When it comes to ad writing, there is one mistake that I see recruiters make all the bloody time.

They write for the wrong person.

How many ads do you see (or have you written) from recruiters that start with “my client”… yawn. Sure you are recruiting for a client, but immediately you have signalled to the candidate that your client’s interests and needs are more important than what the CANDIDATE is looking for.

So flip it! And cover the No:1 thing your candidate wants to know if they take the time to open & read your ad – “what’s in it for me?”.

So when you’re putting together your advert, instead of thinking about what skills, experience etc your CLIENT wants, you need to write it from the viewpoint of “what is going to interest a candidate to get them to apply for this role?”

Think:

• Benefits
• Stimulation (projects, clients, unique selling points to this role)
• Work/life balance (flexi-time, WFH, leave etc)
• Location (this 100% matters)
• Culture
• Progression opportunities

And for Pete’s sake – if you’re not putting salary (or at least a salary band in your ad) you are shooting yourself in the foot. ALL the data from Seek, Indeed, LinkedIn and any other job board under the sun shows that ads that list salary outperform those that don’t.

If you’re not sure, use your experience & expertise and put a general band in anyway! You are not negotiating salary at this point of the process, you are trying to attract a candidate’s interest!

Happy hunting!