Your Help Wanted Ad Isn’t That Enticing

The typical ad posted on job boards is a little too dry to catch a valuable employee’s attention. Schmidtmann says nearly every company posts about how successful their company is, how it’s growing, the great benefits and its highly satisfied customers. Instead, put something out there that’s intriguing, a little weird or maybe even dangerous, to differentiate your company. One of the most effective want ads came in 1914 from Ernest Shackleton, he said, as the explorer worked to hire men for a “hazardous” expedition. The ad read the job would include danger, a limited chance for survival and low-pay. But the promise of adventure, Schmidtmann said, led to thousands applying after reading the strange London newspaper ad.