Your aim with job adverts is to attract serious potential candidates. Therefore, it’s easy to see why humour and creativity may not be a priority when creating them! We generally recommend that you keep it simple with your job adverts, because getting too clever can put off as many good applicants as it attracts.
But to inspire you to think outside the box when creating your job ads - or just for a bit of fun, really - here are ten unusual and memorable job ads we think are pretty awesome.
1. Google’s Problem
Although Google have since acknowledged that brain teasers don’t really work for recruitment, you can’t deny that this ad does a good job of filtering out the less dedicated applicants!
The answer to this tricky maths problem was the beginning of a chain that ended with a potential job as a Google engineer. Possibly the most creative job screening method I’ve come across, as well as ensuring your candidates have a healthy curiosity, problem solving skills and determination!
2. Life's Too Short for the Wrong Job
A German recruitment agency called Jobs in Town, created this ingenious campaign.
Using an everyday perspective, these ads highlight the feeling of being trapped that working in the wrong job can cause. And even better, they were varied and well-placed for maximum impact.
The text translates, “Life is too short for the wrong job”.
May not be cheery but you can’t deny it’s eye-catching!
3. There Are 10 Mistakes in This Ad
This job ad circulates a lot online, and with good reason!
It tests attention to detail, spelling, grammar and creativity pre-CV.
So it's kind of like a competency test before you've even considered a candidate's CV. Clever stuff!
4. Hungry Designers
Take one iconic apple sign, less a few bites, and what’s left? Answer: one pretty cool ad.
This advert, created by Tonic Communications, has only a three word job description, “hungry designers wanted” and yet their message is crystal clear.
By creating a logo that's familiar yet noticeably different from Apple’s own, they're cleverly targeting people with a direct interest in Apple, who they hope will have the same taste for design as the tech giant.
5. For Better or Worse!
Funny, light-hearted and informative – this job ad rocks!
Print advertising may not be the most effective way to reach your candidates nowadays days, but this ad is certainly original and worth a smile if stumbled across in a newspaper.
Lonely hearts club for job seekers!
7. The Best Job in the World
Okay, so this is a pretty unusual opportunity that won't be everyone who reads its cup of tea, but the headline certainly works!
Never underestimate the power and importance of an attention-grabbing headline.
Who is likely to bypass “The Best Job in the World” without at least giving it a read? Very few.
8. Watch Your Head!
We're all taught from an early age to pay attention to warning signs, so this one certainly grabs your attention with the taglines!
However, there's no denying that the ad then loses our attention and our respect when it uses discriminatory and clichéd language like “young” and “dynamic” to describe the ideal candidate - and this stuff just doesn't belong in job ads.
Oh well, can’t have it all!
9. Brain Teasing Bar Work
Who doesn’t love a challenge?
And my goodness, anyone who’s had to do bar work knows how tough communication can get by the end of the night.
And the best thing about this ad is that it shows off the fun, don't-take-yourself-too-seriously company culture!
10. Funniest Twitter Response
How funny can you be in 140 characters?
This tweet generated a lot of interest when Mike McKay, the executive creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi LA decided his hunt for funny writers needed some help. And the importance of Twitter in recruitment lives on...
For guidance on how to write your own awesome job ads that pull in the right candidates for your toughest roles, download our template tool below.
