How to write a great job ad

How to write a great job ad

Introduction A job ad sounds like the simplest thing in the world to write, doesn t it? Surely all the hard work lies with the jobseekers? Well, no. With more candidates than ever before fighting for jobs in the hospitality industry, the pressure has moved onto recruiters. It s never been more important to write a great ad to make sure only the most relevant people apply. Get it wrong and you could find yourself sifting through multitudes of applications, but write it well and you ll be interviewing the finest candidates around. So how do you write the perfect job ad? Believe it or not, it s easier than you may think. Read our handy hints on writing a job ad and you won t have to spend time working through piles of irrelevant applications ever again. Caterer.com 2

01 Kill the spelling mistakes If you saw a job application full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, you d want to see it nearer the bin than the interview room. But spelling and grammar catch recruiters out, as well as jobseekers. If you want to give a professional impression from the start, spelling the words Restaurant Manager incorrectly (and it s happened), will inevitably lose you potential candidates. If your ad is free from errors, the applicants will see that you re serious about both the job and company. Even better, if they see no spelling mistakes, the candidates are likely to spellcheck their applications right down to the last apostrophe to impress you. 02 Write dynamically As well as being effective ways to get new staff, job ads are also an interview for recruiters. It s all about promoting your company and telling jobseekers what you have to offer them so they want to work for you in the first place. Think of it as a form of promotion to attract a new client. Writing dynamically is important if you want to attract attention and make sure the best candidates aren t put off applying; after all no one wants to work in a job that sounds tediously dull for a company that simply doesn t care. You want to excite the reader, so always try and reflect the job using vibrant language to make it sound exciting (without lying or exaggerating of course), it s bound to drum up interest and get candidates hitting the apply button. Caterer.com 3

03 Target your audience Before you even start to write the job ad you need to think about the audience that will be reading it. Just as your business has a target audience, so should your job ad. Want to fill a head chef role? Are you looking for your bar staff to have specific skills or experience? Then you need to reflect this in the ad, or you ll end up with every candidate applying, and an intimidating pile of CVs landing on your desk. Whether you want to convey a light-hearted company with a sense of humour or more serious approach for a senior role, your ad needs to portray this. Get the tone right and be as specific as you can about the role so your target audience knows you re talking to them. 04 Bullet lists for easy reading To make sure your ad isn t scanned over or even completely ignored, you should think about how people read on the internet; quite simply, nobody wants to read reams of text. By breaking up the ad you ll not only stand out among the pages of other recruiters, but you ll get your point across much better. Even if readers scan over your paragraphs, their eyes will fall on bullet points, so that s where you need to put your most important information, including job duties and candidate specifications. Putting the job duties and your candidate specifications into a bullet point or list form is important because it: Attracts and keeps attention Becomes easier to read and therefore understand Gives the candidate a handy checklist so they can see if it s for them before they apply Makes it stand out amongst the other job ads Allows you to elaborate on parts of the role without confusing the reader See? This is a particularly useful method if the job you are advertising involves complicated tasks, as you can break it up and explain it more thoroughly without losing the reader s attention. Caterer.com 4

05 Short paragraphs Remember, you re writing a job ad, not Crime and Punishment. You wouldn t want to read pages and pages of an article if it was just paragraph after paragraph of sentences with no breaks; and neither will your audience. So keep your paragraphs short and sweet so they don t switch off. If you ve got a lot to say, use our previous hint about bullet points to break it up instead. 06 Make it easy to read We re not saying use nothing but exclamation marks or write everything in capitals, but by adding some of these simple touches, you ll find the ad instantly becomes easier to read. Lists and bullet points Sub headings to separate intro to company, job duties and candidate specifications Important points in bold In addition, explain the job in the simplest terms possible; using big words or over-explaining the role might scare candidates off. Remember, you ll have plenty of time to elaborate in the interview stages. Think of your ad as a covering letter; you want detail, but not pages and pages of it. Stick to these handy hints and your ideal candidate is sure to apply. Caterer.com 5

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