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Developing Recruitment Advertising
Your recruitment advertising is more than posting a vacancy. It’s marketing for your department and Rutgers. Just like a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is a marketing tool for a candidate, a recruitment ad is a marketing tool for the employer.
Getting Started
Before you begin writing copy, consider a variety of factors:
- What is the job? Think about the responsibilities and the role the position plays in the department. Ensure you understand this first before writing the advertisement.
- Who is the ideal candidate? Think about the qualities, experience, and attributes you desire in the individual. Also consider how the individual will fit within your department’s culture.
- What competencies am I looking for? Think about the knowledge, skills, and abilities desired for the position. It’s easy to just focus on the number of years of experience or degree requirements, butt think more broader.
- What experience is required? Focus not only the quantity of experience (e.g., five years experience) but rather the quality and context of the experience (breadth of responsibilities, working in a similar environment). This will help you in attracting a diverse pool of candidates.
- What other information is required? If the position requires special certifications, unusual work hours, travel, or use of a personal vehicle, these items should be included.
- How can I make my position stand out? Use language that will catch a candidate’s attention. Is your department nationally recognized? Do you have award-winning researchers on staff? Use a headline or lead-in statement that will be enticing.
- How can I make the job look attractive? This is where you can sell the department and the university. Mention competitive benefit packages and highlight the benefits of living in New Jersey. Ask current employees what drew them to your department and Rutgers University and use those comments in your ad copy.
Suggested Content
Content for the recruitment advertisement must be concise, clear, and accurate. Conciseness of copy is especially important for print ads where you will be charged by the word. There should be enough information for the candidate to determine his or her interest in the position and Rutgers, and information on how to receive additional details.
The posting, in print or on the web, must include the statement, “Rutgers is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.”
Attracting a Diverse Talent Pool
If traditional posting sources have not yielded a diverse applicant pool, consider the use of print and electronic media and recruitment sources that are targeted towards specific populations. You may also want to target professional organizations that attract a diverse audience such as the National Society of Hispanic Professionals, CIC-Directory of Minority Ph.D. Candidates and Recipients, or the Society of Women Engineers, among others.
The position description and recruitment copy can be written in a way that attracts a wider audience of candidates:
- Use inclusive language in your ad copy
- List qualifications broadly where appropriate. If qualifications are too rigid, it may eliminate members of underrepresented groups and potentially successful candidates. For example, “Candidates should possess a doctoral degree” rather than “doctoral degree required.” Or “Candidates should have a master’s degree in counseling or related field” rather than “degree in counseling required.”
- In order to signal that all applicants are welcome, consider adding the statement to your posting, "Men and women, and all members of all racial and ethnic groups, are encouraged to apply."
Some of the content of this page was adapted from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte
Department of Human Resources.
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