Introduction
While advertising used to be the most common means of attracting a suitable pool of applicants, organisations are now using a range of advertising mediums and technologies. Irrespective of your chosen method a well-written advertisement can also positively promote the organisation to the extent that people who are not actively looking to change jobs will be stimulated enough to make some initial enquiries about the vacancy.
Keep in mind through the process of preparing the advertisement that its purpose is to attract the best applicants. This means you want to:
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attract the people who do have the required skills and qualities-you have to sell the job and the company so that they will apply
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ensure people who don’t have the required skills and qualities realise they shouldn’t apply.
You will have to weigh up the cost of a larger more detailed advertisement that would attract more suitable applicants with the cost of sorting through and screening many unsuitable applications if you only place a less expensive advertisement that is brief and less specific.
When preparing the medium, content and appearance, keep asking yourself if your advertisement will attract the right people. Consider how you might generate interest in a position you have advertised by Twitter or SMS. Who is going to see it? What do they need to know?