Lucy Painter, Studio, offers up some sound advice on re-writing the job advert to attract future team talent.
The excitement of hiring a new team member for your design studio can soon be dampened down upon realising that the job advert has to be written.
Let’s face it, trying to make a list of criteria and demands sound friendly and approachable isn’t the easiest task. So, here are few tips to revolutionise the way you approach writing a job advert, and hopefully one that will start attracting the talent you are seeking. Remember, a job advert isn’t the same as a formal job description.
Firstly, let’s put the criteria for the designer you are looking for to one side and start making a list of all the fabulous selling points of your working environment. This could be your light filled studio, a central London location, the resident office dog or the fact your offices are in a social and vibrant shared office space.
Next, talk about your projects. These are your biggest selling points so don’t wait for the designer to visit your website as the projects you are currently working on are not going to be on there. Explain what the designer may be involved with: is it an iconic London hotel; an independent jazz club; a luxury high-end residential project where the client wants a contemporary twist on art-deco style or a pop-up store of a brand new clothing label. Don’t hold back, if you have a number of projects in the pipeline – write them down!
Now you want to move onto writing about your company culture. This is such an important part of the designer’s decision when looking for a new opportunity. It doesn’t have to be anything at great length but a few sentences explaining that you have ‘inspiration talks’ once a month, that you rarely work long hours, that there is a flexible working policy or perhaps you have an in-house mentoring scheme or organise regular trips to exhibitions and events. These all matter to future employees and help paint a picture of the type of studio you run.
Finally, write the criteria for the role. Try to narrow it down to four key elements: The level of experience you expect the designer to have; the specific project exposure you are looking for; essential software skills you need and particular strengths you require. As an example, the role may command a front-end concept designer or a good technical eye, or you might simply be looking for an ‘all-round’ designer. Whatever your needs, state it simply and clearly.
By following this format to writing a job advert you are immediately attracting designers to your business and not just setting out criteria. You may even find shining super stars will see the advert and send their CV to you speculatively for future roles as they love the vibe and the energy you have described of your design consultancy.
Finally, remember… write it as if you’re speaking to one person as it will only ever be one person reading it at any one time. So get personal!
