Internet Job Postings Are Different to Print Advertisements
Creating Content
Many companies rely on "formal" job descriptions to create their job ads. This is insufficient. Often these job descriptions fall under categories of jobs. For example, a company may have one job description for a computer engineer; this would cover software and hardware engineering. This may be too generic for you to write a sufficient job ad. Within each department, positions are different. Talk to the hiring managers to find out what specifically the job entails. The more detail you have to post about the position, the better fit the candidates will be that respond. Spending the time up front to gather the appropriate detail will reduce cycle time and ultimately the cost per hire.
One way to manage this process is to sit down with managers from each department on a quarterly basis to assess their upcoming needs. At this meeting you can define the skill sets needed for each position.
Managing the posting process
Create a document file for your job ads. Once you've created a job ad for the Internet, save it in a document file. When you need to repost your positions or post to new sites you can simply copy from that file. Each site you post to has its own format. Having a document file allows you to copy and paste individual sections as needed by each site.
Create a spreadsheet to track postings. Managing postings, sites, expiration dates etc., can be an organisational nightmare for which you can easily lose control. Some postings expire in 60 days, some in 30 days and some stay up indefinitely. Regardless of the expiration date, you want to keep your positions fresh on the Internet and repost them every few weeks (if the site/your contract allows.) To help manage the process, create a spreadsheet. Down the left column list your jobs/ requisitions. Across the top list all of the sites to which you post. Under each site create the subheadings: Date initially posted, Date expires, Date to update/repost. You now can use this spreadsheet to stay updated on all of your postings so that you don't miss a critical date. You can also track metrics on jobs posted and to which sites.
