How to Write Job Adds

Sometimes we in Performia have observed Personnel managers get so many replies to ads, they dread the task of having to read them all. Even after finally making it through them all, they often end up with very few qualified applicants.

How do you get around this?
Traditional recruitment ads

• They promise a job with status, good compensation and additional benefits.
• They sometimes point out how conveniently the office is located.
• They often describe the job as being interesting, fun, or even easy.

The point here is, you are saying how nice, easy and pleasant this job is. How well the applicant will be paid and so on. Sometimes the Ad does state that you need a motivated person, but this tends to get lost in the main message - which is really only an effort to sell the position.

What you want is a top performer. You want to have more than one applicant applying for the job. But if you have written an ad as described above you are probably going to receive replies from a lot of Non-performers.
The difference between performers and non-performers

Let us make it very clear:
Q: What is a non-performer looking for?

A: Less work, more money, and an easy life!
Q: What is a top performer looking for? Why will they respond to your job ad?

A: More challenge, a bigger game, more responsibility!
Q: Will a top performer shy away from a job which looks easier and less challenging than their current assignment?

A: YES!
Q: Will a non-performer shy away from a job that seems too much like hard work?

A: YES!

The problem most Managers have is when they compose a job Ad, they feel that if they told the truth, they would only have very few applicants responding. Performia has proven many times that this is not true. We know what performers really want.

Good performers are good performers because they like the truth. They want a real challenge. They are not interested in an easy job for easy money.

The other thing to take into consideration about top performers is that they usually already have a job. They are sitting around waiting for the right opportunity. If they do leave a job they will quickly receive a lot of job offers from others in the same industry, who know how valuable they are. If these Performers are looking for work, they want to find it quickly. They prefer to be working.

When a productive person is looking for a new position or job it is usually not because they want more money. It is because they want a bigger challenge. So if they see a job-ad containing a challenge, they will respond. They are probably doing just fine at their current job, but they might be bored or they might feel they have accomplished what they set out to do. They might feel that they need to move on.

They are either unemployed or failing in their current job and therefore feel uncomfortable. They might be under a lot of pressure and can’t handle it by getting products.

They want a job that does not require too much work, strain or effort. They want it easy. They would love to have a job which pays lots of money. And they are often looking for a job with status.

Therefore, if you place an Ad that promotes an easy job with good pay and so forth, without mentioning that they will need to get the job done and that it might be hard work, they will respond. They believe this is what they have been looking for – an easy life without pressure.

We have covered to what a Non-performer and a Performer respond to in job Ads. Here is more information Performia decided to publish to help you get really Top Performers responding to your Ads.

The main liability to selling a job position with too much sweet PR (or attention on money), is you will get too many applicants sending in their CVs.
This creates the following headaches:

• A lot of paperwork for you to handle.
• Not enough real Performers applying, as they respond better to Ads containing more challenge.
• The difficult task of finding the best Performers amongst that huge pile of responses.

• You want to hire that fire-breathing Executive who really can get people in your organisation to perform.
• Or you want that mythical Secretary who will anticipate your every need in order that you are free to get on with real Executive actions.
• Or, perhaps you want that elusive Sales person who can raise sales sky high, and maintain them at that level.

Then you have to attract a Top Performer, and the challenging style of Ad will achieve that.

• It is directed towards a person who wants to work hard.
• It states what the main purpose of the job is, and what the expected results should be.
• It focuses on responsibilities.
• It does not avoid pointing out what barriers there may be.
• It does not make a big issue of the money or compensation.
• The content is truthful.
• It asks for a written production record, including figures.
• It challenges! For example, it could point out the fact that not many people can do this job in the way you want it performed.

• The right applicants will be more interested.
• Non-performers will shy away.
• It gives a better image to your present and future customers (and yes, they do read your job Ads). The applicant does not have any wrong expectations about the position.
• There is less work for you.

This is the underlying theory on writing successful recruitment Ads. The basic concept is — make the Ad challenging. Only in this way will you attract the right calibre of applicant — the Top Performer.

At Performia we have considerable experience and knowledge of how to write job-ads, which will attract Top Performers.

Mr. Marten Runow
Founder Performia International

For more information, please contact the nearest Performia Office.