Whilst there are benefits to working in both the public and private sectors, these can differ significantly. As the name suggests, the public sector is focused on public interest and improving communities and societal integration at home and abroad. Therefore, when writing a job advertisement for your public sector organisation, you can emphasise the positive differences in order to sell the role and find the candidate that is right for the role and your organisation.
What is Your Organisation’s Mission?
The aims of public sector organisations mainly focus on having an impact on society and helping and/or providing a service to the public. To start, you should highlight your organisation’s mission within your job advertisement as candidates may feel they can have a larger sense of job satisfaction working with your organisation due to the impact they can have on their community, country or world at large. You can also evidence how the role you are advertising will be contributing towards your mission to show the candidate the direct positive impact they will be making.
Do you Have any Exciting Projects you Need Help With?
The public sector can sometimes be viewed as a bureaucratic arena. To combat this perception, you can mention any exciting projects you currently have in the works or departments that are doing great work using engaging language to get the reader excited about the prospect of working with you. You can include this information in your company description as opposed to solely having a general overview of your organisation as this will give the reader more context to their role and how it will fit into the organisation, helping them to envisage themselves there.
Use Benefits to Help Write the Perfect Job Advertisement for the Public Sector
A quick and easy thing you can mention in your ‘Benefits’ section is your pension scheme. Typically, public sector organisations generally offer better pension schemes compared with other sectors, however, you don’t need to explicitly state this! Instead, specify the type of pension scheme you offer, contribution percentages, etc. so candidates have a clear idea of what they’ll receive and can make comparisons based on their needs.
Another point you can include in your ‘Benefits’ section is any skills and development training your organisation offers. As public sector organisations will typically offer training to employees to fill skills gaps and avoid unnecessary recruiting, it is a great incentive for candidates to join your organisation. By evidencing this, they know that you’re dedicated to their professional development and that they will be able to grow their skills in their new role which could lead to career progression.
Jobs in hospitals, schools and other public sector organisations can be mentally and emotionally demanding, so offering wellbeing and mental health support to employees is key. You can provide details of this in your ‘Benefits’ section as it will show candidates that you will prioritise their wellbeing and see them as a person as opposed to just another employee.
Don’t Forget About the Importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
It is vital that public sector organisations represent the society they are serving; it is equally important that you ensure your hiring process, beginning with your job advertisements, is attracting the widest pool of candidates possible. You can do this first by using gender neutral language throughout your advertisement and avoiding anything that may skew the advert in favour of one gender. You can also highlight your dedication to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) with an EDI statement about your hiring process as well as detailing any ways in which your organisation has shown a dedication to EDI, within your workforce and in a social responsibility capacity. A more diverse workforce will help to increase trust and respect from the public towards your organisation if they feel they are represented within it as well as creating a more productive and creative workforce with a wider generation of ideas.
As public sector organisations can work with children, vulnerable people, etc. it’s important to include your commitment to safeguarding of these groups and any checks that candidates may need to complete to be considered for the role. However, this should also go further and include your dedication to safeguarding employees which encompasses being aware of, and looking out for, modern slavery, domestic abuse victims, neglect and more.
Bring all the Above Elements Together to Write the Perfect Job Advertisement for the Public Sector
Bringing all of these elements together will help you to create a job advertisement that highlights all the brilliant parts of working for your organisation, giving readers a clear picture of the role they would play and ensuring you get the widest pool of high-quality applicants that will suit your organisation’s needs.
At Webrecruit, we can help you to write the perfect job advertisement for your organisation with the expertise of our copywriting team, plus so much more! Get in touch today to find out how we can provide you with everything you need to create the recruitment process that’s right for you.
