There are many methods for writing sales employment ads, but many companies seem to fall into the trap of wanting their ads to fit a predefined mold. I think this is a mistake. Certainly there are key points of information that much be placed in the ad. But how you frame the information can be the difference between attracting strong candidates vs. wasting money.
I recently read an ad posted by a recruiting company looking for a VP of Sales. I realize there are certain criteria they are looking to fill. But look at these bullet points:
- 4-year BS degree in engineering (preferably mechanical or chemical) with an MBA being a big plus.
- 8+ years of successful experience in complex sales of technical products
- 6 to 10 years of successful sales management experience
I always like to ask our clients what they are looking for in a candidate who has earned a degree versus one who has not. There should be a reasonable explanation for the requirement. If there isn’t one, remove it.
I personally think one of the most dangerous words in writing an effective ad is the word “successful.” The description sounds descriptive but lacks definition. Notice how it is used in back-to-back bullet points. But what does it mean? There are no qualifiers to it. I am certain previous success is germane to this position, but a clear definition of that previous success would help this ad to define the best candidates.
In the end, your ad should define instead of describe. A distinction without a difference you say? Let’s take the final bullet point from above:
6 to 10 years of successful sales management experience
A description at best. If you asked 10 people to define what that line means, you would get 10 different answers. But what if it read this way:
6+ years of managing a geographically-dispersed sales team focused on gaining market share in specific technical product niches
Granted, that is a much finer net for sourcing, but we rarely use the “you must have” line in our ads. I prefer to define the achievements clearly rather than describe the experience ambiguously.