I’ve been scanning craigslist looking at all the ads they have and I have to say many of them are horrible.
Some ads are written so bad that you don’t even know what type of job is being offered. They just mention they need help but are vague about the job itself.
Who would apply for a job like that? You’ll just get calls asking a ton of questions. And the people who will call about a job that lacks any detail at all probably aren’t the best candidate for whatever job is being offered anyway. They tend to be tire kickers, who don’t know what they are looking for.
Other job listings go in the opposite direction. They go into so much detail that the job listing is probably a thousand words long. I can understand that for a high profile position that pays top wages, but not for a basic run of the mill job.
What really gets me are the ones that list a hundred requirements for the position, then at the bottom state they will only pay minimum wage. They are delusional to think they can set such a high bar for a job that pays next to nothing.
Other job listings are amusing. I saw one recently that was short, concise and to the point. It had to be written by someone who has been in business a while and been burnt many times over by whoever they hired. This is the exact ad…
“Please do not apply if you oversleep, have court often, have no babysitter everyday, have to get rides to work later than we start, experience flat tires every week, have to hold on to your cell phone all day, or become an expert at your job with no need to learn or take advice after first day on work. Must be able to talk and work at the same time. must remember to come back to work after lunch. Should not expect to receive gold stars for being on time. if you qualify leave name and number.”
That ad is very specific! I don’t know if that ad will work because it seems to focus more on what they don’t want more than on what they do want. But I will say it sure does paint a picture of their ideal candidate.
Whenever I ran an ad, I always kept it short, sweet and to the point. I did my best to convey what I wanted from those that took the time to reply and I experimented often with the headline and body text. Take a peek at the following ad…
Office Cleaning Specialist
Immediate part time openings for
an energetic, detail oriented person
to help serve our clients.
Must have great attitude. Experience
is preferred but not required.
$9.00 to $11.00 per hour with
flexible evening hours. Bonus
after 60 days.
Contact Tom at 555-555-5555
That craigslist ad pretty much summed up what I was looking for. I can’t say it worked all the time, or even that it will work for you, but that is one I ran regularly for that particular position. Feel free to play around with that template. Hopefully something good will come out of it for you.
The point is to just get you to think about your ad. You can’t just throw anything up and think your ideal candidate will show up. Think through what you are looking for, then articulate that into a short ad that sums up the perfect candidate. You may or may not get the person you want, but your chances increase with a well written and concise ad.
Thank’s Tom!
That is short and concise.