Best Practices for Writing Job Advertisements

Today's job descriptions are awful. They drive away top talent and waste everyone's time. Here are 8 things every great job description should include: 1. A Realistic Salary Range Sorry, but $0 - $400,000 isn’t a real range. You’re not fooling anyone with this. You’re just telling candidates that you think pay transparency isn’t something you’re serious about. 2. Location Transparency Remote means remote. Fully in office is fully in office. Saying a position is “remote” only to mention it’s hybrid or in office at the bottom doesn’t help anyone. 3. Clear, Realistic Qualifications Listing every platform, skill, and qualification imaginable in an industry isn’t realistic. Get clear on your needs and goals, research the specific skills this hire needs, and include them by name. 4. Who Will Excel in This Role Outline the ideal hire for this role, including: - Traits - Tendencies - Work Style - Cultural Fit Be specific and share examples! 5. Who Isn’t a Fit for This Role Outline who wouldn’t be a good fit for this role, including: - Expectations - Tendencies - Work Style - Cultural Fit Be specific and share examples here too. 6. Describe What Success Looks Like Describe what success will look like for this hire, including: - Tangible Goals - How Goals Are Calculated - How Goals Are Monitored - How Employees Are Supported In Reaching Goals 7. Describe the Team Culture Culture is key for both employers and employees. Describe yours including: - Work Style - Boundaries - Values - Expectations 8. Outline the Hiring Process Include a step-by-step timeline of the hiring process, including: - How many rounds - Stakeholders involved - Estimated response times Then stick to it. What did I miss?

Honestly if I see another generic old JD disguised as an advert 🤯...I figure if you're going to go to the effort (and spend the money) for advertising roles, then you should do a good job of it! ❌ Stop Copying and Pasting Job Descriptions Urgggh, another laundry list responsibilities that read like the terms and conditions on a website. Or worse, very little information on what you're looking for. No-one wants gets excited reading through 15 bullet points. ✔️ Instead of saying, "You’ll be responsible for managing social media accounts," say, "You’ll play a critical role in shaping the online voice of a brand that reaches millions." Which sounds more appealing? ➡️ You're Selling a Role, Not Just Offering a Job Think of your job posting like a marketing campaign. You’re selling a career opportunity, not just a position to fill. What’s exciting about the job? Why should someone leave their current role to join your team? Highlight the things that matter to real candidates—career growth, innovation, challenges, and culture. Candidates want to know: - What’s in it for them? - How will their work be valued? - What’s your company’s culture like? ✔️Focus on what makes your company and the role unique. Avoid vague statements like "competitive salary" or "great benefits." Be specific—do you offer remote work, flexible hours, or development programs? Are you working on industry-shifting projects? Sell it! ⁉️Are You Offering What People Actually Want? 💲It’s 2024, and people want to know what they’re getting into. If you’re hiding behind ‘salary negotiable’ or refusing to disclose a range, you’re probably losing out on the best people. Be upfront—if you value talent, show it with the offer. 🤸Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Remote work? Hybrid options? These are no longer ‘nice-to-haves’—they’re often deal-breakers. If you’re stuck on requiring people to be in the office five days a week, you’re narrowing your candidate pool dramatically. Be clear about how you accommodate people’s lives outside of work. 🌷Growth Opportunities: Talented professionals want roles where they can grow, not stagnate. Are you providing opportunities for mentorship, upskilling, or leadership development? Be vocal about these options in your job postings. No one wants to jump ship for ‘just another job.’ They want a challenge, a growth opportunity, and a place where they can make a real impact. Are you offering that? The first person that DM's me their job advert that needs some love, gets it done for free. Go.

A job description isn’t a checklist. It’s your company’s first handshake. And if that handshake is cold, confusing, or crushes someone’s hand, they’re walking away. Here’s how to write one that actually connects: - Lead with the “why”. Think of it like a movie trailer. You have 10 seconds to hook them - Write like a human, not a corporate chatbot. No one is inspired by “synergies” and “stakeholder alignment” - Make it about them, not just you. What will they gain? Learn? Impact? - Trim the fluff. This is not a scavenger hunt - Be real about pay, perks, and expectations. It builds trust Your dream candidate is not reading your job post over coffee thinking “Hmm, what a thrilling PDF.” They’re scanning it like a menu, trying to decide if it’s worth biting into 🍔 So don’t serve up mystery meat. Be clear, be real, and make them hungry to hit apply #TalentAcquisition #HiringTips #JobPostBestPractices #RecruitmentMarketing

