If you decide to recruit your own staff, preparing an advertisement for display in the local or national press is important. Three groups will be attracted to your ad—recruitment agencies interested in referring their clients, competitors interested in your activities, and prospective employees interested in what you have to offer; your ad will certainly be spotted, so it's important to get it right. Here's how:-

1          Identify specifically what you want.
If you don't know what you're looking for, how will you know when you've found it? So, too, for people. For this reason, you'll need to take the time to construct the correct position profile before proceeding with the job advertisement. There are some simple, easy-to-use recruitment tools on the market that can help you construct that profile.

2          Grab the readers' attention.
When you're confident that you know the type of person you're looking for, find the up-front word or phrase that will attract that person. If it's simply an accountant, then say 'Accountant'. If you're looking for a person to fill a position that requires zest, initiative, and independence, your header may read, 'Put Yourself in the Driver's Seat'. Or for a design studio, 'Are you creative enough for us?' The header should match closely the 'cultural mores' of the position being advertised.

3          Explain the job clearly.
You can eliminate many hassles later on by letting the reader know what the job entails. If they are expected to walk on water, be up-front about it. Interviews are not the place to introduce surprise information about jobs. If your expectations are realistic, the right person will be out there waiting to reply to your ad.

4          Distinguish the job from others.
What is it about your job that helps to differentiate it from similar ones on offer? Why should the reader choose you and your organisation? Tell them. Often, it will be the little things that make the difference. That difference may be the human side of your business, the flexible hours, pleasant working conditions, great customers, good salary, overseas travel, the opportunity to be creative, and so on. Brainstorm for the attributes that make your organisation attractive. Current employees should be able to help you identify those qualities.

5          Explain your organisation's vision.
Attracting the right applicant can be as simple as saying something clear and honest about who you are, what you believe, and where you're heading—say, in the next five to ten years. You can't afford to have employees in your organisation who cannot share that vision. In addition, consider all those other interested readers (not necessarily job applicants) and use the advertisement to do a little public relations, by promoting your organisation's vision.

6          Tell them their next step.
Be specific about what you want applicants to do. If you want to screen applicants, you may request that they telephone you at a specific time to find out where to send their résumés. This will give you a chance to conduct a screening interview and to test their punctuality and voice presentation. If you want résumés only, make that clear in your ad, too. You should make a point of sticking to your request.

7          Disseminate copies of your ad.
Let others in your organisation who are likely to be affected by the ad know of its contents. The receptionist or any other person taking the initial calls will need to know so that they can be prepared for the resultant enquiries. Current employees who may be interested in applying for the position should also be afforded the courtesy of knowing about the position before it is made public.

8          Make sure the ad is well-presented.
A well-presented, attractive advertisement reflects well on your organisation. A poorly presented ad can have the opposite effect.

9          Choose the right time and place.
Ensure your ad is placed in the most appropriate newspaper or trade journal, on the most appropriate day, in the most appropriate section, at the most appropriate time of year. After all, you want to ensure that it receives maximum readership by the right audience, don't you?

10          Track your ads.
Count the number of responses that your ad generates. Ideally, that number should reveal a high level of competition for the position, a situation that will allow you to settle on a short-list of suitable applicants. If your ad does not encourage the desired response, review its contents before attempting a re-run.

Don’t forget
Focus on the basics. In preparing an advertisement to attract new employees, the advertising copy should be designed to explain as succinctly as possible:

• What the organisation is
• What the job is
• Where the job is
• What job experience is needed
• What qualifications are (a) essential and (b) desirable
• What the salary etc. will be (if possible)
• What information is required in the response

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