Canadajobs.com: For Employers: Posting a Job Ad Online? How to Get the Best Results

Posting a Job Ad Online? How to Get the Best Results
By Sara Parent

Putting a job online or in the newspaper usually costs you money. As an employer, you want to have the greatest possible return on your investment. Here are a few tips to ensure you include all important information on your job ad, thereby increasing your chances that job seekers will send you their resume.

A Job Title That's Clear:

Sometimes, companies have interesting and creative ways to describe a position. But it might not be clear to someone who's not currently working there. List the job title as you need to, but make sure you take time to describe the job clearly. Look it over. Is there any possibility for confusion? You'll save yourself a lot of time and headaches if you make the job title clear and easy to understand to potential applicants.

Describe in Detail:

What does the job entail? Will there likely be overtime? How about travel? If so, what percentage of the time? Is it part-time or full-time? Is the job temporary or permanent? What are some of the tasks that will be a part of the employee's day? Do they need their own vehicle? The more information you provide, the easier a job applicant can make up their mind and decide if they should apply or not and the more you are likely to get an applicant that qualifies.

Tell Job Seekers What You're Looking For:

Make sure you include the education and experience you are looking for. Do they need a certain degree, diploma, or certification? If you are willing to train someone, include that in the ad. By citing the experience and the education the job requires and what aspects are assets, you'll increase your chances of getting qualified resumes. If the job requires them to have special language skills or be bilingual, include that as well.

Contact:

The more options you offer for candidates to contact you, the better. Recommended ways include fax, email, and snail mail. If you are fine with potential employees dropping off resumes, include that too. If your company will be participating in a job fair in the near future, you might want to include the time and place so that they can drop off a resume that way as well. If you are placing a job online or in the newspaper, make sure you have the correct address and the contact person or department to whom the resume should be addressed. If you will not be opening attachments, it's important to mention that in the ad.

End Date:

If the job needs to be filled by a certain date, include that in your ad. You'll add an element of urgency. As well, job ads that are posted online can be indexed and become a part of the internet. They might appear online for a very long time. It might not be clear how old a job ad is to someone who happens upon it, so be sure to include an end date if applicable.

By following these tips, you're likely to increase your chances of getting qualified applicants for your advertised job postings. By making the job ad information easy to read and including all the necessary job requirements and application information, you'll help make your job ad a tempting prospect to potential employees.

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