Advertising a job

Once the approved Online PAF and updated Job Description (graded if relevant) are received by HR Resourcing Team, the position should be advertised on the Work at UCD website within 3 working days.

Support from HR

UCD HR Resourcing holds a limited central fund for the cost of advertising non-research funded positions. This covers advertising in our composite based advertising in national press and an additional specialised web-site listing. It may also support limited additional advertising for specialist or traditionally difficult to fill position. Additional advertisement costs will be charged to the School / Unit.

As always, your Resourcing Consultant can help with any queries you have.

Note:

• Enquiries to publications seeking projected costs may themselves incur a charge as copy has to be prepared in order to estimate cost of placing the advertisement.
• Press and journal listings are significantly more expensive than web-sites, but in either case HR will seek to establish final costs before a decision to proceed is made. 

Is there a limit to the amount of ad’s I can request?

• The cost of advertising will generally dictate the amount of advertising which takes place. 
• UCD HR Resourcing Team will facilitate the advertising or your post on any number of locations i.e. press/journals and/or web-sites, having first confirmed your willingness to cover the estimated costs.

How much more expensive are press/journal advertisements compared to a website?

• Costs for both journal and web-based advertising can vary greatly, but on the whole the cost of specialist press/journal advertisements are often in excess of a €1000, whilst a web-based advertisement may cost as little as €40.
• HR Resourcing does have subscription based memberships with a number of web-advertising locations and your post can be advertised on these sites free of charge; including appropriate research funded posts.

General guidelines for Advertising Lecturer / Assistant Professor posts

There is a single Job Description for the post of Lecturer / Assistant Professor however there are 2 pay scales available and these are Lecturer / Assistant Professor Below the Bar (BTB) and Lecturer / Assistant Professor Above the Bar (ATB).  See below.

The default position is that both scales will be used when advertising the post of Lecturer / Assistant Professor.  The Head of School retains the option to advertise just one scale (taking account of the guidance below).  The options and factors for consideration are set out below.

Option 1 (Default)

Advertise Lecturer / Assistant Professor Below the Bar (BTB) and Above the Bar (ATB) 

The post will be advertised with the title Lecturer / Assistant Professor and both scales will be published along with a note confirming that the Board of Assessment will recommend the appropriate level for appointment.

• This default option provides the Board of Assessment with the maximum flexibility to appoint someone joining UCD as a new employee at whichever level the board deems to be appropriate after interview.
• If both levels are advertised and an existing Lecturer/Assistant Professor Below the Bar applies, then the appointment would be considered a lateral move as they are already employed as a Lecturer/Assistant Professor as advertised. There is no change to pay scale in this case and the Board of Assessment cannot move them from their current Below the Bar scale to Above the Bar.

Option 2

Advertise Lecturer / Assistant Professor Below the Bar (BTB) only 

The post will be advertised with the title Lecturer / Assistant Professor Below the Bar (BTB) and just one pay scale will be published.

• The Lecturer/Assistant Professor Below the Bar scale remains appropriate for some early career faculty appointments.
• Anyone appointed at point 12 or above will automatically progress to the Lecturer / Assistant Professor ATB scale within one year.
• There is no option to appoint directly onto the Above the Bar should a more experienced candidate apply (as this scale was not advertised).
• If an existing Lecturer/Assistant Professor Below the Bar applies, then the appointment would be considered a lateral move and there is no change to the salary. The Board of Assessment cannot move them to a higher point on the Below the Bar pay scale. 

Option 3

Advertise Lecturer / Assistant Professor Above the Bar (ATB) only 

The post will be advertised with the title Lecturer / Assistant Professor Above the Bar (ATB) and just one pay scale will be published.

• Schools may wish to target an experienced candidate on occasion and advertising only the Lecturer/Assistant Professor Above the Bar scale will be more likely to attract suitably qualified candidates.
• There is no option to appoint Below the Bar should an early career candidate apply or be deemed the recommended candidate.
• If an existing Lecturer/Assistant Professor Below the Bar applies, then the appointment would be considered a promotion and the normal rules regarding promotion (moving to the nearest point on the scale which provides a minimum 5% increase will determine the point on scale).

