July 2008

Recruiters should drop jargon from their adverts as buzzwords are leaving Candidates dazed and confused, Specialist Recruitment Consultancy Unity says.

Unity says recruiters rely too much on buzzwords such as “good communicator”, “dynamic” or “self-starter”, regardless of the requirements of the individual role. This can leave Candidates unsure as to whether their skill set matches that of the job description, and so they are less likely to apply.

Eight out of 10 of Unity’s own Candidate base claimed that rather than being a helpful measure of individual skills, these over-worn phrases leave them feeling uninspired.

Unity is an expert recruiter for a number of specialist sectors including IT, Sales And Marketing and Engineering and Technical. In order to meet the requirements of their clients, Unity has taken a number of steps to provide clear information to Candidates. It has set up a sector-specific “skills in demand” section on their website and recruits Consultants with sector-specific experience, to ensure knowledge of the markets it is recruiting for.

Alison Haw of Unity said using buzzwords was far from effective – and means companies risk missing out on the best Candidates. "Trying to get the perfect Candidate by relying on clichés is like cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer - you're very unlikely to end up with the desired result. This “one-size-fits-all” approach to recruitment advertising can often mean the best Candidates aren’t applying for jobs, and so companies are losing out on talent.”

“We hope, with this new section on our website, Candidates can immediately recognise and match their skills with those in demand, leading them to relevant jobs far quicker.