As a recruiter we place adverts on behalf of clients on a daily basis. Often these are for roles that they have advertised on multiple sites for lengthy periods of time with no success yet as an external body we go on to fill them. So what do we do differently that may assist membership bodies looking to hire in the new year?
When placing adverts there are several approaches that we can recommend that could shake up a previously unsuccessful traditional or basic advertising campaign or format:
- Audience: Think about who you are trying to engage with – this should be second nature to all membership professionals who spend a huge proportion of their day attempting to engage and interact with an intended audience, but a bit like the traditional adage of a doctor making a terrible patient, the adverts that we see placed attempting to attract bright forward thinking individuals are often the very antithesis of this – dry, dull, factual and unappealing.
- Announcements vs Adverts: Take a long hard look at your last advertising campaign. Did your advert become an announcement? Announcements are very much about what you want and what you need as an employer. Working within membership you know that really to attract someone or to keep their interest you need to appeal to what they want and what they need from their next role. Ensure that you highlight and focus upon the appealing parts of the role. It might be the team culture, benefits package or the challenge and development of the role itself. Try asking questions, making your audience engage with the advert and think about applying. Try replacing some of the following phrases with these alternatives: start describing the role with “a rare opportunity has opened” rather than “we require”; or when discussing pre-requisite skills, rather than “the successful candidate will have”, try “the role will make use of your expertise in Excel”; or when calling your potential staff to action rather than “if you are interested, e-mail”, try “shortlisting today, contact us at…”
- Action – Make sure that you close your adverts with a clear, exciting and direct call to action. Place the thought in your intended signposting that someone from the organisation is happy to discuss should they have any questions.
- And Why… Remember that People connect to the why of a brand not the what or how – take a look at TEDTALK by Simon Sinek https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action. Brands that connect their product or service to the beliefs of their audience attract more than those who focus too much on the ‘what’ or ‘how’.
- Avoid Apathy – everything about a successful advert calls for action from your intended audience but also A.C.T.I.O.N – Attention grabbing headlines, Connect the role to your audience, Tell them why they should consider the role, Inform your audience about the role, Offer – what does the role offer them, Next steps to be taken.
Make sure it is exciting, punchy and will catch the imagination of your audience. Good staff are hard to find and first impressions count. If you start by demonstrating why you are an employer of choice from the very first advert you place you will see a huge increase in applications.
We are happy to advise you with these adverts and job descriptions. Other than that, make sure you use MemberWise Jobs when placing your new, more exciting adverts.
Get in touch if we can assist!
This blog post has been provided courtesy of Huntress. For an open and supportive discussion regarding your career or hiring strategy please feel free to contact Francesca.Lord@huntress.co.uk or call in confidence on 0207 759 9000 / 07841419924.