Writing an advert for the press is significantly different to writing an advert for use online. Whilst adverts in the paper rely on a captive audience reading the information, adverts placed online firstly need to be found. With hundreds of thousands of vacancies advertised each month the use of keywords is critical in ensuring that candidates find your vacancy and can quickly and simply identify the suitability of the position.
Whether through search engines or specific job boards candidates use specific search terms to find vacancies – key words and phrases that need to be included within your advert.
The title used on your vacancy needs to reflect commonly used job titles which may well be different from the actual title given to the successful candidate when within the role. Consider what other companies would call the role and most importantly what candidates will be searching for. Several job titles can often be combined to create a more descriptive and searchable vacancy title.
Ensure that the key skills and qualifications required by candidates are quickly highlighted in the body of your advert. Candidates will again be able to identify your vacancy through key word search terms whilst assess the suitability of the role promptly.
Without the size restrictions of press advertising it is often tempting to provide candidates with large quantities of information. Whilst it is vital to provide candidates with enough information to encourage them to apply it is also important to ensure that the candidate is provided the relevant information as succinctly as possible. Candidates should not have to scroll continuously to find out if they have the correct skills or attributes for the role.
Provide candidates with the necessary contact information and a simple means of applying completes your advert and ensures that a need for further information can be addressed and a point of contact provided from the outset.
Experience and Knowledge undoubtedly make this simpler.