Get Rid of JATS (Job Ads That Suck), Join the Movement!

By Dan Ridge, Senior Contributing Consultant, Q4B

I would like to think that our recruiting and management team at Q4B started something. A few months ago we decided to target a part of our recruiting process in an effort to improve the end results of the process. We noticed that this part of the process is a part of every recruiting organization’s process and that for years and years and years we have all been doing it the same way, with pretty much the same results.

The part of the process to which I refer is the job ad, the job description, the job order call it what you will. We all take them we all use them in our recruiting efforts, we all post them to our job sites, to job boards and to our social media channels. Sometimes we get results, sometimes we do not. Chances are good that we do not really question why we do it, or if we do question the effectiveness of this effort it is usually a question of how many responses, not so much the quality of those responses.

We at Q4B have made a decision to change the way that we manage this part of the recruiting process. We have made it our mission to rewrite all of our current job postings and to only post new job descriptions that we have written, using the information that we gathered during our needs analysis with the client as well as information from the client and the client’s web site. In other words we want to get rid of JATS!

And here are our reasons. We feel strongly that our candidates, the candidates that we want to eventually present to our clients deserve better. We feel that they are our customers, just as our company clients are our customers. Our company clients are hiring us to find them top talent. The job ads, the job descriptions that we post should reflect that and should be written in a way that they attract that quality of talent. We would suggest that easily 99.9% of all job ads that are posted are an insult to the very talent that the ads are seeking to attract.

I said earlier in this post that I would like to think that we at Q4B have started something. In truth, we are not the first to suggest this and hopefully not the last. Lou Adler has been preaching this idea of getting rid of job description for years and replacing it with Job Profiles which certainly have much more meaning and carry much more weight in determining which candidate would make a great hire. More recently, there have been some great articles on this topic, from Maren Hogan to Eric Gaydos to the surveys that are run by the folks at CareerXroads.

As recruiters we have a unique opportunity to change this part of our recruiting process, the job ad, the job post and how it is presented to our candidate audience. If it is done well we should immediately see an improvement in the quality of candidates who respond to the postings. And with better quality responding, our jobs would become much more enjoyable and rewarding.

So, are you ready to join the movement? Ready to order your T-shirt, arm bands and posters? Ready to take this to the Street?

Oh, wait, I haven’t told you what those letters stand for have I? I wouldn’t expect you to join without knowing what you were joining. So here it is. Our movement is called Get Rid of JATS and the JATS stands for JOB ADS THAT SUCK!

Are you in?

Comment by Daniel F Ridge on August 8, 2012 at 1:43pm: Those are great examples Joshua, thanks for sharing. Of course you may have a much easier time than most in writing job ads that don't suck since you can always say that you are only looking for BRIGHT people. Join the Movement and Let's Get Rid of JATS!

Comment by Bill Schultz on August 8, 2012 at 2:21pm: For me, any JA that isn't 90% sell in the first paragraph sucks. I'm also not a big fan of the 20 questions ads

Do you live and breath fire? Are you a Mover? Are you a shaker? Do you dance in the moonlight?

Even four questions turn me off.

Comment by Daniel F Ridge on August 8, 2012 at 3:42pm: So, does that mean that you will join the movement?

Comment by Bill Schultz on August 8, 2012 at 4:40pm: i've been in the trenches

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 8, 2012 at 5:52pm: Why go half way? How about getting rid of job ads all together?

Comment by Sandra McCartt on August 8, 2012 at 6:05pm: Because Albright, advertising works if it's done right. the next thing we know you will be making so much money that you will want to get rid or resumes and join the crowd we are just too sexy for their hat. :

Comment by Daniel F Ridge on August 8, 2012 at 6:30pm: Sandra, I was thinking about your suggested slogan that Only RATS use JATS.. I think that the RATS could stand for those who Rely on Applicant Tracking Systems...any one else have a suggestion?

Comment by Bill Schultz on August 8, 2012 at 6:36pm: Really Awful Talent Sourcing

Comment by Daniel F Ridge on August 8, 2012 at 7:09pm: or Really Awful Talent Sourcers use Job Ads That Suck..either way thanks Bill, I think we have our slogan.

Comment by Terence on August 9, 2012 at 6:08am: Hi Dan,

Count me in it's a great idea I constantly berate my colleagues for lazy unimaginative ads, we should name and shame !!