Job ads are hit or miss, but they work 100X better if you stop posting the legal job description HR created. Unfortunately most contractor's job ads all look the same - despite each company offering very different employment experiences. Here’s the truth: candidates don’t want a checklist. They want a story they can see themselves in. -What does success in the role look like after 90 days? -What kind of projects are they walking into? -How big is the team? Who do they report to? What tools are being used day to day? Do they have dedicated support staff? - What does the company stand for? These are the questions candidates are asking when they scroll through job boards. And they’re not looking for fluff—they’re looking for specifics that help them picture where they’ll be spending 40 hours a week. When we support hiring teams, we push them to go deeper. Not just what the job is, but what it feels like to do that job at your company. Describe the culture. Share the project scope. Highlight growth paths. That’s what turns a passive reader into an engaged applicant. Generic job ads attract generic candidates. But a clear, well-written story? That attracts the ones who actually want to be there!

Diversity and inclusion matter in job descriptions. It's more than just words. It's about creating opportunities for everyone. Done right, it attracts talent, innovation & growth. ☑ Use gender-neutral language Avoid gender-coded words like "aggressive" or "nurturing." Use neutral terms that focus on skills and qualifications. ☑ Minimize requirements List only essential qualifications and skills. Women often apply only if they meet 100% of the requirements, while men apply at about 60%. Limiting requirements to 3-5 key ones can encourage a more diverse applicant pool. ☑ Highlight inclusive benefits Showcase employee resource groups (ERGs), flexible work options, and other benefits that may appeal to diverse candidates. ☑ Include a Diversity Statement Express your commitment to diversity and encourage applications from underrepresented groups with a thoughtful statement. ☑ Use inclusive job titles Replace gendered titles like "salesman" with neutral alternatives like "sales representative." ☑ Showcase diverse employee Stories include quotes or brief profiles of diverse employees to help candidates envision themselves at your company. ☑ Address potential barriers Explicitly state accommodations available for disabilities or flexibility for caregivers to encourage applications from these groups. ☑ Focus on skills over experience Emphasize the skills needed for success in the role rather than specific years of experience, which can limit your candidate pool. Master inclusive job descriptions. Transform your hiring process. Boost your diversity.

What if we made job postings more user-centric? Great products are designed with the customer in mind. Great hiring processes are designed with the candidate in mind. Their goals Their needs Their pain points Most job postings are at a huge disconnect from what job seekers are actually looking for when deciding what to apply for. Too vague Too wordy Too confusing Not enough info Unclear expectations  Filled with buzzwords Stifling qualifications lists Missing details candidates care about All this results in lower quality applicant pools, mismatched expectations, misaligned roles, frustrated candidates, and frustrated hiring teams. Instead of unhelpful jargon, cliched language, and cagey details, The best job postings are ones that share more specifics, not less. Things like:   Salary Benefits Start date Responsibilities Interview process Team and manager  Problems you will solve How performance is measured How you will grow in 3, 6, 12 months Meanwhile, the minimum qualifications should be less specific. Only put what is truly REQUIRED. Lengthy laundry lists of must-haves do no one any favors. (unless you're hiring unicorns and not humans). Hiring teams that take a more intentional, user-centric approach, even at something that seems mundane like writing job postings will see: Higher quality applicant pools Better prepared candidates More engaged employees For job seekers out there: What things do you find MOST helpful in job postings?  What things are LEAST helpful? For hiring managers and recruiters out there: What are some of your go-to best practices for writing job postings? Here's a Venn diagram I made of some of my favorites :)

How to write an agency job post that pre-filters 99% of bad fits.   Most agency owners write job posts like they're trying to attract everyone.   Long list of requirements. Generic responsibilities. "Competitive salary."   And then wonder why 100 unqualified people apply and none of them are good.   A job post isn't a job description. It's a filter.   Here's how we write ours:   1 - Lead with the outcome   Don't start with "we're looking for a..."   Start with what success looks like in 90 days and what kind of person thrives here.   A-players are focused on results.   2 - Describe the personality, not just the CV or experience   Most job posts list skills and experience.   Nobody filters for personality.   We use the DISC model for every hire and write the post around the personality traits the role needs.   If they don't fit that, they're automatically disqualified and we'll also check this on a call to be sure.   You can always teach skills, but you can't change personalities.   3 - Show what working here actually looks like   Real expectations. Real standards. Real culture/values.   "We don't micromanage. We set KPIs and expect you to hit them" "If you need daily reminders, this isn't the right place"   Most people self-select out. That's the point.   4 - Give them a real paid task   No "send us your CV."   After personality screening, we give candidates a real task.   Something they'd actually do in the role.   Not a fake case study. Real work.   It shows you how they think, how they communicate, and how they deliver before you commit to anything.   This alone will filter out 99% of bad fits without having to do a single call.   So next time you need to hire someone new...   Write your job post like a FILTER. Not an ad.

