In order to make a good hire, you first need to attract great candidates. Writing a highly targeted ad using the right keywords and phrases will attract more qualified candidates and make the hiring process much smoother.
What separates good ads from average ads is how they are written: the ad should be written to “speak to” your ideal candidate. When the right person reads the ad, he should think, “That is my ideal job.” If he thinks that, he is more likely to apply, and also more likely to do any prequalification activities that you require.
You Talkin’ to ME?
Your ad should start with WHY. Why should the person work for your company in this position? The WHY is the motivator. The WHY is the reason your company in business – not the thing your company does. The job ad needs to speak to the ideal target candidate, and you may have only one chance to catch her attention. Studies have shown that what the company stands for is as important as the job itself.
If you’ve determined what skills and motivators an ideal candidate would need in order to be successful, this will tell you what kind of person you are looking for to fill a certain position. Would the person be better suited to the position if he were task oriented or people oriented? Does he love the details, or is he faster paced? Does he value a high return of investment, or does the job require more social awareness? Even within a company culture, each role within a company will have specific requirements, and the person in the role may need to be motivated differently than the others. What motivates a salesperson might not be the same as what motivates a customer service representative.
For instance, if you are hiring a bookkeeper or controller, you need to attract someone who is detail oriented and who likes to deal with financial matters. The ad might use words like Careful, Cautious, Quality, and a phrase like I get it right. The ideal candidate will be able to relate to these words and phrases easily, as they will be inherent to his personality.
Our experience is that when you write a highly targeted ad, fewer people apply – but more of them are a better fit. This not only saves you time in culling resumes, but also provides a qualified candidate pool.
We recently helped a company hire an inside salesperson. You might think that this would be a typical sales profile, but the Job Profile indicated that we should be hiring a more introverted, process oriented person who will keep making calls and follow a script. The role required that the person not take shortcuts, and also enter the details of all interactions into a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This role was atypical from an outside salesperson because of the attention to detail and strict direction following required. This is why the Job Profile is crucial to the hiring process.
How Do I Write the Ad?
The ad is a marketing piece. Do not confuse the ad with the job description.
Using the information from the Multi-respondent Job Report (click here for a sample report), meet with owners, management, and employees currently in the position to write an ad for the open position. Make sure to reference behavioral qualities from the Job Report.
The ad is meant to attract the candidates that you want and exclude those who do not meet your requirements. Don’t set out the minimum criteria that anyone can meet. The ad should be clear about what a successful candidate looks like. For instance, the phrases fast-paced, risk taker, customer facing, and relationship building would not attract someone who wants to be behind the scenes in support, but a true salesperson may identify with these qualifiers and be attracted to the position.
A successful ad:
- Has a simple, clear, compelling headline:
- Accounts Payable Specialist – flexible hours & career advancement
- Health Coach – help our members make positive changes
- Inside Sales – great work/life balance
- Starts with WHY – paints an exciting vision:
- Why is your company in business?
- Why should the candidate want to work for your company?
- Use phrases such as: “You’ll help people…” and “We’ll enable…because you…”
- Challenges the candidate:
- Gets at the underlying motivations
- Shares the vital requirements and key performance indicators of the job profile:
- Job description and qualifications
- Great candidates should be drawn to the job because it just feels right
Great candidates should be drawn to the job because it just feels right
Use the information from the Job Report to attract the right personality. Write TO the person you are looking to attract for the position. Tell them exactly what the job is, and speak directly to the perfect fit. You’ll attract quality candidates, and heighten your chances of making the perfect hire.