I'm helping to write an ad for a full-time Flash designer and decided to check out the job advertisements other companies were placing online.
What amazes me is how some companies looking for 'web programmers' only require them to know XHTML and CSS, while some 'designers' are required to know how to program.
I am equally amused by the vagueness of some employers or agencies. For instance, to quote a line from an ad:
- Required skill(s): HTML, XHTML, Macromedia.
What exactly do they mean by Macromedia? Is it a new dance move? But seriously, which Macromedia program(s) in particular do you want prospective employees to be familiar with? They can't possibly know how to use the entire range of products. I'd assume this employer was looking for someone familiar with the Studio series (the usual, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Freehand), but didn't know exactly what they did, either.
One more funny quote from another ad:
Applicants must be willing to work in Orchard.
If you were a Singaporean, you'd know that this advertiser probably meant 'Orchard Road', our main shopping district. But I couldn't help but imagine this: the eventually chosen employee sitting in the Botanic Gardens ... you got it, planting flowers in an orchard.
Other more minor gripes include poor spelling/typos (including important technical terms and software names) and bad grammar. I know that in a tight job market, the employer is still king, but being able to express your needs clearly would certainly make your selection process a little easier.
In summary, call a spade a spade - don't shut out potential applicants by making them think the job title disqualifies them immediately. And be specific, especially if the job has important technical requirements. How you recruit people also shows a lot about your own company.
Written like an entry from the Fast Company blog! :)
Really? You are too kind! :-)