🚨 Your job postings are sabotaging your recruiting efforts. I just reviewed 50+ job descriptions from mid-size companies. Here’s what I found: ❌ 15+ years experience required for roles paying $60K ❌ “Entry-level” positions demanding expert-level skills ❌ 47-item requirement lists that read like impossible wish lists ❌ Company descriptions that say nothing about why someone would actually want to work there ❌ Zero information about growth opportunities or what makes the role exciting Then these same companies tell me: “We can’t find qualified candidates.” “The talent pool is terrible.” “Nobody wants to work anymore.” Here’s the truth: The talent is out there. They’re just not applying to YOUR job postings. Why? Because top candidates are selective. When they read your requirements list, they think: • “This company doesn’t know what they actually need” • “This role sounds overwhelming” • “These requirements don’t match the level or compensation” • “This doesn’t sound like a place that values growth” Meanwhile, your competitors who write job postings like marketing copy are attracting the A-players you need. The strategic recruiting approach: ✅ Clear role focus: What will they actually DO day-to-day? ✅ Honest requirements: What do they REALLY need vs. nice to have? ✅ Compelling value proposition: Why would a top performer choose YOU? ✅ Growth pathway: Where can this role take their career? ✅ Cultural authenticity: What’s it actually like to work here? If your job postings aren’t attracting quality candidates, the problem isn’t the talent market, it’s your approach. What’s the biggest recruiting challenge you’re facing right now? Drop it in the comments and I’ll share specific strategies that work. Or comment “RECRUITING” and I’ll send you my Job Posting Optimization Framework. #Recruiting #HRStrategy #TalentAcquisition #Hiring #WorkforceStrategy

"Must have 7 years experience in a tool that's existed for 3 years." "Looking for a self-starter who thrives in ambiguity but also follows detailed processes." "Fast-paced environment" — translation: we're understaffed and you'll do three people's jobs. "Wear many hats" — translation: we don't know what this role is yet but we need a body. You wrote a contradictory wish list, posted it on LinkedIn, got 200 applications from confused people, then told your board "there's a talent shortage." There's no talent shortage. There's a clarity shortage. The best job description I ever wrote was four sentences. What the role does. What success looks like in 90 days. The pay range. How to apply. Got fewer applicants. Every single one was qualified. Employers: if your job post is longer than a page, you're filtering out good people who don't have time to decode your corporate poetry. Job seekers: if a description contradicts itself three times before the requirements section, that company doesn't know what they need. You'll spend your first six months figuring it out for them. Write shorter. Hire faster. Stop blaming candidates for your lack of clarity.

Every job posting has a character limit. You're using half of it to say absolutely nothing. Here's the problem. "We're a fast-paced, innovative company seeking a dynamic self-starter to synergize cross-functional deliverables in a collaborative environment." That's 128 characters. It tells candidates nothing about the actual job. And candidates don't care about your brand speak. They're not reading your job post to learn about your company culture deck. They're reading it to answer three questions: 1. What will I actually do every day? 2. What do I need to be good at? 3. What will I get paid? Every sentence about "leveraging strategic initiatives" or "driving impactful solutions" is space you're not using to answer those questions. Think about it. You have 10 seconds of attention. Do you really want to spend it on "we're looking for passionate team players who thrive in ambiguity"? Or say: "You'll manage a $2M ad budget across Google, Meta, and TikTok. You need 3+ years of paid social experience. Salary range: $85K-$105K." Here's what works. Write like a human. Cut every sentence that could apply to literally any job at any company. If you can copy-paste it into a different job posting without changing it, delete it. Use that space to be specific about what matters: the actual work, the skills required, the team structure, and the compensation. Test it for yourself. Before you post that job ad, highlight everything that's generic corporate speak. Now delete it and replace it with specifics about the role. Job seekers are scanning dozens of posts. Give them a reason to stop on yours. What's the worst piece of corporate jargon you've seen waste space in a job posting?