The Inside Higher Ed Recruiting Hall of Shame

Reading job postings these days it’s hard to believe they’re supposed to be advertising. An effective job ad will sell your opening to a terrific candidate. But the dull, computer generated, or even confrontational style of many postings ensures no one but the most desperate job seeker will respond.

Need proof? Read through this Job Posting Hall of Shame – every example was pulled straight from an actual job posting. You may laugh, but we’re betting it’s a laugh of pained recognition. We’ve also provided some examples of effective ads – the difference is pretty stark. Don’t let your posting end up in next year’s hall of shame when it’s so easy to do it right!

Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Worst job posting titles

Online, your ad will appear in a list of similar postings from competitive institutions. Your title is the “grabber” that will entice terrific candidates to click and read more. Are you losing the best prospects right at the start of the process?

Second Runner Up:

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR – Full words, always an improvement over pointless abbreviations. But you have to click on the job notice to discover of what, exactly, you’d be an assistant professor.

First Runner Up:

FT 12-MO FAC 3131B – even deciphered, this title is totally uncommunicative. Worse? The ad is categorized only as “faculty” and the description text includes no information at all – one would have to click to the institution web site to even discover what field of study the job will teach!

And the “Winner” is:

SUP SPEC I-09076 – terse, with overtones of obscurity. The added touch of including the HRIS database job number ensures that there’s no human touch whatsoever to this posting.

So what makes a good posting title? Something as simple as “Lecturer, Spanish Language and Literature” at least tells a candidate what the job is all about. But going a step further by making a strong case for the job in your title is even better: “Lecturer position in lively Spanish department available for dedicated teacher.”

Worst job posting introductions

On some Web sites, the first few words of your posting will appear on the search results page, and on any site the first few words of your ad may be all a candidate reads – the conventional wisdom is that you’ve got 25 words to grab a passive candidate. Are you wasting that opportunity by regurgitating HRIS data, boring statistics about your institution, or exhaustive lists of requirements?

First Runner Up:

The University of (City) is a comprehensive, private University with an enrollment of 5,300 students. It offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as graduate degree programs, in a residentially-based educational experience. Yawn.

Second Runner Up:

The Operations Manager works closely with the Director to maintain, promote, and enhance the programs and services the Division provides. Can’t wait.

And the “Winner is:

Open for Recruitment: March 28, 2008 - April 28, 2008. Announcement #: 15773013841. Salary Range: $33,000.00 to $35,000.00. Full or Part Time: Full Time. Shift: Variable schedule. Ouch.

So what’s a good intro? Try these:

The University of (State) is one great place to work. Our agenda--simple--to accelerate the movement toward academic excellence and become known worldwide for the quality of our academics, commitment to undergraduates and engagement with society.

Think palm trees, orange groves and wide sunsets reflected in sparkling lakes. That’s the setting for our beautiful Mediterranean-styled, primarily residential Assemblies of God university offering a vital, Christ-centered education.

Special Awards

Worst Application Requirements:

Ask yourself, what chance does the institution that posted these requirements have of getting a single application from a passive candidate:

Please be sure to have the following information ready before beginning the process of creating your application:

• Resume - in MS Word or PDF format
• List of References (including contact phone number and address)
• Work history information and dates
• Educational history information and dates
• Vacancy numbers of specific position(s) for which you are applying
• Cover letter - in MS Word or PDF format

This will reduce the likelihood of lost data and/or being automatically logged out after 60 minutes of inactivity.

Worst Web Site Greeting:

It’s become very common for job ads to link potential candidates to an institution’s employment Web page. In theory, this should be a marvelous opportunity to sell your college as an employer. In practice, it’s yet another chance to be rude. Remember – at this stage of the process you don’t have applicants, you have prospects. Your job is to turn the BEST prospects into applicants. Here’s how not to do that:

Attention applicants: Please be aware (University) conducts criminal background checks and drug tests. In addition, the (University) regulates smoking on campus. Please refer to our General Information for Prospective Employee for anything further about working at (University) including campus security and the drug testing policy.

And here’s how to do it right.

Candidate focused. Persuasive. Friendly. This is a letter to the person you want to hire:

Student Finance Advisor

The energetic, detail-oriented person who would find satisfaction solving problems and helping our students persevere toward their goals will find a wonderful opportunity with This University. Two aspects of this job will hold great appeal for many:

• Your work will allow you to directly impact the lives of students by supporting them toward securing the means to finance their education.
• Your role will allow you to create meaningful relationships with students who you’ll feel proud to support as they work toward graduation.

Moreover, we believe you’ll appreciate the commitment to work-life balance plus the motivating and teamwork-oriented environment that we enjoy every day. Your college-age dependents can enjoy it as well, since their education, like yours, is free while you’re employed with us…..

You’ll find lots more good advice for recruiting top talent at http://insidehighered.com/help/recruiting/passivecandidates

And to make sure your ads reach the people you want to hire, not just active job hunters, be sure to post them with Inside Higher Ed. A 30-day listing is just $150.

Post today at http://insidehighered.com/recruit