Career Center

Advertise Job Openings

When the time comes that you feel your organization is ready to hire an intern, or a full time employee, there are some things to consider. You will want to look at your organization and decide if you have time to go through the hiring process, if you have physical resources (adequate work space, essential supplies, etc.) and financial resources.

Once you have decided that you are truly ready for additional people in your organization, it is time to advertise. A well-written job description, even if it is for a temporary internship, is important in marketing the position and the recruiting of potential employees.

Checklist

As presented by the National Society for Experiential Learning, the following is a checklist of items for an A+ job description.

  • Name of your agency and location
  • Position title of the internship
  • Supervisor/department to whom employee/intern reports
  • Number of hours of work per week expected
  • Duration of employment if internship or temporary; full time positions obviously do not need this
  • When the job is available
  • Salary, stipend, honorarium or other compensation
  • Description of primary responsibilities and specific tasks
  • Description of specific knowledge, skills and qualities expected
    (Refer to O*NET to identify typical skillsets of various occupations.)
  • Description of skills and qualities desired
  • Application procedures and requirements (application, resume, interview, write/call for appointment, etc.)
  • Contact information (who, where, when, how, etc.)

Additional Information and Promotion Ideas

In addition, you may want to include the following kinds of information, which would be helpful in orienting prospective applicants and promoting the position.

  • Description of your organization and/or its purpose
  • Description of what the employee/intern can expect to learn in the position
  • Description of the internal and external publics with which the employee will have contact
  • Training which will be provided
  • Other special benefits or opportunities during employment such as meetings, travel, etc.

Methods for a Compelling Job Description

There are four ways to make your job listing more compelling:

  • Focus on rewards – In general, job seekers are more interested in what the position offers them personally – whether that is intellectual challenges or earning potential.
  • Keep it simple – buzzwords can illustrate that you’re savvy about the latest jargon from the business press, but they generally don’t help you differentiate your company in a job seeker’s mind.
  • Tell it like it is – candidates are wary of job titles that seem inflated or euphemistic. The description of duties should match the title, and the title should be intuitive so that when a candidate searches for managerial positions, they are not confronted with a listing for a person who makes coffee.
  • Post top jobs – many employers don’t use job postings as a means of filling high-level positions, but it is an excellent way for companies to show they offer challenging positions and growth opportunities.

Marketing Your Opportunity

  • It is important to recognize professional and personal contacts already available to you.
  • Contact campus career services or placement offices within the region you are hiring.
  • Don’t forget contacting specific academic offices on the campuses.
  • Query your local or regional professional organizations or chambers of commerce for leads.
  • Consider listing your internship positions in regional, national, electronic and industry-specific directories.
  • Send a representative to career fairs.

Keep your selection population broad. Outreach through multiple sources can enhance the diversity and quality of your applicant pool.