Help Wanted Ad Tip: Promote Your Company

Help Wanted Ad Tip:  Promote Your Company

Presenting your company as a great place to work is a key component in effective recruitment advertising.  Research shows that more than 90% of candidates seek out at least one resource to evaluate an employer’s brand before applying.

Many organizations miss the opportunity to promote their company in their job ads.  Instead they simply provide a list of duties/list of qualifications, or worse, a job description that is not easy or interesting to read.  Help wanted ads are an opportunity to spotlight what is great about working for your business and highlight key items candidates seek when they make a job move such as values that mirror their own, the company’s community involvement and opportunity for growth and development.

Take a look at your recruitment advertising and ask yourself if you have provided enough information to attract a prospective job seeker to your company.  Would you be interested in applying to the job you have posted? Would you be more interested if the advertisement included more about the company, what they stand for and why their employees love working there?  

As important as providing the readers detail about the company and environment, it is important to consider the tone of the recruitment ad.   As an extreme example, I saw in an ad recently had a tone bordering on hostile.  Actual quotes from the job ad include: “If that does not work with you, don't apply.” And “Answer the questionnaire or you will not be considered.”  My guess is that the company did not have many (if any) applicants to consider!  People want to work for an organization that treats their employees with respect and it is important that recruitment advertising sets both an accurate tone for the company and presents the company as inviting to the job seeker.

When writing your job ad, write it with the intent of encouraging candidates to apply to the position.  The applicant you seek should want to come to work for your business!  While you are busy making sure you accurately detail every duty and requirement in the ads you post, remember that those details are important as long as the ad also communicates that your company is a place where people want to work.