Can We Agree to Stop Writing Employment Ads That Suck?

We've all read them. Most of us have written them. You know, the standard vanilla employment ad that looks like everyone else's and has this mystical power to actually put readers to sleep. The results are usually awful. Lots of applicants, but very few you'd actually want to hire. So let's stop doing that, shall we?

Here's what I mean:

"Acme Company is hiring for a Sales Manager in Albany, NY. We are looking for an experienced manager with the ability to manage in a fast-paced environment. Must be reliable and possess a positive mindset. Attention to detail and the ability to multi-task are a must". Blah, blah, blah... Is this going to attract the leader you want? You can do better.

How many of us have written phrases like this?

• "Enhance the competencies of our company"
• "Candidates must be achievement-oriented"
• "Develop standardized practices and annual performance metrics that support our corporate initiatives"
• "Assign joint deliverables to cross-functional teams in order to foster greater collaboration"

I don't even know what that stuff means.

As a coach and consultant, every solution or improvement I bring to the table for my clients, hinges on the quality of the people they hire. So does your business, doesn't it? So let's stop "Farming for weenies" and start "Hunting for Rockstars". If you want your ad to stand out. If you want to attract that true assassin that can crush their goals, here are a few tips:

Write the ad in a tone that mirrors the culture of your company.

• Turn "Assign joint deliverables to cross-functional teams in order to foster greater collaboration" into "We want someone who can inspire our team of hungry go-getters to pull together and crush their goals"
• Turn "Develop standardized practices and annual performance metrics that support our corporate initiatives" into "Create a culture where we simply get stuff done, and are accountable and recognized for the results"
• Turn "achievement-oriented individual" into "Hard-charging goal crusher"

Avoid long-winded paragraphs like the one at the top of this article that don't really say much, and certainly don't get read. A brief paragraph that describes what you offer and what you want, will do the trick.

• Try "Acme is the fastest-growing widget company in the area and is looking for a high-powered leader to help guide us through our incredible rise to greatness. We are a team of motivated rockstars who love to deliver results and have a blast doing so. We want a leader knows how to coach, knows how to inspire and has that great mix of creativity, compassion, and toughness that it takes to make us the best widget company on the planet. We've been voted best place to work 4 of the past 5 years. We pay well and recognize and reward people for the work they do and have one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry. Come find out why"

Every company is unique and your ad and tone should reflect who you are and who you want. Let your culture and your identity shine. Get creative, get bold, and write ads that don't speak to the masses, but simply speak to one person...your person.

I've you'd like help building and inspiring a world-class team, I'd be happy to chat. Shoot me a line at [email protected]