On occasion, it may be necessary to pre-screen candidates prior to shortlisting. Pre-screeing can be helpful in instances where it is anticipated there will be a very large volume of applicants applying for a post. Contact your Resourcing Consultant for advice on pre-screening prior to advertising.

On occasion, particular roles may require, or benefit from, advertising in the national press. Because of the need to engage advertising agencies, the cost of such advertising is considerable and is largely borne by the hiring unit.

Your Resourcing Consultant can advise on the timelines, costs and reqirements associated with the various national publications. They can also advise on possible alternatives.

When advertising in the press, it is important to note that timelines are driven by the agency and the publication rather than UCD HR so it is less suitable for posts which have a very short lead-in time.

Circulating your advertisement via membership lists can be a useful way to target a very niche audience.

UCD HR Resourcing Team will attempt to place your ad in any location you request, but certain membership based distribution lists are often outside our advertising scope.

In these instances HR will seek to register the University as a member of the site with a view to gaining access to a targeted distribution list. When membership is restricted to professionals and/or colleagues of a particular discipline, it is recommended that you check to see if a colleague within the School is already a member of the site, and therefore, able to submit an advertising request on our behalf.

Cost of journal advertising

The assigned HR Resourcing Administrator can advise you of your options here, but it is important to note that costs incurred as a result of additional advertising will largely be borne by the School / Unit rather than UCD HR.

Advertising in international press/journal sources: Journals can be useful for targeting a specific market but they are a costly option. These advertisements require assistance from our external advertising agency.

Please note that, as UCD HR will be subject to agency deadlines, timelines and competition closing dates are likely to be impacted upon.

International journal advertising

With support from our external advertising agency HR is able to target any press/journal or website worldwide, assuming of course they are publically selling advertising space and funding exists to cover the expense.

Journals with online sites

HR Resourcing Team would strongly recommend you forgo the expense of advertising in press/journal locations if a web based alternative is available. 

Apart from being more cost effective, the level of detail HR can place in a web ad would not be restricted in the same way published advertisements would be i.e. cost is relative to size. In both cases you will reach your target audience, but a web-listing will always remain visible for longer.

Is there always a web-based alternative to press/journal advertising?

As an incentive, some press / journal sources will often include a free web-listing on their site should you agree to place a published ad. Unfortunately, this will often mean that a particular web-site is restricted to advertisers who have paid to advertise in the Journal.

Reducing your costs

Specialist or individual advertisements should only contain the essential elements necessary to attract applicants and refer them to complete details held on the Work at UCD website. This minimalist style also serves to reduce the overall cost of placing press/journal advertisements

On occasion, you may also wish to promote your vacancy in specialist publications. Again, the assigned HR Resourcing Administrator can advise you of your options here, but it is important to note that costs incurred as a result of additional advertising will largely be borne by the School / Unit rather than UCD HR.

Benefits of specialst websites include faster placement and cost-effectiveness. UCD HR will often being able to directly list your vacancy without assistance from our external advertising agency.

On occasion, your role may benefit from additional advertising via social media. UCD HR can provide you with a deep link to the vacancy location on the e-recruitment system which you can use to quickly bring candidates to the application point.

Never accept applications directly from candidates. Regardless of the social channel used, only applications submitted via UCD's online recruitment system before the official closing date will be considered.

Improve your chances of success:

• Use an image in your post
• Comine your ad with interesting content about your unit, research projects or UCD more generally
• Pick your time carefuly!
  • Most job searches occur Monday-Wednesday, during work hours. Much lower view-count on Friday afternoon
  • If you're aiming at a distant audience, take time-zone information into account
• Share more than once (but not every day)
• See if team members or other colleagues can share

You can maximise the impact of your advertisement by partering with existing (relevant) social media channels. View the full list of social media sites in the UCD Social Media Directory.

The Resourcing Process section of this webpage outlines clearly the Supplementary / specialist advertising available to you should you with to target additional (or alternative) press and/or websites suitable for the advertising of your vacancy.

Should you not be in a position to recommend a particular journal or website, the HR Resourcing Team will try provide you with some recommendations. 

The Team's recommendations will be based on both historical advertising data, and also, specialist input provided by our external advertising agency.

The assigned HR Resourcing Administrator will contact you with a view to commencing the Interview & Selection process. The process will be in accordance with Resourcing's Service Level Agreements (SLAs).