How to compose ads for jobs

One would think that, the cost of ads and the importance of filling a job being as great as they are, that people who compose the ads for jobs would give them a lot of thought and avoid some simple mistakes, but they too often don't, so I offer a checklist that almost every job ad should satisfy:

1. Answer the basic questions
   1. Who — Identify the company and contact person.
   2. What — Describe the job to be done, whether W-2, 1099, or contract, and the skills and credentials desired.
   3. How — Contact information: email address, web URL, voice phone, fax phone, hours.
   4. When — How long the job is expected to last, when it will start, and by when applications are needed.
   5. Where — Where the job will be done. Whether it be done by telecommuting. Whether some travel is required.
   6. Why — What the company is doing that it needs workers, and how much it is offering.
   7. Whither — What are likely to be the long-term benefits of this job for the worker.
2. Anticipate typos — Even if you submit digital copy, the final ad is likely to be typed by a low-paid clerical worker with dyscribia who makes an error in a phone number or email address, or perhaps, inserts a misleading hyphen in one at a line break. There should always be a web URL that takes the visitor directly to the jobs page where the email address for responses can be found, not to the company's home page.
3. Keep email addresses simple, large, and unambiguous — Avoid addresses that can easily be misunderstood. Avoid punctuation. No letters "I" or "i" or "l" or "O", or numerals "1" or "0". Have the email address printed in a large font. Small fonts can run together in ways that make them unreadable. Choose an account name like "jobs" or "resumes" that is easy to get right.
4. Provide toll-free phone numbers — If you want to reach workers beyond your local calling area, don't expect them to pay for long-distance. A worker typically has to contact thousands of prospective clients before a match occurs, and probably can't afford to spend much time or money on each one until very late in the negotiating process.
5. Don't rely on recruiters, but run your own ads — Especially for unusual skillsets. Too many recruiters don't know how to match high-skilled jobs except by keyword, and fail to recognize when different words mean the same thing.
6. Keep it short and simple — Forget display ads, logos, slogans, and other marketing tricks. You aren't selling your company's products or services here. Workers will search want ads carefully, and aren't likely to miss any. When you compose a job ad, think like a prospective worker and ask yourself what he needs to know to respond.