Job ads, recruitment and the law (part 2)
This post follows on from our post about Job ads, recruitment and the law (part 1).
The Advertising Standards Authority says that all ads must be ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’. This means you should advertise jobs only if they are genuine vacancies, and the pay should be quoted accurately.
But have any recruiters been caught out recently? Let’s examine the evidence…
What NOT to do
- If you’re advertising a training course, don’t put it in the ‘situations vacant’ column (Vanguard Marketing did this in 2018)
- If you’re advertising a self-employed role, don’t mention the word ‘salary’ (Cooper Advertising did this in 2011)
- If there’s one single vacancy with test days and interviews, don’t advertise as though there are multiple vacancies
- If you want people to register for your agency, don’t use ambiguous language that suggests a role is available, especially if applicants have to pay to join (Hidden Faces and Pop Sensations did this in 2004. The practice is/was rife in the entertainment industry)
- If you want people to join a homework scheme or ‘business opportunity’, don’t suggest they are applying for a job (A Walton & Associates did this in 2003, as did RH Client Solutions in 2013)
Not illegal, but unwise
It’s not illegal (but it’s unwise) to make aspirational claims about the employer e.g. “We are a company with integrity. We believe we make the finest widgets at rock-bottom prices and work hard to achieve customer satisfaction that is second to none. If you fancy working with true professionals, call us on …”. (These complaints were not upheld: Gundersen Bucher Rugman, 2004 and MCI Worldcom, 2003).
However, we wouldn’t recommend you make empty claims that you can’t substantiate. All the facts you quote must be true. For example, “24th Fastest Growing Company in Europe” was seen to breach the Code, as the basis of the claim wasn’t clear (PaymentSense, 2014). It’s also daft. 24th fastest?! What’s in that for the candidate?
One final example. In 2022, care provider, Home Instead, posted Facebook ads saying: “We can offer you shifts so you can work whenever it suits you”. Not so, the workers couldn’t change their shifts.
In short, don’t mislead people.
Find out the benefits to them (that is, the things that answer ‘what’s in it for me?’ from their point of view), and include those in the first half of your ad.
That way, you’ll attract more of the right applicants – and you won’t fall foul of the law.
If you’re looking for new ways to attract candidates to jobs, take a look at our Copywriting Training Courses
