For many, advertising vacancies when a staff member leaves will be second nature. A solid recruitment advertising process in place that has worked time and time again to get that perfect person to fill your staff gap. Others panic and don’t know where to start, having struggled in the past to master the right method to find that individual.
Here at Ambleglow, we know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. We can also how you can make the most out of your school’s recruitment advertising.
That’s why we’ve put together our top five tips to ensure you’re hitting the mark from the start of your recruitment advertising journey.
#1 Do your research – is your default recruitment advertising platform the best for this particular role?
For many HR teams, they’ll know exactly where they want to advertise the minute the role lands on their desks. However, the recruitment advertising marketplace is constantly changing and adapting. You might find that what worked really successfully before, leaves you with very few applicants this time.
Take some time to speak to staff members about where they would look for a new job. Figure out who else is advertising for a similar role in your area or checking out statistics for how your last advert performed. Understanding your own advertising trends and how competitive one particular role is, will help you identify whether you need a stronger advertising push than previously used.
You never know, that one site that you’ve never thought of before, might be exactly the right place for those harder-to-fill roles! If you do have any roles that you’re struggling to fill, you can always contact Ambleglow who would be happy to help.
#2 Sell your school
One way to make your adverts stand out above the rest is to sell your school to a candidate, not the role itself.
For many candidates, they’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s involved in the job from previous experience. They will be looking for the right place to work, just as much as the right position for them. We’ve highlighted the importance of ensuring your copy stands out in the past. It really is one of the easiest ways to make you stand out from the crowd. Clear and engaging copy makes your school stand apart from your competitors and can help to snag that perfect candidate!
If you prefer a more visual method, why not put together a candidate pack which you can use across all your recruitment? This is a great way to showcase your school and expand on benefits or schemes that you’re particularly proud of, without increasing your word count.
#3 Utilise your social media channels
It’s no secret that recruitment advertising can easily go over budget if you’re struggling to fill a vacancy. There are a couple of free options at your fingertips that can help to target both active and passive job seekers.
One of the best, (and often overlooked), ways to promote your vacancies is through your social media channels. A strong school presence on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter means you’ll have both parents and interested candidates keeping up to date with school information. Whilst parents aren’t your target audience, they might just mention the role to a friend who is looking for a new position.
Never underestimate the power of your local audiences and word of mouth. You might just end up with the perfect applicant, without spending the big bucks on recruitment advertising to attract them!
#4 Candidate Journey
Another crucial way to ensure that you’re making the most out of your recruitment advertising is ensuring that the application process for candidates (or the “Candidate Journey”) is as easy and quick as possible.
Most applicants will be busy. On the go individuals due to the nature of their profession, so often get deterred when they have to hunt for the right place to apply. Try and make it simple for them, either through providing them with an application form from the get-go or make sure the link behind the apply button is taking them through to the right place, instead of to your homepage.
#5 Update your website
Lastly, (and perhaps, the easiest tip of all), make sure that your website is as up to date with the right information for your vacancy as possible.
Regardless of your chosen application method, many candidates will visit your website for more information. There’s nothing more confusing than not having your vacancy listed on your ‘Vacancies’ page. Many candidates will assume that you’ve filled the post and taken it down. Or they may have been looking for contact details or an email address which they can’t find, and not complete an application.
By ensuring that your website mirrors any job role that you’re advertising for, this leaves no room for candidates to be lost in the application process. Reducing the chance of missing out on that perfect person.
Final thoughts
By following our top tips, you could start seeing a better outcome from your recruitment advertising strategy.
If you have any questions or need a hand improving your school’s recruitment advertising, do get in touch by booking a discovery call, or drop us an email – we’d be happy to help!