Effective recruitment advertising

The advertisement
With out a doubt, most advertisements for employment hide more than they reveal, don't sell the
position, fail to highlight benefits and, more often than not, don't include the price (salary).

The idea behind successful recruitment advertising is to…

"Qualify suitable candidates in and the unsuitable out"

In the ad, we must apply the same principles the retailer uses to entice prospects to purchase or
inquire about the product.

8 things your recruitment ad must do:

• Talk directly to the desired candidate
• Create interest in the position that draws the candidate to read on
• Build a desire to say, "That sounds great," or "This job sounds like me," or "I must know
more"
• Convince the candidate that if they have the specific criteria to excel at this job, they
should apply and spell out their criteria in detail
• Offer tangible benefits of the job and explain why working for the company will be a step
up or interesting
• Explain vital conditions and wages or salary range plus expected outcomes or standards
• Incite action and make application easy
• Position the company in a positive and professional way

Consider the downside of poor ads:

People don't notice or are not attracted to the ad and don't apply. The ad is not detailed enough to
qualify the candidates in or out. Ads with less detail appeal to the basic job applicant and,
therefore, attract less-qualified people or even candidates that are a poor fit.

Write more effective copy (get their attention)

Start with a benefit headline or a powerful, interesting attention-getter like...
• Here are 6 reasons why you should join our motivated sales team
• Show us your proven ability in sales and marketing management
• Highly desired ... a talented research assistant who wants to contribute to our growth

Remember, pictures attract the eye, so if you have a logo, use it.
• Logos also work towards brand identification.

Use a sub-headline to continue to build interest, like...

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 • Head: Here are 6 reasons why you should join our motivated sales team
• Subhead: And 2 more that will help you stay for a long-term career

• Head: Highly desired ... a talented director of research who wants to contribute to our
growth
• Subhead: Yes, be part of our management team, and secure your future now... Read this

• Head: Show us your proven ability in sales and marketing management

• Subhead: And we'll show you a career path and job enrichment

It is important to think about the needs and motives of the ideal candidate. To discover this, ask
others why they enjoy working at your organization. Chances are that their response will be:
• Prominent company
• Enjoy the work
• Convenient location
• Like the local community
• Like to produce something tangible
• Like a challenge
• Busy environment
• Team environment
• Like to contribute to the results
• Builds on personal goals
• Compensation

A key to successful recruitment advertisements is to market these and any other benefits to
potential applicants. Try using these benefits in your headlines and sub-headlines to attract
qualified applicants.

Ad copy -- "Don’t skimp"

Don't judge your copy by your own standards or interests. Remember, you're not applying -
you're enticing. This is a major mistake many advertisers make. They say to themselves, "This is
all they need to know," or "Nobody will read all that copy," then based on those perceptions, they
leave out vital information.

In the copy, you need to tie in the features of the position to the benefits they offer. Here are some
examples…

• You will have your own specific clients to help build their business and add to your
personal satisfaction and company value
• Create brilliant strategies for our new technologies … We'll teach you how they work!
• Show your skills in business finance and practical solutions, and we will secure your
future and provide the training also!

Remember, copy is where the real selling gets done, so be specific; don't get sloppy or wordy, but
do tell the features and sell the benefits.

Include things like…

• We pay above average, how does $XX,XXX sound?
• You'll work at a frantic pace, but you will be proud of your results

Feeedstuffs Agribusiness Media www.feedstuffs.com

 • Days will fly by, and your self-satisfaction will match the pace
• Yes, the work is hard but really stimulating … I was a territory sales rep last year, and
now I'm a brand manager managing our leading product line … so can you!

Allow space
Make the ad large enough to fit the copy, not the other way around, as many do!

Image and positioning

Here is your chance to make the ad say something purely by design, layout and typography. Make
the ad clean and easy to read by not running type right up to the border.
Use type from the serif family…
• Times/Century/Souvenir or Garamond, or for a more modern look, Vega light or Arial in
the sans serif style if the copy is not too long or in point form
• Use only 2 type faces or fonts, and avoid capitals in the text.

Action and how to apply

Urge action from qualified candidates with action lines like…
• If this is you, really you, apply now
• Excited? Then apply now if you believe you can fit the bill!
• Measure up? Ready to accept the challenge? Then phone today

Make the task of applying as simple as you can. If you want to screen candidates on the phone or
via email first, say so in the ad.

Or, if written applications are required, ask for that form from the candidate.

Be sure to give full details of your name, position, company title and address, email address,
website address, phone numbers and times to phone if applicable.
(Note: Try making sure there are 2 forms of contact. Example: fax and email, phone and email,
website and phone, etc.)

Final point on recruitment advertisements

In terms of getting suitable applicants, the recruitment professionals have found that effective
advertising is far and away the difference between getting quality and quantity of suitable people
for jobs in any area, city or country.

Contact us
Feedstuffs Agribusiness Media has staff on hand that can help you write and design your
recruitment advertisements. For assistance or to get your ad out to Feedstuffs' qualified audience,
contact:

Cory Huseby
Feedstuffs Classifieds
chuseby@feedstuffs.com
952-930-4377
Fax: 952-938-1832

Feeedstuffs Agribusiness Media www.feedstuffs.com