HOW TO WRITE A POWERFUL JOB AD.

I wanted to chat to you this week about a great question I had from a coaching client just yesterday. He said he's putting an ad into SEEK (A job website) and he wanted to know what to put into the ad. And I said there's three things to consider when you're putting an ad together.

SCIENCE.

There is the science of the applicant. Has the applicant got the basic knowledge, the basic know-how to do the job? Are they trained as a professional and have they done their education? Because we can assume that most people that graduate have got the science. They understand the principles, the rules of the game. Everyone's got that. But what is often missing or what might vary is these last two.

PHILOSOPHY.

That is the philosophy. Do they have the same philosophy as you? Do they have the same beliefs as you around whatever industry it is? So for example, if it's healthcare, do they have a philosophy around what wellness is, so they have a philosophy around health, so they have a philosophy around patient management and patient responsibilities and practitioner responsibilities. What's the philosophy they have around their industry? That is something that you definitely want to put in the ad. Make it very clear for the applicant what the philosophy of your business is. What's your core driving reason for existing? Put that in the ad, because you want people to look at that and go, "Nutcase. I wouldn't want to apply there." We want them to look at the ad and go, "Wow, that's the kind of place that I want to work." So what's the philosophy?

ART.

And then of course the art. This is the big thing that is often missing, particularly when we're dealing with new graduates. They graduate with the science, but they're often missing the art, that skill to apply their science. Whether it's a skill, a manual skill, a tradesman, whether it's a professional skill, whether it may be a surgeon or a chiropractor or a physiotherapist or a podiatrist, whether it might be even a dietician, the skill of engaging with a client and asking the right kind of questions and then educating that client. They're all skills. That's an art form and many don't have the art.

SUMMARY.

So again, in the ad, you're looking to place the ad and be very clear around the kind of skills that you're required. Not the knowledge, not the science so much. Again, we can make some assumptions that most people are going to graduate with some level of basic skill around the science, the rules of the game. But is there an alignment in the philosophy important? Are they doing it for the same reason that you're doing it? And then importantly, do they have the art? Do they have the skill to apply that science?

• Make sure you speak about the philosophy of your business. What are its core principles? Why does it exist? Who is it here to serve? What's it all about?
• Let them know what is your expectations around their art, the kind of skills that you require of them.
• And then lastly at the bottom you might want to say hey and make sure you've graduated and you've got a certificate or a degree. The science is the least important component. You're looking for people with the same philosophy and the art, the ability to apply that science.



I hope that's useful. Any questions, please send them through. I love answering these questions and we're going to do more and more of it as time goes by. Have a great day.

YEP, YOU'RE WORTH IT!