How to win candidates' attention online

To get the best results from your website advertising, learn more about how the Internet is different from print and how to design ads specifically for online publication.

Employment websites are underpinned by powerful databases that store vacancies in particular categories. This makes it easy for candidates to find all relevant jobs with a simple search query.

With SEEK, the classification relates to the work rather than the environment. Interested candidates can't find your vacancy if it's not listed in the place where they expect to find it. For instance, if you're placing an ad for a secretary for an accounting firm, the classification is 'Administration', not 'Accounting'.

Typically, Internet ads are published in several stages. For instance, on SEEK sites, the search results headline and summary teaser of all jobs which match a candidate's search are returned first. Each includes a link to more detailed information about the vacancy and the opportunity to apply online.

Three things you have to know

1. Compose and categorise ads from the candidate's perspective.
2. Include inducements in the summary teaser or first paragraph to capture the candidate's attention.
3. Include a call to action in the ad that urges the candidate to apply for the position.

The Internet difference

There are two significant differences between advertising on the Internet and in newspapers. Firstly, you can say a lot more online. In print, you pay by the line but on the web, there's much more space and the price is fixed. Second, generally all online ads within a particular site will be published in the same format. This means that advertisers are on a more equal footing, despite a difference in advertising budgets. And because web advertising is much less expensive than publishing in print, there are thousands of ads published online.

These characteristics offer candidates several benefits. There are more jobs online, jobs are grouped into relevant categories that make them easy to find and each ad can contain more information about the vacancy. However, Internet users' attention spans can be short; distractions on the Internet are only one click of the mouse away.

What does this mean for you? It is vital that your ad wins and holds the candidate's attention at every step of the search and application process.

"Recruiters have to provide enough information for job seekers to make an intelligent decision. The difference between press advertising and Internet ads is that you're not just inviting them to call for further information, but to apply for the job immediately by sending their resume," says Emily Clark, National Advertising Executive, Icon, a specialist IT recruiter. "Your summary description needs to create a point of difference to the other thousands of jobs available. Just listing 'COBOL +++ programmer wanted' is unlikely to attract applications in this candidate-poor field. Instead, the teaser should offer inducements like salary or employment benefits, or something that will set it apart from the rest," she says.

What works online

SEEK's market research with candidates suggest the following pointers will increase the response rate to your advertising.

• Start with a headline that is job specific – for instance; say "Motivated Print Advertising Salesperson" rather than "Self-starter wanted".
• Compose a summary teaser that sparks the candidate's interest and curiosity.
• Follow this with a more expansive series of separate descriptive paragraphs. Wherever possible, include:
  • salary information – a range or package, negotiable if necessary;
  • working environment – whether the position is part of a team or an autonomous role;
  • hours and days required for part-time positions with fixed hours;
  • specific location – whether the position is in the CBD, or which suburb or area;
  • specific technical, personal and business requirements of the job that demonstrate that this is a genuine job, and not merely a lure to get candidates to contact the agency;
  • job benefits.

The summary teaser is the first opportunity to encourage candidates to select in – or out – of applying for the vacancy. "In a candidate-rich area, such as junior receptionist, you might include a typing speed or experience requirement. On the other hand, in a candidate-poor field such as IT, here is the place to offer inducements. Details about work environment, perks, salary and promotion possibilities are some things that job seekers look for," says Kylie Mayes.

Another point to consider is the "eye-appeal" of your online ad. Visually attractive, well-designed ads are more likely to be read than either solid blocks of type or ads that are too bare of information. Susan Attrill of Drake Executive, suggests easily skimmed bullet points to allow candidates to quickly scan for relevant information. "It's not so important for online ads to give a lot of company information, but the ad must 'sell' the position," she says.

Conversely, Karen Steans, Marketing Manager, Lampen, New Zealand, believes that online advertisements are an ideal showcase for company information. "Online job seekers expect a lot of information. By providing superior data about the position and your company benefits, you can attract higher quality candidates," she says. "Where press ads are generally 'duty' driven, Internet ads need to be more benefit driven."

Because the online advertisement is not static, it can be refined and adjusted as you monitor its performance. "This allows you to change the ad if the original version has not produced the response required," says Bruce Henderson, General Manager, Dunhill Management Services Group. "This offers a great chance to be imaginative and creative in attracting better-quality staff, quickly. We can get applications from across the country – they're not confined to only those who read the local paper."

Online makeover

Compare these two job ads; the first appeared in a Saturday morning state newspaper. The second is the same ad redesigned for the Internet.

by Christine Nagel