Often times when we post job adverts we get tons and tons of applicants, most of which do not even meet the minimum requirements, for example, you find someone who has no Engineering related qualifications or any experience in Engineering, applying for an Engineering post and we wonder why.
The content of this article is applicable to recruiters, HR Personnel and Owners of companies who are still doing everything themselves in their businesses, including recruiting and placements.
In this article, I will be covering the 9 things to remember when posting a job advert, namely: Job Title, Job Purpose, Duties and Responsibilities, Reporting Structure, Vacancy Location, Closing Date, E-mail or Fax, Special Clause and Advertising Source, to send the applications to.
9 Tips for posting Job adverts
I will now take the opportunity to elaborate further on the 9 things to remember when posting your job advert. The first one being
A Job Title
This is for obvious reasons as applicants need to know what position they are applying for and also you need this for your record keeping and tracking purposes. This also helps for an applicant who wants to make a vertical move from their current role or even a horizontal move from their current role.
Job Purpose
A Job Purpose is a summary of the job description, with three to four sentences, that gives one a glimpse of the job duties
Duties and Responsibilities
I write this article as one who has been on both sides of the fence. I have been a recruiter and I have been a job applicant. As an applicant when you see the duties and responsibilities or the scope of what you are about to apply for, you can determine for yourself if it is something that you would see yourself doing and it if is something within your area of expertise.
Reporting Structure
I have found that having a reporting structure on the Job Advert assists in clarifying any ambiguity around the seniority level of the position that you are applying for. For example, in other companies, the HR Manager reports directly to the CEO where in other companies the structure is more layered and you would find that the HR Manager reports to the HR Director, who then reports to the HR Executive.
Vacancy Location
This is important so that you don’t find applicants (who are not willing to relocate) in Cape Town applying for a position in Mpumalanga. It is also a means of pre-screening.
Closing Date
This will prevent you from receiving job application for a post that you have already filled months prior.
E-mail/Fax to direct applications
This will help you not to get inundated with calls of applicants asking where they should send their applications to.
Special Clause
As the person advertising the post, it is wise to include a clause that states “should you not hear from us after 30 days from the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful. Only Shortlisted Candidates will be contacted”. This provides closure for the applicants, should they not hear from you the recruiter and it also saves you the time of having to answer queries from applicants to find out about their applications
Advertising Source
Last but not least, remember to choose your advertising source carefully as this will have a bearing on the quality of applicants that you will receive as a recruiter or potential employer.
Conclusion
A good job advert can be used as a pre-screening tool because without a proper job advert, you can potentially receive thousands of applications that don’t meet the minimum requirements.
For a free Job Advert template, please follow the following link (www.nxusahr.co.za) to our website to sign up for your copy.
Article by: Phumzile Msiza