There are many ways to get your message to the market. A not-so-subtle one is your recruitment advertising. The type of people you are attempting to recruit and what you think will attract them says a lot about your company. Recruitment messaging can range from stiltedly boring to over-the-top insanity. If you read enough of it, you have to wonder at times if anyone in management proofs the copy that is posted - or gives any thought about what is said about the company. Conversely, a common area for business intelligence gathering is recruitment advertising. Recruiting ads a will tell you a lot about a company - such as where they are building their staff, a general idea of turnover (especially if you have access to resumes posted on a resume database) and a host of other issues about the company. Some less-than-ethical companies have been known to conduct mock interviews of competitors' employees to get even further business intelligence on those competitors. A factor that is often overlooked is the tone and tenor of the recruitment ad itself. Like it or not, it sends a message - and the message may not be what the hiring company has intended. As with any form of messaging - recruitment advertising should be checked by management for consistency with the company's messaging goals and objectives - especially if an outside recruiter is used. Here are a few guidelines, based on reviews of recruitment advertising copy: Some ads for professional positions read as if they were written by a junior staffer. References to trendy television programs (such as The Apprentice or The Office) are often a give-away as to the mindset. If you are hiring twentysomethings who wear iPods at work, perhaps. But not if you want someone serious. Recruitment ads that sound as if they were written for staffers in hell have always been a source of fascination. Who does the company think will apply? Masochists? Avoid negative terminology and downside references in recruiting ads. Plenty enough time to discuss those aspects of the job (heavy travel, etc.) that are turn-offs that during the interview. Also - don't discourage responses that are germane to the job skills being sought - such as a recruitment ad for a telephone salesperson that says "No phone calls please", or a position that requires communications skills that doesn't specifically require a cover letter from the candidate detailing why they are qualified to be a candidate. Nothing sells (or attracts) like enthusiasm - so paint a positive (but realistic) picture. Usually this centers on two aspects - the challenges and the future (growth and rewards.) Be sure to emphasize both. Recruiting ads that start with a long-winded description of the company, along with cliches and pabulum, strongly suggest self-absorbtion, and tell a lot about a company's culture. Misrepresentation (or in extreme cases, outright lying) is a self-defeating exercise. In addition to being unethical and dishonest, it can get expensive. If a recruiter is used and the candidate determines there was misrepresentation involved and departs prior to the customary 90-day period, the recruiter is under no obligation to replicate the search or refund the fee. And they will be sure to spread the word among other candidates as well. Recruitment ads sometimes get passed around by those who are familiar with the industry and the companies. Those with inside information on the company running the recruiting ad can often ballpark the identity of the individual who left (a ‘six degrees of separation' sort of thing) and sometimes have a good idea why - and will spread the word. And the word that is spread won't necessarily help you find a replacement. A careful review of your potential recruiting ads will help to develop the messaging that will reach out to the candidates you want to hire. It also makes it easier to screen the responses - since you can tell immediately how well they read (and comprehended) the ad. Conversely, if in order to write a really good recruiting ad - you are saying more that you want to have out in the public realm (typically the case if the position involves strategy or competitive positioning) - perhaps you ought to consider using a recruiter or search firm. The candidate pool will be smaller - but usually better - and you can maintain some degree of confidentiality about your needs and staffing requirements. Consider this - virtually all senior positions in larger companies are filled by non-publicized searches. Food for thought.
© 2007, Jeffrey Geibel, All Rights Reserved
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