Placing ads on career sites and social media, particularly LinkedIn, is an excellent way to attract new candidates without extensive outreach.

Like product adverts, the best recruitment ads tend to float to the top and capture the most interest. Great-looking ads also improve recruitment metrics, as strong employer brands reduce turnover by 28% and cost per hire by around 50%.

In this blog, we will explore some sensational examples of recruitment ads to inspire recruiters.

1. Design Consultancy Recruitment Ad

This recruitment ad for home design consultants is a great example of a simple, clean graphic with a hook that magnetizes the reader. The ad resonates with designers and artists who see the staircase, making it a simple way to capture attention from a target skillset or background.

2. Computer Engineers Recruitment Ad

This fun ad asks candidates to solve a math problem that gives them the phone number to call. It effectively targets certain skill sets and backgrounds and recruiters should get leads from those qualified to solve the problem.

3. Developer Ad

Microsoft created their own version of the math problem recruitment ad for a software developer job. While it may seem unconventional, this type of ad can be effective in attracting candidates who are up for a challenge and have the necessary technical skills. This ad also differs from Microsoft's usual aesthetic, which adds an element of surprise and excitement for potential candidates.

4. Programmer Recruitment Ad

This ad for a programmer role instantly catches attention with its crisp, bold, and direct message that speaks directly to the target candidates. With a deep understanding of the candidate persona, this ad stands out from the generic recruitment ads that follow the usual route.

5. Graphic Designer Recruitment Ad

This comedic ad has been reincarnated in many forms over the years. The City of Los Angeles advertised for a graphic designer position by drawing the ad quite badly in Paint. However, they still included vital information to guide prospective candidates to the right place.

6. Marketing Agency Recruitment Ad

Although a bit controversial, this ad is full of personality and surely not the kinds to be missed. It is bold and gets you to read, but the idea is not that. They are trying to appeal to Marketing professionals who are StarWars fans and understand that such candidates are likely to have a more imaginative bent of mind (the kind of interns they are looking for)

7. Bus Driver Recruitment Ad

This superb bus driver ad really sells the job in just a few lines. It contains all the necessary info and is easy to read and digest. Recruiters can take a fresh angle on virtually any job.

8. Recruitment ad for a Bartender

Another humorous ad that targets bartenders. Humour is a common strand that unites many graphical recruitment ads - it captures attention and helps businesses stand out from the mundane.

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These sensational examples of recruitment ads illustrate how visuals and graphics can deliver something unique that hooks the viewer and captures their attention. Recruitment ads should give away enough information to provide the viewer with a general overview or lead, but most ads leave a lot to the imagination.

DO:

Be specific about the job role. While using slang like “marketing guru” or “sales ninja” might help adverts stand out from the crowd, they need to be balanced with a proper description of the role.

DON’T:

Waffle too much. Job adverts must be concise enough to encapsulate all relevant information about the job. While some minimalist adverts use humour rather than detail, this isn’t appropriate for all jobs.

DO:

Incorporate consistent company culture and values. This means describing the business neatly and succinctly, including its missions, goals, purpose, and main values. Company values and style guides can be stored in recruitment software, which provides teams with access to recruitment assets.

DON’T:

Use too much jargon. Jargon is sometimes unavoidable in sectors or roles which demand niche skills, like software development. But generally, jargon hinders rather than helps job adverts.

DO:

Focus on graphics. When graphics are required, they need to stand out. Dull or morose corporate branding probably won’t stand out from other brands’ at-times outlandish ads, which we’ll show shortly.

DON’T:

Appeal to just one gender. Harvard found that gendered wording in job ads can deter both women and men, but women are most likely to suffer. This is especially common in fields like engineering, construction, and manufacturing. Harvard found that “words such as competitive, dominant or leader are associated with male stereotypes, while words such as support, understand and interpersonal are associated with female stereotypes”. Be mindful of how ad copy affects demographic appeal.

When it comes to creating recruitment ads, the goal is to attract and connect with potential applicants in a way that is both clear and impactful. 

1. Recruiters should aim to understand the applicant persona, meaning they should have a clear understanding of the type of person they are looking to hire and the language that would resonate with them. By speaking the language of the applicant persona, recruiters can create a connection with potential candidates and make them feel seen and understood.

2. It's not necessary to be overly creative, but it is important to accurately capture the company's culture and personality and align it with the applicant's persona. This helps to create an authentic representation of the work environment and provides potential candidates with a clear idea of what they can expect if they were to join the company.

3. Lastly, when creating recruitment ads is to ensure that they accurately capture the applicant's persona. This means that the ad should speak directly to the type of person the recruiter is looking to hire and highlight the skills, experience, and personal qualities that are most important for the role. By doing so, recruiters can make their ad stand out from the sea of plain Jane job descriptions and draw in candidates who are genuinely interested in the position.