photo: Splodge
Most of the advice in this column to date has focused on the job-seeker. After all, we've all been one at some point or another, so the appeal is pretty broad and the well of personal experience from which to draw is pretty deep. The creative job market, though, is a two-sided affair, and just as there are plenty of do's and don'ts for the applicant, there are some easily avoidable mistakes that many hiring companies make when embarking on a talent search.
The search process, as anyone who's completed one can attest, is a huge pile of work: not only do multiple interviews need to be prepared for and conducted, but countless portfolios need reviewing, travel and scheduling logistics need working out, references need checking...and that's after the initial job description has been formulated and publicized. Like many labor-intensive endeavors in the creative world, though, much of a hiring's ultimate success depends on the earliest steps. A job that's well-defined is easier to fill, and a job posting (if that's how you choose to publicize) that's clear and compelling can raise your quotient of good candidates dramatically.
Look at an ad from a major player, read it aloud, then read yours. The tone should be different of course, but yours shouldn't sound dumb in comparison. Nobody wants to work someplace dumb.
Coroflot being a job-listing website, we're inclined to focus on the posting step...and we've seen enough of them over the past few years to have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't. So if you're getting ready to look for your next hot pencil, procrastinating about starting the process because it's too daunting, or wondering why you keep getting applications from all the wrong people, read on.
1. Look legitimate.
Formatting, spelling, and grammar are noticed, even by creative professionals. On-line career advertising is great because it's relatively inexpensive, and allows any interested party to post; but this also breeds skepticism. There are plenty of small-potatoes, poorly run, hellhole places to work in the world, and some of them post right next to Apple and Pentagram. Job-searchers have gotten good at paying attention to the hallmarks of a serious, professional employer, so it behooves you to spend the extra couple of hours making sure your ad has them. Look at an ad from a major player, read it aloud, then read yours. The tone should be different of course, but yours shouldn't sound dumb in comparison. Nobody wants to work someplace dumb.
2. Avoid marketing speak.
We're familiar with marketing bullshit--we read it every day, and some of us write it--so you're generally better off playing it straight. Admittedly, a posting from academia, government, or a large multinational corporation is going to come off a standardized template, then get edited by committee to within an inch of its life; applicants understand that and accept it, albeit grudgingly. For a smaller company or an agency, though, something more direct and conversational is usually expected, both when describing the company and soliciting the applicant.
Continue reading "Writing a Creative Job Posting: Eight Ways to Snag to the Right Applicant" »
