Stand out from your competition
Part III

By David Hyden
Every day, businesses around the world are litterally wasting billions of dollars on useless and completely ineffective advertising. Advertising that does little more than fill a page or clutter a mail box. It’s not just small businesses either. Large multi-nationals with enough dollars to sink the Titanic are guilty of it. Why? Because people seem to prefer fashion over function and they let their ego gets in the way. Basically, it seems businesses would rather create an ad that looks good (or makes them look good), than an ad that is good. So what determines a good ad? One that gets results! That is the only measure of an ad if you are a true entrepreneur.
Notice how many ads are printed with exactly that style. Perhaps some have used a bolder border or a flashier typesetter, but you will see that the only thing that separates most ads is the size. Truthfully, the decision to call one business over another is usually the location or if the ad is bigger than everyone else’s the assumption is that the bigger the ad the better the business, because only a business doing well could afford such a large ad. Think about it. Don’t you draw the same conclusion when you are selecting a company from the Yellow Pages? So how do you change this rule? Simple, you write an ad, like a letter, that tells your prospective customer otherwise. In other words, you educate your prospective client why your company is the clear choice to do business with. It’s that simple.

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Your new employee is just a point and click away
by Lynne Haggerman, M.S.
The majority of job seekers using the Internet fall into the professional, technical, and management categories. However, a definite change is in the air. Recent research shows more and more individuals from entry level to CEO gaining access through computers at work and at home. So how can you use the Internet to find applicants in an extremely tight job market? The two primary techniques are help-wanted ads and resume databases, with the top sites offering both services. Although countless choices are available, only a handful actually market themselves enough to have the volume of “visitors” that will produce results. Secondary approaches are professional organizations and key word searches.
Great Hires!, the Division of Employment Security site at www.greathires.org, is a must for both advertising and candidate searches. There is no charge, and it enables you to reach people in a wide variety of occupations. The only negatives are occasional system freezes and the scant information available on prospects. Yahoo.com classifieds is also free, with only a position announcement feature available.
The choice sites are monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and JobBankUSA.com, all of which charge a fee.
Job posting charges range from $125 to $225. Ads run for thirty to sixty days. A one-year subscription to review resume databases will have a fee structure of up to $3000. Nevertheless, if your hire rate is significant, this can turn out to be a cost-effective alternative to traditional recruiting techniques.
It is easy to place your employment opportunity on job-posting sites. Simply point, click, and follow the directions to input the details. Be sure to sell the benefits of your geographic area since there is a good chance you will be persuading someone to relocate. Highlight the strengths of your job openings and company so they stand apart from other businesses vying for the same people.
You will be E-mailed a username and specific instructions. All leading sites invoice, so you do not have to worry about providing a credit card number. Account authorization will arrive within one to three days, and ouila! - resumes start coming and “you’ve got mail.” You will receive responses directly by the means you indicate, such as E-mail, regular mail, fax, or telephone. You have the option of editing your notice at any time.
Regularly purchase books on finding a job on the Internet. Job seekers are reading these books, and “the experts” are telling them which sites to check out. You can stay ahead of the game by placing your positions on these sites.
Organizations provide another avenue for recruiting, especially when filling highly specialized positions. To access a specific Web site, simply type the name or acronym of the organization and add .org at the end. Your notice can usually be circulated to members for a small fee.
“Mining” for resumes using relevant search words is a more challenging technique reserved for adventurous surfers. Search engines will save you time by sifting through all the information on the Internet. Use specific phrases of your job criteria that would likely be on qualified resumes. The trick is in using the right terms and punctuation, so note the tips provided in each search engine’s help section.
The Internet should undeniably be a component of your recruiting program for any level of job. Take the plunge and start surfing today. Come on in; the water is fine.
Lynne Haggerman is president/owner of Haggerman & Associates, an outplacement, in-house management training, human resources consulting and retained search firm. She can be reached at www.lynne@haggermanandassociates.com or 800-378-3554.

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