Once the job description, person specification and salary have been finalised, it is time to let people know about the vacancy. There are many ways to advertise a job. Consider sending an advertisement by email to staff or other organisations, putting an advertisement on an office or community notice board, and advertising on the internet or in newspapers. It is worth thinking carefully about targeting places where people with the right skills and personal qualities are likely to see the advertisement. For example, a Christian organisation may send the advertisement to local churches. There may be particular websites that will advertise jobs related to relief, development and advocacy work. Word of mouth is often the best method. Wherever the job is being advertised, the principles of developing the advertisement are the same. The job advertisement should be clear and well presented as it may be the first time that people have come into contact with the organisation. It should include the following information:
Brief description of the organisation – what kind of work it does and where; organisation’s values.How the role fits into the work of the organisation.
Location of the job.
What the role involves – this is taken from the job description. To get people’s attention, this could be written in personalised form, such as, ‘You will be an excellent communicator …’. The introduction to the advertisement could be written in the form of a question, such as ‘Do you enjoy working with children?’.
What kind of person the organisation is looking for – this has already been identified in the person specification.Salary – the salary range for the job.
Start date if the vacancy needs to be filled urgently.
Closing date for applications – some organisations interview candidates whenever they apply for the job, but it is helpful to set a deadline for applications and consider a few candidates at once.
How to apply – some organisations provide an application form while others ask for a Curriculum Vitae (CV) with a letter. Some organisations enable people to apply for positions using the internet. Others prefer receiving applications by email or post.
It can be helpful to provide an application form because it is easier to compare candidates and select people for interview if the applications are all laid out in the same way. As people are providing personal information in application forms, they should always be treated as private and confidential. This should be clearly marked at the top of the application form to reassure applicants. When a vacancy is filled, the application forms of the unsuccessful applicants should be kept only if they have said that they wish to be contacted if a relevant vacancy arises in the future. Otherwise they should be destroyed to protect confidentiality.
Content of application formsThe table on the next page suggests a structure and content for an application form. All applications that are received should be acknowledged. For example, a standard email could be drafted to acknowledge receipt of applications and another email template could be drafted to notify unsuccessful applicants later on. However, if email is not commonly used and it is likely that many people will apply for a job, it may be helpful to state on the advertisement that applicants should consider themselves unsuccessful if they have not had a response from the organisation within two weeks of the closing date.
Open applications
Some people may wish to register their interest in working for the organisation without applying for a specific job. This is called an open application. These people could be asked to complete a general application form so that they can be contacted when a relevant vacancy arises. This can be helpful in places where it is sometimes difficult to find suitable staff.