Holidays are just around the corner!
If you’re a business leader in hospitality, events or retail, it’s likely that you’ve got a million things to get through on your to-do list. From stocking up for the busy season and getting processes optimised, right down to sorting out your admin and keeping customers happy- these tasks are simply going to pile up over the coming weeks!
In fact, it’s likely that you’re also thinking about hiring Christmas casuals and temp staff to manage the spike in traffic.
Read Next: 4 Steps to Overcoming Seasonal Staffing Demands
We understand that writing job ads and descriptions can be time-consuming, and all you want is to attract the best and most reliable staff to support your business during the silly season.
So to make your life a little simpler, we’ve taken some time to put together some tricks on how to write an engaging job ad to get some awesome casuals on your team this Christmas.
Check them out below!
#1 Write an eye-catching Job Title
The job title is the first thing an applicant sees- so you need to make sure it stands out!
In fact, if you’re posting on a job board, it’s likely that your applicant is scrolling through a number of different job ads. Having a creative and unique job title that appeals to your ideal candidate will help them pause and read your ad.
Uber does this really well.
They often refer to potential candidates as “partners”- almost elevating the prestige factor a candidate may gain from applying for the job! It makes applicants feel like they’re being given an exclusive opportunity, and who would want to pass on that?
Check out their job ad for drivers below!
So, we recommend finding yourself a simple but super impactful job title to start off the process of creating an engaging ad.
#2 Don’t be afraid to have FUN and be creative with your job description
According to Career Builder, 68% of job seekers first look at the company information when searching through job ads.
So, this is where you get to really showcase your business values, the work culture and values, and hook a candidate into applying!
We recommend putting in some engaging visuals, such as photos of the team and the business space. This helps your job ad come to life and conveys how much fun working in your business might actually be.
In fact, Glassdoor uses videos in their job ads to help make the post more fun and creative. Check it out below!
A unique idea using video could be to film a short “A Day in the Life of” video that follows one of your best employees through their day at the business. This is not only super innovative but it may also push the candidate into visualising themselves in the position already.
If an applicant can already imagine themselves working with you, that’s half your job done!
Apart from company information, however, you also need to paint a detailed picture of what the job entails. So, this includes what the job role is, who the candidate would be working with, what tools they’ll be using, when the training period is and how long it would be.
#3 Tell them what they’re in for
It’s so important to list out and be clear on what your casual or temp will be expected to do at the job! This will allow the candidate to figure out whether they’re the right fit for the job, and also establishes expectations before the applicant has been hired.
We understand that sometimes your casuals or temps may be asked to complete tasks beyond their job description, such as lending a helping hand in another function during busy periods.
Being clear about potential contingencies and what requirements they might entail is a great way for you as a business manager to avoid ambiguity and risk in the future!
#4 Spell out who you’re looking for
Now, we’ve been talking a lot about your business and the job requirements- however your applicants need to know what you’re looking for and who the ideal candidate is.
We recommend brainstorming a list of desired experience and skills you’d want your casuals to have, and noting these down in your job ad!
Pro tip: Avoid using “we are looking for….” and instead paint a picture of the ideal candidate by saying “your experience includes”
The rule of thumb for the “You to We” ratio has been suggested to be at least 1:1.
It’s also important to differentiate between requirements and preferences in this section. For example- if you’re recruiting in the hospitality industry, you may require your candidate to have an RSA, but it would be an added bonus if they could make a cocktail!
#5 Don’t forget your Call to Action
Once you’ve got all the mouth-watering details down, that’s not the end.
A job ad is incomplete and almost pointless without a call to action. This is a statement that asks your applicant to do something- in this case, it could be to potentially email you their CV.
But, why not take a more creative approach and ask your applicants to send in a 60 second video on why they should be hired?
This will not only minimize yawns during the hiring process, but it will also allow you to get a feel for your candidate’s personality, communication skills, and attitude. After all, these are super important in customer-facing roles, especially during the busy season.
When you’ve loaded up your call to action, double check that your job ad is below 800 words. This ensures that your content is simple and direct, without losing the reader’s attention!
Read Next: How to Set Up Best-Practice Onboarding for Christmas