Writing An Effective Online Job Posting
By Sarah Pratt
www.HorseJobs.ca

Many of us in the equine world have turned to the internet for any number of things; social networking, education, industry resources, show schedules and entry forms, news and employment – in fact some newspapers and even show guides are no longer printed old-fashioned paper, but, have become a successful online subscription instead.

Using the Internet to fulfill your hiring needs can mean reaching out to your target market quickly and effectively often resulting in more quality applicants than other recruiting methods. Newspaper ads and cards in on the tack shop pin board are becoming methods of the past. However, when it comes to using the internet for your hiring needs it is important to remember that internet recruiting is more than just posting your newspaper ads online. Newspaper ads are brief, boring, full of abbreviations and often too short to market the job or your business effectively. Unlike print advertising, with Internet job postings you do not pay by the line or the column inch. This allows you to completely present the employment opportunity to interested candidates.
Some career sites have length restrictions but with those sites there is sufficient space to write a fundamentally good job posting.
The following is a template to help write effective Internet Job Postings.

1. Job Title
This is one of the most important sections of your ad. Why? The title is one of the first things a job seeker will see. In most career sites, when a job search is performed a list of results is returned – usually containing company name, location and job title. What differentiates your posting from the hundreds of similar jobs? If you are going to attract candidates you will need to grab their attention. Do it by writing creative job titles. For example instead of writing just Barn Help or Riding Instructor. Try spicing it up a little – Upbeat HomeGroom/ Barn help required to work with International Grand Prix Circuit trainer/coach! Or Level II Coach needed for busy barn – great $$ potential!)
These job titles will stand out and attract a higher response then plain job titles. Try it for yourself. Post the exact same job but choose different job titles then track which ad drives more resumes.

2. Company
Provide insight on your organization including: ·
Brief description of the organization. ·
Products and/or services your company provides. ·
Define your working environment / culture. ·
What type of training and career path they can expect. ·
Why your company is a good place to work. ·
Work Environment (Examples: Show Barn, Lesson/Boarding facility, team focused, flexible hours etc)
Even if your company or barn is widely known you should still include this section. Providing this information is helpful in "selling" your company to candidates.

3. Job Description:
Candidates want to know what they will be "actually" doing in this position. Provide a comprehensive description of the position including: ·
Detailed overview of the responsibilities the position entails. ·
General scope of work. ·
Will they be part of a team, managing a team, or working independently? ·
Reason for opening? (Growth, expansion, new opening, etc.) ·
Expected work hours (on/off season)
When the job seeker is finished reading this section they should possess a mental picture of the type of work they will be doing on a regular basis.

4. Skills and Qualifications
Outline skills required for this position. Differentiate between the actual required qualifications and the "it would be if you had these" skills. ·
List requirements and the desired or minimum number years of experience. ·
Work experience. ·
Education or certifications needed. ·
Soft skills (Examples: time management, organization skills, leadership, communications skills, willingness to travel, etc
It is easier to read if these qualifications are in a list or bullet format.
Helpful hint: if you are cutting and pasting your ads in to on-line job posting forms. Use dashes (-) or asterisks (*) rather than bullets. Most online forms have troubles converting word processing bullets in to HTML.

5. How To Apply
A job posting is not a job posting without this section and is only as effective as you tell it to be so choose the option that best suits your busy life. Choose the ways you want to receive resumes – what is the easiest way for people to reach you. If you leave a contact phone number it might be a good idea to also state hours that phone calls can be accepted – especially if you are teaching lessons or in the barn for most of the day. ·
Email – The fastest and easiest way to receive resumes. ·
Fax Number ·
Phone Number ·
Mailing Address ·
Website – Offer link to the home page or the employment section within your website.
Many career sites like www.HorseJobs.ca have electronic application forms for candidates to apply for your positions and therefore the candidate does not see all other contact information. If you choose to post your job on a site that does not offer this feature, it is highly recommended to include an email address and provide specific instructions such as what format the resume can be accepted. For example, Please email resume in MS Word or .pdf format to manager@abcbarn.com

6. Search words (Keywords)
This section is the most important! Your job ads will never be found if job seekers choose words that are not found in your ad. In the above example what would happen if an individual searches on Groom and Ontario. Your job will not be part of the results. In each of the sections include keywords in your ads and incorporate them in the ad.It would be more effective to have a separate section for keywords. List the common words individuals might search. This will significantly increase your hit ratio or the likelihood your job ads will be listed.
Example: Your job posting is for an Show Groom and Trainer
Keywords: Trainer, rider, groom, show groom, barn help, exercise rider.

A final note: Choose your words wisely- re-read your ad outloud.
A job ad is not a demand for an employee and therefore it should not be written like a shopping list of desirable personality traits;“Must be punctual, reliable, hard working, a team player and used to working with youngsters” – YUP – all this for $10 an hour and no benefits!!!
Instead, try writing your job ad as you would write an ad to sell a horse or to market your services. Don’t forget to mention if board is available, or if there is an opportunity to ride or exercise horses or to be trained or coached on site. These are attractive qualities and can be bartered into pay scale for the right candidate

This template should be used for effective Internet job postings. Start with you newspaper ads and expand, expand and expand. Using these techniques will give you a higher response rate then reposting your newspaper ads online. Job ads that are targeted, descriptive and attention grabbing will help achieve a successful Internet Recruiting Strategy!
Happy Hiring!


Biography: Sarah Pratt is the Founder and Managing Partner of www.HorseJobs.ca, Canada’s first employment website dedicated to the equine industry. She can be reached at info@horsejobs.ca if you need help.