What Do You Want from a Want Ad?

"It's always hard to find good people." That seems to be the common lament among small business owners. And I've certainly heard it often enough lately. Frequently the reply is, "What can you do about it?" I disagree. The reply ought to be, "What are you going to do about it?" The answer is to do everything possible to stand out from the competition. Because whether you realize it or not, you're in competition for a scarce resource: potentially successful employees.

Attracting the best employees is both a strategic and a tactical challenge. On the strategic level, you need to be doing whatever it takes to become (or remain) the employer of choice in your trade area. You want to be the business where every talented person wants to work. That stature alone will drive the best potential employees in your direction. But there is also the tactical challenge of doing the fundamentals right. That means that when you run a want ad, you do it right. When you interview job candidates, you do it right.

Let's focus on how to create effective want ads. To do this, we're going to look at three factors. First, let's learn from the experts in writing classified ads. Next, we're going to take a lesson from the people who write great advertising copy. Finally, let's see how we can work in a key principle that I have written about frequently in this space.

What the Classified Experts Say

Experts in writing classified ads say that every ad should include certain information. These are the basics, and if you don't cover these basics your ad will not draw as well as it could. To make your want ad succeed:

• Make the job title prominent
• Indicate salary or earning potential
• Tell what your company does
• Describe the job
• List any educational requirements
• List and skills and experience required
• Tell your location
• Describe benefits
• Tell how and where to apply

Rules Advertising Writers Live By

The people who write for ad agencies and public relations firms, the same ones who attract millions of dollars in business with their writing, have two primary rules.

• Headlines must grab the reader's attention
• Sell the sizzle, not the steak

And Now a Word (or two) From Your Consultant

If you've been reading this newsletter for even a few months, chances are you've seen this statement: Hire for talent.

Putting These Ideas Together

Now let's see what happens when we put these ideas together. This is so simple and so effective, you're going to write ads like a pro in no time.

Chances are, whenever you've written a want ad you've included most of the basics that the classified ad experts insist on. If not, now you have a checklist you can use to make sure you do. But once you have all the basics in place, it's time to make your ad stand out.

Advertising writers live by their headlines and their sizzle. So should you. You might think that in a classified ad, the job title is your headline - but it's not. The first sentence is what must grab the attention of your potential applicant. What the best ad writers tell us about grabbing attention is to do it with a question.

What's the sizzle in a want ad? It's the emotional appeal of the job you're offering to the person reading the ad. How do you make that appeal? You connect with that person by appealing to the emotions he or she wants to feel about work. Pride. Satisfaction. Anticipation.

For example: which of these first sentences would grab your attention better?

1. Manager wanted for automotive parts store specializing in imports.
2. Are you ready for the challenge of helping us grow our import car parts business?

Or how about these two:

1. Needed: experienced alignment tech.
2. Are you a serious alignment technician ready to be paid for your productivity?

Of course it's the second one in each case. Because a question always grabs attention better than a statement, and because in each case the appeal is to the emotional reasons why a talented person would pick one job over another.

Finally, how do you blend in the idea of hiring for talent? First, determine the most important skills and talents needed to do the best possible job in the position you're trying to fill. Is it a customerservice job? Then you want someone who has a talent for making people happy. Is it a job that requires someone to juggle lots of tasks at once? Then you want someone who enjoys multi-tasking.

If you follow my example, your next sentence will tell what talents you're looking for. After asking if the ad reader wants a challenge or takes pride in his work, ask if he has the talent you're looking for. Here's what I mean:

• Our growing chain of parts stores needs a manager who thrives on success.
• If you love solving tough diagnostic problems, we have a great job for you.

Do you see how easy it can be? Just focus on putting the basics into a form that grabs the attention of the kind of talented person you want to attract. And then go for the jugular by telling that person that you're looking for someone with the very talent that he or she has.

It's that simple. Follow these few rules and you will stand out every time.

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