How a bit of clever copy writing will get candidates tripping over themselves to apply for a vacancy, says Claire Churchard
I wasn’t sure that anyone would want to work for a spy agency after watching Lisa Faulkner have her head plunged into a deep fat fryer in Spooks in 2002. She was my favourite character and I was very upset.
Even with 007 as spy poster boy extraordinaire, the British security services would have a tough time convincing me to apply for a role there.
Yet, MI5’s job advert for head of health and safety still piqued my interest.
Vacancy ‘details’ on the employer’s website read: “We can’t show you the buildings. We can’t talk about the people you’ll work with. We can’t tell you much about the job.”
Intriguing.
Potential candidates are assured that pay will depend on skills and experience, the role is London based and there will be some UK travel. So far so vague.
Further information was sparse as the ad explains “our work is often covert and our equipment classified and that can raise interesting challenges when it comes to health and safety”.
This made me wonder if they were recruiting for the next Q (aka Quartermaster, and yes I know Bond is MI6).
I asked myself, will the next head of H&S be expected to make disparaging remarks when the spies get a bit cavalier with the gadgets? Or will he or she be required to demonstrate the safest way to use Bond-esque ‘garrote watches’ or ‘miniature underwater air bottles’? And can they veto future fights with towering men with metal teeth on cable cars?
This is obviously a real job with real responsibilities; however, the ad invites speculation for a role that is not traditionally known for excitement.
It ends asking: “Is it still a risk worth taking? What we can tell you is that whatever your role at MI5 you’ll be contributing to protecting the UK from threats to national security including terrorism and espionage.”
So if the thrill isn’t enough to get you dusting off your CV, there’s the additional draw that you’ll be working for the greater good, very commendable.
MI5 are no strangers to penning enticing recruitment adverts. Earlier this year, another recruitment campaign of theirs, run by advertising agency Penna, scooped the ‘Best Press Advertisement’ at the Recruitment Marketing Awards. They were designed to attract more female candidates and applicants from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. These adverts were a little less cryptic but just as compelling.
So if H&S professionals are anything like me, I suspect they will be queuing up for a chance to glimpse, and possibly work, behind the scenes of such a secretive organisation.
Does it tempt you to apply (if you had the right H&S experience of course)?