Advertising and candidate search

A good job advertisement meets the applicant's need for knowledge, brands SDU as a workplace and attracts relevant candidates.

SDU is also in competition to attract the most talented employees, and therefore it is important not to filter out relevant candidates. Relevant candidates are both candidates who meet all skill requirements and candidates who meet some of the requirements.

If you make too many (mandatory) demands on the applicant in the form of special skills, X number of years of work experience or education, you risk that competent candidates do not apply for the position.

To ensure a certain openness in the job advertisement, there are several things that can be done:

• Outline the tasks before the desired skills

Work tasks are more concrete than skills and can be easier for a candidate to relate to. The candidate can assess whether he/she can solve the expected tasks with the skills he/she has.

• Prioritise the desired skills

If you describe a number of wishes for skills rather than a checklist where candidates must be able to tick off all the skills on the list, you open up for more qualified candidates to apply for the position.

• Specify education requirements

Specify whether a specific educational background is a requirement or whether it may be legitimate to apply even if the educational background may be different than what is expected.

• Describe the workplace
  Candidates pay less attention to the description of the workplace, therefore this information can advantageously be communicated at the end of the job advertisement.
• Describe the recruitment process
  

  How can applicants expect the process to proceed? Who can be contacted if there are any questions? It is of great importance for the candidates to know when the different deadlines are in the recruitment process.

• Think about the recipient

The most important thing is that the recipient is considered in the job advertisement. The advertisement must be clear, easy to read and easy to "scan" for the candidate. And it should of course be informative.

According to candidate surveys, the three main motivators in considering a job change are:

• new opportunities for skill development
• new challenges
• a better culture

Therefore, through the job advertisement, you can advantageously articulate how you as an employer want to give the candidates the opportunity for skill development, interesting challenges and an attractive work culture.

All job advertisements must be posted on sdu.dk and jobnet.dk. Job advertisements can also be advertised on other job portals and on social media, and advertising can be purchased in printed or electronic media.

When the job advertisement has been set up in HCM, posted on SDU’s job portal on sdu.dk/ledigestillinger and jobnet.dk as well as any other job databases, it must be marketed. Social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook can act as supplementary recruitment channels to the job databases to draw more attention to the job posting, especially from non-active jobseekers. Potential candidates can also be searched for and tipped about the advertisement via networks.

According to legal requirements, the vacancy notice must be posted for at least 14 days. For how long a position should be advertised varies from position to position, but usually the more specialised the position, the longer the application deadline should be. Specialised positions may require 3–4 weeks of advertising to attract a sufficient and qualified field of applicants

If none of the applicants who have applied for an advertised position in time are considered to be sufficiently suitable for the position, or that applications from more qualified applicants can be obtained by means of a renewed call for proposals, the position must be re-advertised.