As frustrating as it is for potential candidates to read a badly written advert from a dynamic market leader, it's a sign that something very wrong lies at the heart of that recruitment process and inevitably is tied to complaining about candidate shortages.

I'd go so far as to say that, if an applicant gets the job from that advert it's despite the efforts of the writer.

If we assume that a job advert is the very best effort an employer or agency puts forward to showcase their product (vacancy), what does that advert say about the vacancy if it is half-baked, a bunch of twaddle or an exacting list of requirements that doesn't exist in real life?

Let's look at that exacting list of requirements and one example of how major a problem that is:

If the requirement is unrealistic or contains bullet points that everyone knows they can do (such as breathing, MS Office, hard-working or motivated), does that show the employer knows what good actually looks like in a candidate?

If they don't know what good looks like in a candidate, how can they assess candidates against that good?

How will they know how to run a recruitment process that appeals to that kind of good?

How will they offer appropriately when they don't actually know if "the successful candidate" is ideal, good enough, or just said the right things?

How will they enable candidates to achieve good when employed, if they don't know what good is?

If an advert doesn't show what good is, in a candidate, and that's the only evidence of how effective that recruiter is, why would good candidates even bother?

Those are the thoughts I have when researching the market through job adverts.

That's just one avenue to consider. Others might be showing why you are a good place to work, why the best candidates should be interested, why unsuitable candidates shouldn't apply, and many more.

If you're struggling to recruit, take a look at the quality of the adverts that represent your vacancies - there are some easy wins to be had:

As an agency or employer you can get some training or employ a copywriter.

Furthermore as an employer, if your agencies rely on #badverts, check you are giving them a good enough brief that enables them to represent you well. If you already have, give them a kick up the backside, and if that still doesn't work use better agencies.