Professional and trade journals are good places to advertise when you are looking for a professional or technical employee with special skills or backgrounds.

The cost per reader for advertising in these journals is relatively high but, overall, the total cost of the ad is generally fairly low. You must balance the need to reach a specialized audience with the need to keep advertising costs at a reasonable level.

Ads aimed at journal readers should emphasize those aspects of the job that appeal to professional pride:

• responsibility
• challenge
• opportunities for advancement

One problem with advertising in this medium is the slow feedback time. Because these publications are often published monthly or quarterly, they are not a good place to advertise for a position that needs to be filled in a hurry.

As with ads in any other medium, if you choose to advertise in a trade journal, make sure you write the job ad correctly and legally.