In recent decades, the main focus in the job market has slowly shifted from employers to employees. This tendency came due to the realization of direct connection and the scope of contribution human resources can make in terms of the overall company’s performance and success. Consequently, job advertisement came closer to what it means to advertise in general – to advertise implies selling something. Thus, best practices in job advertising refer to putting as much effort as possible to make it attractive to potential candidates. Adherence to these practices will be examined in the example of the senior sales executive job advertisement posted by C.H. Robinson Worldwide.
The chosen senior sales executive job advertisement contains elements of both traditional and modern advertising approaches. Its general structure can be summarized as follows: job title, location, salary, duties and responsibilities, what is in it for the candidate (WIIFC), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication (C.H. Robinson Worldwide, n.d.). The first strength of this structure lies in the decision to group the job title, location, and salary at the very beginning since they have the most decisive impact on decision-making. Another strong point is the decision to share the company’s CSR with applicants. According to Puncheva-Michelotti et al. (2018), it enhances employer attractiveness, contributing to “job seekers’ perceived company-employee value fit and expected pride from working” (649). Nevertheless, there is some room for improvement left in this advertisement.
Despite the structure containing all the features required for a successful advertisement, it has a weak link in their order of succession. After the potential job seeker finds the first feature group fitting their needs, they might be quickly discouraged by a daunting and less critical list of responsibilities. What they genuinely seek to know is how this position might improve their career, how they can benefit from it, and whether they fit into the company’s culture (Puncheva-Michelotti et al., 2018). Thus, rearranging the structure so the responsibilities list comes after the mentioned information will increase the advertisement’s appeal and the candidate’s level of engagement.
Overall, the given job advertisement can be considered moderately successful. In terms of content, it does position the most important elements at the beginning and allows the candidates to preemptively assess their fit with the company’s vision and practices. In addition, it provides information regarding the potential position benefits. However, a minor structure reorganization is required in order to boost the overall candidate’s engagement level.
References
C.H. Robinson Worldwide. (n.d.). Senior Sales Executive. Indeed. Web.
Puncheva-Michelotti, P., Hudson, S., & Jin, G. (2018). Employer branding and CSR communication in online recruitment advertising. Business Horizons, 61(4), 643-651. Web.