A newspaper’s Classifieds section has been the traditional first step for companies in filling vacant positions. However, it may not be as simple as it appears. The right ad in the right newspaper can make your résumé basket overflow with qualified candidates. The wrong ad, or the wrong newspaper, can leave you with one or two applicants who may not be quite what you are looking for.
It seems that many HR departments would do well to have an advertising media specialist on staff. Because this option is impractical, here are a few tips that every HR professional should know.
Deciding where to advertise
The first step to placing newspaper ads for an employment opening is to contact the right paper. Targeting your ad within the right newspaper is of the utmost importance. Within the major Toronto market, for example, there are four major daily newspapers each with a large circulation. While the Toronto Star is the most popular paper by far, typically, senior executives would be reached best through the Globe & Mail or the National Post. On the other hand, tradespeople tend to enjoy the Toronto Sun. Clerical roles may favour a smaller paper such as the Etobicoke Guardian, a Toronto community newspaper.
To successfully select the right newspaper for your ad, you must have some degree of familiarity with it. It is helpful to see a copy of the publication, specifically their employment opportunities section. This will indicate the kinds of companies and positions typically advertised there. If your company is targeting a completely different audience from the other advertisers, this is not the right outlet for you.
The next step to placing an ad is to contact the right person. For many newspapers, this means speaking with an advertising sales representative from the Classifieds department. However, some newspapers give you the choice of running ads under “Employment Opportunities” in the Classified section or under the banner of “Careers” within the Business pages. Oddly enough, some newspapers run all employment ads (even for general labourers) under Careers, while others run everything (including ads for CEOs) in the Classifieds section. This makes it difficult to determine the most appropriate section. Your sales representative may give you a fair assessment as to whether you are advertising in the right section, but remember, some representatives may give you a biased opinion unintentionally.
Another point to consider is the layout of the newspaper. The difficulty with placing your ad in a section that does not have an employment section, visually speaking, is that your ad may be missed. This is especially true if there are many ads for vacancies similar to yours advertised throughout a section, but separated by pages of news stories.
An objective third party may be helpful in providing guidance when selecting a newspaper. This can be an employee within the department for which you are hiring, a friend in the profession, or a recruitment advertising agency.
A recruitment advertising agency is a company that specializes in placing employment ads. The best ones will employ copywriters to pen creative text, graphic artists to design eye-catching layouts, as well as researchers to recommend the most appropriate media in which to advertise.
Entrusting your classified advertising to a recruitment advertising agency involves some forethought. To gain the advantages that recruitment advertising agencies offer, here are important questions to consider in making your selection:
Account Representative: Who will be your account representative? Will it be just the one person working on your business or a team within the company? Do they have high staff turnover? Are you dealing with a senior or a junior staff person? Will you deal with the person who came out to meet you?
Range of Services: Does the agency just “place” ads on your behalf, or do they create them as well? Do they provide creative services for other employee communications? Can they handle additional HR-related services? Will they assist with on-campus recruiting, job fairs, appointment notices, etc.?
Creativity: Do you like their design work? Aesthetics are subjective, but does their work look professional?
Copywriting: Do you like their writing style? This can be subjective as well, but is their work at least grammatically correct? Is it representative of the your company? If you choose to write your own copy, would they correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
Credibility: Is this company well recognized within the industry? Who are some of their existing clients? Have they won any awards? Have they been around for a long time?
As agencies are paid a commission by the newspaper, most will provide their services for a small typesetting fee. This fee simply covers the cost of producing the camera-ready artwork that is sent to the newspaper.
Another benefit of using a recruitment advertising agency is that they can recommend alternative media such as trade journals, magazines, newsletters, Web sites and radio stations.
How to locate an agency
As a starting point, ask a newspaper sales representative to refer you to two or three creditable recruitment advertising agencies. You can followup the recommendation by asking colleagues at your local human resources association for their opinion. Finally, you can research these agencies further on the Internet.
Ultimately, the choice to handle your own advertising or to outsource it to an agency is completely up to you. By following a few key points, you can dramatically improve response to your ads, and attract the attention of the ‘right person.’
