From Susan M. Heathfield,
Your Guide to Human Resources.
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It’s expensive to advertise available positions in newspaper classifieds and online. And, when your company is growing quickly, advertising in the Sunday “help wanted” section and online advertising can cost your company a lot. Written carefully, however, you can save significant dollars on your employment ads. I’ll share with you a recent experience in developing an ad and purchasing newspaper and Internet advertising space.

As happens with most jobs, the production director requested a technical leader for an operation in the plant. I asked him to forward a list of qualifications so I could develop a job description and an advertisement for a major, national newspaper Sunday classified section. He sent me the following requirements; I'm sure you regularly receive similar requests.

Position Requirements

"Below is a list of qualifications needed for our technical lead.

• 2 year degree in Electronics Technology or equivalent.
• Level 3 certification at Manufacturers - Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung are ideal.
• Ability to read and follow schematics.
• 5 years plus experience troubleshooting various models of handsets.
• Ability to develop training materials and train staff.
• Excellent soldering skills, capable of working on surface mount PC boards.
• Knowledge of various trouble shooting equipment, DVM, Spectrum analyzer, etc.

We should also include typical "Supervisor requirements." I could see this person going on to lead a team of "Quick Fix" technicians. I am having a meeting next Tuesday and will know after if we need to run with this. I would like to run this ASAP based on what happens Tuesday. How quickly can we run an ad?"

Initial Ad

This is the ad we developed for the position. We placed this ad, first, on the company's website. Then, I went online to place the ad at a major national newspaper website. My initial cost, after entering the ad online, was close to $1700.00 to run the ad for two Sundays in print and thirty days online at the newspaper website and careerbuilder.com.

(In the off-line world, many newspapers now have company websites and partnerships with other job boards such as careerbuilder.com. You have always been able to save money by purchasing repeat run advertising packages. Now, in addition to these packages, many newspapers offer web and print combinations that save significant dollars and attract online job seekers, too. Look for these for best value.)

"Opportunity for an experienced technician to join a vibrant, exciting, growing, cell phone remanufacturer to lead phone troubleshooting and repair. Requires: Level 3 certification at manufacturers - Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung are ideal; 5 years plus experience troubleshooting various models and manufacturers of handsets; a two-year degree in Electronics Technology or equivalent; the ability to read and follow schematics; experience developing training materials and training staff; excellent soldering skills; the ability to work on surface mount PC boards; and knowledge of various trouble shooting equipment: DVM, Spectrum Analyzer,etc.; supervisory skills and experience preferred: as the company grows, the job grows; our chosen candidate will lead a technical team."

Send your resume and salary requirements to: Human Resources - ReCellular, Inc.; Company Address.