How to advertise a job
Advertising a job is increasingly an online activity. It’s quick, easy and reaches lots of potential candidates. Advertising this way can be particularly appealing to small businesses with a limited budget to spend on recruitment.
We’ll look at how to advertise a job on Facebook and other online sites. We’ll also see how to advertise a job for free.
As well as online, traditional methods can work effectively for tradespeople – especially if you want to recruit locally.
Think about how to start advertising a job
Decide exactly what role you need to fill. You’ll need to think about how to hire the right people.
For that, you should consider:
- The skills and experience you need
- What professional qualifications will be required
- The type of person you would like to be part of your business
- How best to describe the role
- How best to describe your business to attract people
- How you want people to respond and apply for the job
- How you are going to respond to job applicants
Make the recruitment process easy and straightforward for candidates. That way, you’re likely to receive more responses when you advertise a job.
Another consideration before you advertise a job is whether you want an employee or a contractor. You should also think about whether your job advert needs to be for labour only.
Taking on someone is a major cost outlay but also one that helps you work better. Once you have the right person on board you are building a team for success.
Timing is also important. Think about where your business is and where you want it to go. This will help you know when to advertise a job.
How to advertise a job for free is an important consideration for tradespeople. There are lots of ways to advertise a job for free. These range from doing it online to asking people you know for recommendations.
Decide what goes in a job advert
Getting your advert right from the outset will save you time and hassle. A carefully worded job advert should attract the right people for the role
It will also avoid getting responses from unsuitable candidates You’ll have a smaller list of better-suited candidates. So, the right content in a job advert could save you a lot of time.
Another important element in a job advert is to make prospective candidates feel enthusiastic about applying.
A typical job advert includes:
- Job title or position
- What the role involves
- Where is it based
- What qualifications or skills are needed
- Pay and benefits
- Details about your business
- How to apply
- What happens next – how you’ll respond
Advertise a job online
There are plenty of other ways to advertise a job online. Some are free, some charge – usually depending on how much you use them.
How to advertise on Facebook
Facebook is a popular social media platform for connecting businesses to people. It’s free and convenient.
For Facebook, you’ll need to have an account and easy-to-follow instructions to create a job.
Other social media platforms
As well as Facebook, the choice of online social media you can use is wide. They include:
Online jobs boards
Job boards or job platforms, usually charge a fee to advertise a job. The benefit of using a jobs board is the huge number of people who search for jobs on them.
Choose the best places to advertise a job
Advertising a job isn’t just about going online. Where and how you advertise a job depends on what you think will work best for your business.
Use local advertising
Local newspapers usually have ‘situations vacant’ columns. Regional publications and magazines can also reach a wide local audience.
Putting an advert in your local newsagent’s window may sound ‘old school’, but could reap rewards.
The trade press – both online and printed – is another avenue. Here, you’ll be targeting a very specific audience. Trade publication job adverts can give you useful ideas about what to include in your advert.
Post on your business website and social media
We’ve talked about online advertising. You can also take advantage of your own digital presence.
Setting up a ‘Careers’ or ‘Work with us’ page on your website is a practical way to advertise. It means people who are interested in a job can easily find out more about you once they are on your site.
They can also easily contact you with any questions they may have about the role.
Your social media can either display your job advert or include a link to your website. The more places you advertise, the more likely you are to generate a strong response.
The benefit of using your own online sites is that advertising jobs shouldn’t cost you anything.
Tap into your business network
Letting people know you are recruiting doesn’t necessarily have to use an advert. Word-of-mouth advertising is a free way to find talented people.
Your network of business contacts is likely to only suggest people they think will be up to the task. Candidates will have been ‘pre-vetted’ by your contacts before they even come to you.
Try a recommend-a-friend scheme
Another useful source of job recommendations is asking people you know. It could be employees, family or friends.
You can advertise a job simply by letting them know you are looking for the right person. Keep people updated regularly with your requirements.
Employees, family and friends will ‘vet’ candidates for you. After all, they’re unlikely to recommend someone who is going to be unsuitable.
Rewarding people for making recommendations provides them with an incentive to help. The reward could be financial, like a bonus for employees or gift vouchers.
Key takeaways
- Advertising a job requires planning about what you say, where and when
- Make sure you provide clear and easy-to-follow information so you receive more responses
- How to advertise a job on Facebook or other online channels involves a few practical steps and reaches a wide audience
- How to advertise a job for free is straightforward if you go online or ask people you know for recommendations
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