Jack Nicholson in 'The Shining' writes the Perfect Job Advert

Dear Radisson RED,

It has been brought to my attention that you’re recruiting for ‘Creatives’ for your team. That sounds exciting!

Oh – brackets – food and drink assistants. I see.

But the job’s actually so much more than that. These multitasking geniuses need to serve coffee, make cocktails, check guests in, book tours, make restaurant reservations, cook on the stove (an actual stove?), ‘laugh with guests’, flip an omelette – and catch it! - while hosting a book reading in the lounge area – and all that while posing for a picture.

Boof. Not expecting much, then.

But you make it sound so exciting being in the hotel reception and bar – sorry, ‘the soul of the house’ – where staff will always be laughing and playing games with guests. Although it might be going a little too far to ‘demand’ some mischief.

And finally, applicants will need to send what is pretty much an audition tape, showing how they can make Radisson smile with a selfie or video; the reward being a job in the hotel - which is based ‘in (insert city)’. Twitter investigation shows it’s actually in Glasgow.

Click here to see the job advert.

Hilarious!

But there’s actually a serious message here.

A recruitment ad may well be the very first time a candidate has any contact with your brand as a potential employer. So it’s vital they understand the essence of what working there is likely to be.

In this case, Radisson RED, your employer brand is strongly badged. I get it. You say, in marketing speak at least, that you see things ‘differently’; because you connect through art, fashion and music with your guests - those all-pervasive millennials with their ‘ageless mindset’. Tough luck on the Gen Z, Gen X and Baby Boomer guests; perhaps they’re not allowed in the lounge area while the book reading is getting intellectual?

Anyway. By making the description quite so extreme, you will definitely filter out some of those who may not be quite extrovert enough for an entry-level job in a design hotel chain – I do get that.

But as one person on Twitter asked: “What is the job here? The actual job?” And another said: “As far as I can tell you run the hotel singlehandedly while catching a lot of omelettes.”

Two important takeaways here:

When you use a marketing agency to define and communicate your employer brand, find one that actually does the job, properly, and communicates it authentically. And accurately (like leaving out the (‘insert job location here)’ in the job ad)!

And second, get hold of my latest book ‘How to Write a Perfect Job Ad’. You might just find it useful.