Cathy da Costa is the director of sales and services for Ad-Link Advertising Inc. (www.adlink.on.ca). She can be reached at 1-800-305-9435 or (416) 366-6181.
It seems that many HR departments would do well to have an advertising media specialist on staff. Because this option is impractical, here are a few tips that every HR professional should know.
Deciding where to advertise
The first step to placing newspaper ads for an employment opening is to contact the right paper. Targeting your ad within the right newspaper is of the utmost importance. Within the major Toronto market, for example, there are four major daily newspapers each with a large circulation. While the Toronto Star is the most popular paper by far, typically, senior executives would be reached best through the Globe & Mail or the National Post. On the other hand, tradespeople tend to enjoy the Toronto Sun. Clerical roles may favour a smaller paper such as the Etobicoke Guardian, a Toronto community newspaper.
To successfully select the right newspaper for your ad, you must have some degree of familiarity with it. It is helpful to see a copy of the publication, specifically their employment opportunities section. This will indicate the kinds of companies and positions typically advertised there. If your company is targeting a completely different audience from the other advertisers, this is not the right outlet for you.
The next step to placing an ad is to contact the right person. For many newspapers, this means speaking with an advertising sales representative from the Classifieds department. However, some newspapers give you the choice of running ads under “Employment Opportunities” in the Classified section or under the banner of “Careers” within the Business pages. Oddly enough, some newspapers run all employment ads (even for general labourers) under Careers, while others run everything (including ads for CEOs) in the Classifieds section. This makes it difficult to determine the most appropriate section. Your sales representative may give you a fair assessment as to whether you are advertising in the right section, but remember, some representatives may give you a biased opinion unintentionally.
Another point to consider is the layout of the newspaper. The difficulty with placing your ad in a section that does not have an employment section, visually speaking, is that your ad may be missed. This is especially true if there are many ads for vacancies similar to yours advertised throughout a section, but separated by pages of news stories.
An objective third party may be helpful in providing guidance when selecting a newspaper. This can be an employee within the department for which you are hiring, a friend in the profession, or a recruitment advertising agency.
A recruitment advertising agency is a company that specializes in placing employment ads. The best ones will employ copywriters to pen creative text, graphic artists to design eye-catching layouts, as well as researchers to recommend the most appropriate media in which to advertise.
Entrusting your classified advertising to a recruitment advertising agency involves some forethought. To gain the advantages that recruitment advertising agencies offer, here are important questions to consider in making your selection:
Account Representative: Who will be your account representative? Will it be just the one person working on your business or a team within the company? Do they have high staff turnover? Are you dealing with a senior or a junior staff person? Will you deal with the person who came out to meet you?
Range of Services: Does the agency just “place” ads on your behalf, or do they create them as well? Do they provide creative services for other employee communications? Can they handle additional HR-related services? Will they assist with on-campus recruiting, job fairs, appointment notices, etc.?
Creativity: Do you like their design work? Aesthetics are subjective, but does their work look professional?
Copywriting: Do you like their writing style? This can be subjective as well, but is their work at least grammatically correct? Is it representative of the your company? If you choose to write your own copy, would they correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
Credibility: Is this company well recognized within the industry? Who are some of their existing clients? Have they won any awards? Have they been around for a long time?
As agencies are paid a commission by the newspaper, most will provide their services for a small typesetting fee. This fee simply covers the cost of producing the camera-ready artwork that is sent to the newspaper.
Another benefit of using a recruitment advertising agency is that they can recommend alternative media such as trade journals, magazines, newsletters, Web sites and radio stations.
How to locate an agency
As a starting point, ask a newspaper sales representative to refer you to two or three creditable recruitment advertising agencies. You can followup the recommendation by asking colleagues at your local human resources association for their opinion. Finally, you can research these agencies further on the Internet.
Ultimately, the choice to handle your own advertising or to outsource it to an agency is completely up to you. By following a few key points, you can dramatically improve response to your ads, and attract the attention of the ‘right person.’
Cathy da Costa is the director of sales and services for Ad-Link Advertising Inc. (www.adlink.on.ca). She can be reached at 1-800-305-9435 or (416) 366-6181.
