertisements are an afterthought. But the reality is that they are the only information that potentially amazing talent has to use figure out if you’re the job that’s right for them. You need to make sure that your job advertisement is as perfect as possible, in order to make sure that you’re getting the right people.

Mistakes People Make on Job Ads

Unfortunately, job advertisements are very prone to mistakes. The following are some of the most common mistakes people make when they write their job ads.

  1. Nothing About Your Company – The biggest problem that companies make is failing to say anything about their company in the job ad. Unless you’re a name brand like Google or Microsoft, there is a good chance the applicant knows little about you, and you need to make sure that they know who you are and why you would be a good employer.
  2. Unrealistic Qualifications – Another common problem is putting qualifications that are simply not necessary. For example, 5 years of experience for a role that barely needs 1 year of experience. This will turn off good applicants that may not pass your rigorous qualification process, even though they would be perfect for the job.
  3. Boring/Condescending Tone – Job ads should be positive, upbeat, and make people want to work for you. Ideally they should make the applicant feel like you want them, rather than simply a bland job ad written in a way that makes it sound as though the applicant would be “lucky” to work for you. Many job ads seem to be written as though they’re doing the applicant a favor, and that will turn off a lot of top talent.
  4. Block Text – Another common problem is simply the creation of unreadable job ads. Job advertisements are not unlike most forms of online writing – they need to have bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs so that the eye can easily scan for information that is important to the applicant.
  5. No Exciting Compensation – Top talent will always be looking for good pay, benefits, etc. If you don’t make any mention of them, you will be less likely to get applications. Even if you don’t pay very well compared to competitors, you should have something about pay and compensation that will entice them to your company.

Writing a quality job ad is an art form, and the above list are common mistakes that keep employers from finding the top talent they want. Contact Employment Office today to find out more about how to write a quality job ad and our job advertisement services.

For more tips on recruitment and employer branding you can contact us at info@employmentoffice.com.au or visit our website at www.employmentoffice.com.au.

How Do You Evaluate What Your Company Needs Out of a Position?

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Job ad creation can take a lot of experience, which is why we offer job advertising services here at Employment Office. One of the most common places people make mistakes is figuring out what you truly want out of an employee in the position:

  • What they need to know.
  • What they need to be best at.
  • What they have to be comfortable with.

Often times you can think up a few necessary “skills” or experiences, but in some cases those may be overstated. Does an applicant really need 3 years of experience? Or is it more like 5? Or is it only 1? The qualifications you put on the job advertisement affect who’s applications you receive, and so if you’re putting the wrong qualifications you run the risk of turning off qualified applicants or attracting the wrong kinds of applicants.

How to Decide What Should Go On the Job Ad

So you need to figure out what absolutely must go on the job ad. You need to figure out what should go on there, what should not go on there, and how it matches your ideal candidate. The following are some strategies to figure out this information:

  • Survey Supervisors/Coworkers Independently

One of the simplest strategies is to have everyone that works with that position provide a list of the things they “need” from someone in the job independently, without the influence of the other supervisors/coworkers. Once you have a list, you can figure out what themes there are, what is unique, etc., and then as a group you can all gather and have everyone explain their responses. Together, you can then decide what should go on the application and what should not.

  • Ask the Previous Employee

No one is going to know their position better than the person that was previously working there. You can ask them what they think is necessary from someone that fills in the role. What experience do they think is necessary (if any), what skills should a person have, and what are some of the day to day experiences that they may need to have knowledge of that perhaps are not even on the job description? The previous employee is in the best position to answer this, and in some cases you can learn more about what their job was like for them by their responses.

  • Review Other Job Descriptions

You can also consider reviewing the job advertisements of others in the field. Often these will differ from yours, and you should not treat it as gospel (after all, if you advertise in the same way as everyone else, you will attract only the same people), but the job advertisements of similar jobs can be a great way to identify qualifications that perhaps you hadn’t considered before.

Writing a Great Description

Job advertisements are the key tool used to attract talent, and so what is on the job description can have a significant impact on the types of applicants you receive. Consider the qualifications carefully, and make sure that every single qualification you’re providing relates back to what the ideal candidate will have.

For more tips on recruitment and employer branding you can contact us at info@employmentoffice.com.au or visit our website at www.employmentoffice.com.au.

 

Do You Really Need 3 Years of Experience?

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As an employer, your job advertisement is perhaps the most important factor in finding great applicants. It needs to be designed in a way that will attract the talent that you want to add to your company. Every detail you add to your job advertisement is there for the perfect applicant to say “Hey, that’s me!” and apply.

Unfortunately, many employees perform the fatal mistake of adding requirements to a job advertisement that are not necessary for the job. Most companies think up their qualifications and add them on a whim, rather than carefully considering each quality and whether or not it is necessary for the job.

The “That’s Not Me” Approach to Job Advertisement Writing

For companies that hope to attract the right talent, carelessly requiring specific criteria from the applicant could cause a qualified applicant to look elsewhere. The most common example is when a company requires X years of experience working in a specific field, like:

  • “Minimum 5 years of experience working in marketing strategies related role.”
  • “3 years of experience required working with landscape design architecture.”

On paper, these may sound like good qualifications. But in practice, they don’t stand up to scrutiny. Is 2 years of experience really not enough? What about 1 year? Is there something special about 3 years (or 5 years, or 10 years) of experience that makes one candidate significantly more qualified than another?

This can be a significant problem. A candidate that has a lot of knowledge or experience, but has only worked in the field for 2 years may say “oh, that’s not me” and move on to another job, even though they were the perfect candidate for the role. Technology itself changes so often, that experience at all may not be necessary. In some cases, a recent graduate just out of college may be as qualified or more qualified than one that has worked in the field for decades.

Creating a True “Candidate Profile”

Before you create your job advertisement, you need to be willing to ask yourself these types of questions. It is not simply years of experience either. Some people throw in qualifications that are not necessary for the job, like:

  • Experience with Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Experience with Program X (When the Program Isn’t At Your Company)
  • Graduate Degree

Certainly there are some cases where knowing this information could be useful. For example, if the candidate is going to work with PowerPoint on a weekly basis. But if they use it once a year, or they don’t use it at all, chances are they do not need to know it, and they certainly do not need “2 years of experience.”

As you decide how to write your job ad, pay very close attention to the differences between what you need, what you want, and what doesn’t matter as much as it sounds like it does. You want to attract all of the best applicants with your job ad, and the more specific and logical each qualification, the more likely you will find the applicant you desire.

For your recruitment and branding concerns you can contact Employment Office at info@employmentoffice.com.