Money

Devil is in the detail when it comes to job adverts



In an age where recruiters post adverts looking for ‘digital ninjas’ and ‘coding samurais’, a bit of authenticity can go a long way.

Perhaps that’s why Glesga Grub’s 40ish-word search for new weekend staff, stating ‘no lazy b*******’ need apply, struck such a chord online.

 

As far as job adverts go, there’s a lot to like about it. In fact, most employers probably wish they could write the same thing – many do in more subtle ways.

Glesga Grub’s advert is to the point, provides a fairly comprehensive list of the duties required in the role, and outlines many of the competencies candidates would be expected to possess. The use of ‘LOL’ following some loose language can be taken as a nod to the fact that anyone considering the role should have a good sense of humour and can expect a bit of back and forth with their customers and colleagues.

The business also gets full marks for brevity. Generally speaking, the fewer words used to describe a role, the more likely people are to actually read it and apply. Of course, if it’s a job that requires a candidate to consume large volumes of information and have a high attention to detail – an air traffic controller or a codebreaker – a more detailed job specification is the right approach.

To go a step further, the advert has achieved exactly what it set out to do. According to reports there have been multiple applications and one of the two vacant positions has already been filled. It certainly brought the business a bit of media attention, which few job ads manage – at least, for the right reasons…

Where it may be lacking is in the ‘what’s in it for me’ department. There’s no mention of the wage on offer, no details about the expected hours, or what it’s like to work there – save for the inclusion of the last line. There isn’t a huge amount in the text to entice people to apply for the role or even enquire about it.

There’s also some wording that could be more precise. ‘Good/quick’ with technology for order processing is subjective – how good and how quick are we talking? If it was a secretarial post, you might ask for a minimum typing speed in terms of words or characters per minute – not the easiest of things to translate for Glesga Grub’s purposes, but an indication of proficiency would help narrow the field.

Of course, context is key. There may be nothing wrong with a cheeky word in an advert in a shop window, but it’s probably not going to fly in print in a newspaper or other media. Some businesses can get away with being glib – others can’t. It all depends on their brand. But, if having a good sense of humour is a big part of workplace, then why not include some in the advert?

 

When we’re working on job adverts with clients, we always encourage them to make sure their job ads actually reflect the company culture and the kind of people the business is looking to attract. There are few approaches as self-defeating in recruitment as trying to make a company sound like something it isn’t. 

At a more basic level, before posting any job advert, check it includes details of salary or pay, information about the type of contract, the spelling and grammar is correct, and there’s a good statement on equal opportunities for all.

Discriminating on laziness is unlikely to covered by the Equality Act 2010 …

Set the right tone, use the right imagery, detail the benefits, provide a succinct list of duties and you can’t go wrong. Glesga Grub may not have ticked all those boxes in its advert, but the most important thing is that the business seems to have got exactly what it was looking for – the right person for the job.

Steven Ross is operations director at HRC Recruitment



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