Shyamal Majumdar: Engineers, MBAs or cooks?

THE HUMAN FACTOR

It's time companies realised that recruitment ads have to go beyond those for tenders.

Here's a gem of a recruitment ad by one of India's leading engineering companies, which was looking for senior production executives. The ad said, "Candidates should be passionate, self-motivated and dynamic with high energy and enthusiasm. He should also be an excellent team player and have a strong work ethic. He needs to be flexible, open and honest."

An HR consultant cites the ad to say this is nothing but meaningless filler content, as no one would be able to make out whether the ad is for engineers, MBAs or cooks.

Another company's ad for marketing executives said the candidates should be able to "sell themselves". An angry blogger asked the company to make up its mind whether it was offering a salesman's job or a position of a streetwalker!

Yet another ad for an accounts manager's position said the company needed a candidate with a "wide variety of experience". Many people interpreted it as that the company wanted to replace four people who just left with one accounts manager.

To be sure, these are not isolated examples. Flip through the recruitment ad pages of leading dailies and you would be surprised to see how India Inc wastes money and newsprint on recruitment ads which are badly written and full of vague adjectives. In the process, they pay through their nose but miss a golden opportunity to target a wider audience.

Some companies try to lure candidates by offering unimaginative and pompous designations. Here are some examples from the job ads in the last fortnight: Global Head of Sales (South Asia); Executive General Manager (as if there is something like Non-Executive GM); or Senior Associate Vice-President. But the problem is this might boomerang as good candidates often see through the game of companies trying to use their ego to get them do something fairly run-of-the-mill. Candidates also interpret these supposedly sexy designations as the company trying to disguise a mind-numbingly mundane job as a great one.

A handful of companies are however brilliant at using their recruitment ads not only to attract candidates but to support their brands. One of the classic instances of this is the following ad by Infosys in 1991. It said: "Only 64 brilliant young engineers are destined to conquer the world of software. Find out if you are one of them this Saturday." The interviews, which were conducted by Nandan Nilekani, attracted over 2,000 engineers. Nobody knew Infosys then but the ad stood out for its sheer novelty at a time when job ads were no better than those for tenders.

Companies such as Infosys realised long back that many people scan the job ads not only because they want to move on themselves but out of general interest or on behalf of others. As in other critical areas, innovation is the key to rise above the clutter. But in terms of specifics, how does one differentiate between a mundane and a brilliant recruitment ad?

Here's an example: A leading ad agency wanted to recruit proof-readers for its creative department. The ad they put out said, "Your responsibilities will include heavy proof-reading and light copy editing as you review work to ensure high quality deliverables." This is bureaucratic language at its worst (a common mistake made by most companies). It doesn't even describe the job well enough. Many people wouldn't even know what proof-reading is all about.

Now, look at what leading agency Saatchi said in an ad for the same position. The ad talked a little bit on what Saatchi was all about and then had a small paragraph with the first or last syllable of every word jumbled. It was done in a way that the reader can make out what the right word is. It was a classical piece of work: humorous, well-targeted and stood out for its newness.

The paragraph read somewhat like this: "ew era hrinig: fi oyu fnid sometignh worng about evrye word in tish wohel passeag it maens ew evah donuf eth thgir preson in oyu".

Ads such as these serve as a reminder to all potential recruiters that before placing a jobs ad, the HR department should ask the basic question: who is my target?

Finally, to get a glimpse of one of the best job ads of all time for its sparkling wit and topicality, read on. The police department in a Mexican town just didn't have enough takers for its 100-odd vacant posts. However, just one ad changed all that.

A girl from a leading industrialist's family had fled just days before her planned wedding and was the talk of the town at that point. The ad showing the sketch of a runaway bride said, "Running away from your current job? Call us".

This proves recruitment ads need not be just a compilation of skills, experience and competencies. That is, if you want your ad to stand out and not be one more boring job description in a sea of boring job descriptions.