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Write An Ad That's Easy
To Read
People remember red, see
yellow and read black and white. There's a mountain of research
to show that black and white serif typefaces in upper and lower
case will be read more readily and more easily than anything
else. That's how newspapers are printed.
Avoid capitals, fancy
typefaces, reverse type and all the other creative devices that
may look good but make your ad hard to read.
Describe The Job Clearly
Tell applicants what
they're required to do, what they'll have to achieve and what
skills, background and experience you expect. Be specific. Avoid
waffle and hype.
Deter unsuitable
applicants. Feel free to say "unless you have a degree in
radical biochemistry and 16 years experience as a chicken sexer,
do not apply".
The most successful
recruitment advertisement is the one that attracts only one
applicant. The one who fits the bill perfectly.
Say Who You Are
Put the name of your
company in the ad with a very brief description of what the
company does. Keep it brief. Two or three sentences are ample..
Keep your company name, telephone number and logo small and
unobtrusive.
If you don't say who you
are, candidates may become suspicious that you're hiding
something.
Avoid Written
Applications
Unless you're legally
required to do so, don't ask for written applications.
Written applications rarely
tell you what you want to know. They are deliberately designed
to present the candidate as favourably as possible.
They will prejudice you
towards candidates who write well and against others who don't.
Unless writing attractive job applications is a job requirement,
written applications will mislead you and waste your time and
money.
Ask applicants to phone
you. Conduct a telephone interview with each one. Use a script
with carefully prepared questions. Include a few key questions
that will quickly indicate if the applicant's suitable. If
they're not suitable tell them so on the phone.
If you expect many
applications, dedicate one phone line and place an answering
machine message on that line. Ask for the name and phone number
of each applicant. You call back and conduct your phone
interview.
Never Offer An Interview
In Your Ad
A face to face selection
interview is a privilege that should be extended only to those
people likely to be appointed; usually only a handful of
applicants. The interview is not a right available to every
applicant.
If you want to know what
applicants can do, get them to do it! Test skills and knowledge
so that you're satisfied that they can do what they claim they
can do and know what they say they know.
Extend the privilege of a
face to face interview only to people who pass your tests.
Conclusion
Selection and recruitment
is extraordinarily expensive even when it's successful. When it
fails, the cost is horrendous. And it's straight from your
bottom line.
But remember, writing and
placing a good ad wont make up for deficiencies in job analysis
or other imperfections in the your recruitment planning.
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Leon
Noone invites you to contact him on
http://www.leonnoone.com where you can collect
your free copy of his 42 page Special Report: "5 Proven
Methods For Improving Employee Performance On The Job". He's
published books on staff selection and team development as
well as various video, text/audio and self instruction
programs on staff selection, staff training and staff
motivation.
Article
Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leon_Noone |
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