Words really are the only way to tell a story, but they aren’t easy tools to manipulate. Copy on corporate recruitment sites tends to fall into two categories; either bland and clichéd, or overdone and clichéd—which could be enough to put potential candidates off applying.
Making best use of your web capital isn’t easy, but it is important. Here are a few ideas for getting across what you want to convey on your recruitment pages:
Be Economical With Language
We all remember that first time as a student we were faced with twenty-five pages on some thoroughly uninteresting subject. People will not read much more than five-hundred words on any webpage, so say what you have to say in as few words as possible. Long, dynamic sentences with lots of punctuation and clever metaphors, just like those you would find in a novel, are a bit tedious online.
Punctuate Thoughtfully
Punctuation does two things: it shows that you can write coherently and have a good understanding of English; secondly it is vital for getting your meaning across. If you’re someone who is happier writing a bulleted memo or crunching numbers than putting prose together, why not hire a copywriter? It’s one more job off your hands.
Concentrate your Meaning
Before starting copy for any webpage, write down exactly what you want to say on a notebook. It can be too easy to rattle off all the fantastic reasons why your company is a great place to work, but if it isn’t coherent it will look more like a shopping list than a recruitment site. If you have lots to say, use lots of different pages rather than long lists on one page.
Avoid Metaphors, Similes and Idioms
We all learnt at school that metaphors and similes are clever ways of spicing up your writing, but unless they’re used sparingly they’ll sink like lead. Metaphors can just sound cheesy, and often they don’t help to get any more meaning across.
Think about Tone
You don’t want to be too corporate, unless that is the nature of your business, but you also don’t want to be sloppy and overly-friendly. Both will give the wrong impression about what you’re looking for which, for most firms, is a rounded, balanced individual. Your tone is important so use it wisely.
Once you’ve got your copy down, make sure you proofread it thoroughly. Your corporate web space is an invaluable asset so make sure you use it to best effect.
Tom started his career early; taking on an associate role at Deloitte just a few days after his eighteenth birthday, working in a technical role but with a focus on identifying and recruiting talented undergraduates. He is now entering his final year at Exeter University and he continues to work with the recruitment side of the firm and remains an active brand ambassador on campus.
Over the last few years, Tom has spent time building up a reputation as a freelance writer and has developed both a strong client base and good knowledge of social media along the way. Though there’s still plenty to learn, experience working in both the smallest and the largest of businesses has served him well and given him a feel for balancing strong corporate ideas with a personal tone.
As a student, Tom is able to offer a valuable insight into the way graduate recruitment works from the other side and how students and interns react to particular styles of marketing and recruitment. Eventually he hopes to take off his copywriting business before embarking on an MA in philosophy.
