Writing an online job posting for an open position can be a real struggle. There’s a delicate balance to strike between honeyed words to attract suitable candidates and brutal honesty about the work your school needs done. Here, then, are some common mistakes private-independent schools make when submitting job advertisements for various online career boards.
1. Using templates
If you've never written a job posting before or you think your current phrasing needs an update, using online templates can seem like a simple, quick fix to a potentially complicated and time-consuming problem of writing the whole post by hand. General templates for intricate, highly personalized written items like resumes, cover letters, and—yes—job postings are a bad idea and can get you into trouble in a hurry.
At the root of the issue is your school's unique approach to education. No two private schools are alike, so they shouldn't be looking for candidates in the same way. Templates encourage generic, cookie-cutter descriptions and fill-in-the-blank style writing, none of which is tempting to prospective applicants.
And what happens if the template's language is counter to your school's mission or philosophy, and you forget to adjust it before submitting it online? For example, notices of nondiscrimination if not vetted by the Board and school's legal counsel can get a school into hot water.
One ex-Principal in Seattle has filed a wrongful-dismissal suit against his former Catholic school over just such an issue. He says that the school had antidiscrimination phrasing in the handbook and online during the hiring process that forbid discrimination based on his sexual orientation. Later, the Principal was fired for marrying his same-sex partner, which goes against Catholic teaching.
It remains to be seen how the court will settle this case, but it reminds us all that care must be taken with what the school says in job postings and other documents. Templates are an easy way to tumble into this particular minefield.
Recommendation:
Write your own job postings and don't rely on a template you find on the Internet, from a listserv, or even loaned from a friend at a neighboring school. Sure, they can be a starting point for your own posting, but should not be used exactly as-is. A good outline for a job posting can be:
- a brief sentence summary of the job and the school at the start;
- a paragraph explaining the job and general requirements;
- a bulleted list containing three to five required qualifications (and a small list of "preferred" qualifications, if necessary);
- a summarized mission statement of the school (see Point 2); and
- instructions on "next steps" for interested applicants (see Point 4).
2. Rambling mission statements and job requirements
With no real page or character restrictions imposed by online job boards, school-employers can go hog-wild with the blank canvas. Freed from print limitations, those writing job ads may throw every scrap of mission statement, school achievements, and every dream qualification into their ads, the thought being more is better!”
This mind-set means that the core of your school’s mission and the important requirements for your desired applicant are buried beneath tons of trimmable content. Your ad needs to be a lean, targeted statement about what kind of person you need and what kind of a place an applicant can expect to find.
Job seekers spend only 76 seconds on average looking at a posting to see if they fit the qualifications. That's not nearly enough time to digest your school’s entire history from conception, let alone the job requirements. You’ll be deluged by unqualified applicants or—worse—receive far fewer resumes overall, which could lead to a rushed and hasty hiring decision.
Recommendation:
Reduce your mission statement to a sentence or two of about 30 words that gets to the core of your school’s philosophy and culture (see Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 38 No. 6, available for Gold Consortium members) with a link to the appropriate Web page if they’d like to know more. Trim your job requirements to four or five “necessary” qualifications you need from an applicant, rather than posting your dream list of “nice to have” skills in its entirety.
3. Omission of physical contact information and other details
The converse of the “everything but the kitchen sink” problem, a Spartan job posting focusing on the bare essentials of the job requirement can leave out important information. A poor applicant could be a perfect match to this type of posting, but live on the other side of the country or be unaware of potential philosophical conflicts.
Recommendation:
Put important school information near the end of the post, including its location and contact information for a point person in case technical or general questions arise.
4. Missing or unclear instructions
So you’ve crafted a beautiful job ad designed to entice available, qualified prospects to apply. It’s perfect, except you’ve forgotten one thing: what candidates should do next. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised at the number of ads that appear without instructions on how and where to apply.
Should they send emails to the School Head, Business Manager, HR Director, or some other person? Do you require cover letters? What materials should be included in their submissions? What should they leave out? Should the documents arrive as PDFs or Word documents? If you’re using a search firm, how do they contact the appropriate party? All schools run their searches differently, so assuming interested candidates will use “common sense” for the next step can be dangerous.
Recommendation:
Take a sentence or two to clearly explain the next steps of the process, including what materials you want included, how submissions should be formatted, and who will receive them. If you direct them to a specific page or website, include that link. If you use a search firm to help find candidates and are using their portal, include that link and make sure the language between the two postings are consistent (e.g., stating a bachelor’s degree as a requirement on one site and leaving it out on another).
5. Not paying attention to job board rules and recommendations
Our last point is simple and, well, to the point: Read the rules! All job boards have specific rules to be followed and forms to be completed, as well as recommendations for post lengths and other pointers. Some host employer profiles that add support to a posting, while others have regulations on how long postings can remain active. By playing by the rules of a particular online board, you may find better responses to your job posting than you may otherwise receive.
Also consider the websites you use for each search. Do more administrators use this site, or are there more calls for teachers? Is this site specifically targeted toward private-independent school use, or is it more general? If you’re not getting enough or the right sort of applicants, you may have a great job post placed on the wrong site.
Recommendation:
Read through a job board’s rules and recommendations while composing your post. Also look at other postings in the board and see how (and what sort) of positions other schools advertise on this board.
Finding qualified, enthusiastic people to apply to your online job postings can feel like an uphill battle. Remembering to write clearly about the job’s requirements, your school’s mission, and what the next steps are can put you well on the way to a successful search!
Additional ISM resources:
Private School News Vol. 10 No. 2 Five Questions to Ask Yourself When Advertising Open Positions
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 8 No. 5 Ask Michael: Open Administrative Roles and Faculty Applicants
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 11 No. 3 Who Best 'Fits' the Role of the Interim Head?
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 38 No. 6 Solutions for Your Wandering Mission Statement
I&P Vol. 27 No. 5 Financial Questions the Search Committee Should Ask Head Candidates
I&P Vol. 36 No. 13 Ease the Transition for the Incoming Head
