Job ads that bring applications

A job advertisement is an advertisement. It competes for attention, it must be relevant to the reader, and it must give a reason to act. Most are written as internal specifications.

State the pay

The single most effective change available. Advertisements with a stated salary range receive considerably more applications, and the applications are better matched.

Candidates without pay information assume the worst and apply elsewhere. Those who do apply spend the process discovering the range is unacceptable, wasting everybody's time.

Pay transparency requirements are also being introduced in a growing number of jurisdictions, which is turning this from a choice into an obligation.

The structure that works

1. The role in one sentence. What the person will actually do.
2. Why the role exists. Growth, replacement, a new area. Candidates want to know.
3. The work itself, in specifics. A typical week, not a list of responsibilities.
4. The pay and conditions, plainly.
5. What is required, five essentials.
6. What the process is, with stages and timescales.
7. A named person to contact, with a direct route.

Most advertisements begin with three paragraphs about the company. Move that to the end; candidates who are interested in the role will read it.

The requirements list

Long requirement lists disproportionately deter well-qualified candidates, who assess themselves against every item. Less well-matched candidates apply regardless.

The practical consequence: a long list reduces the quality of the applicant pool as well as its size.

The language

Write to one person. Second person, plain sentences, no internal jargon, no acronyms unfamiliar outside the organisation.

Avoid: rockstar, ninja, family, fast-paced environment used as a euphemism, and any phrase implying availability beyond contracted hours.

Check for wording that could deter particular groups. Certain terms measurably skew applications, and reviewing for that is a short exercise with a real effect.

Where to place it

Job boards for volume roles. For skilled and scarce roles, boards are increasingly ineffective and direct approach, employee referral and sector-specific channels work better.

Your own careers page matters more than most employers assume, because candidates who hear about you elsewhere check it.

The process is part of the advertisement

State how many stages, what each involves, and how long the whole process takes. Then meet it.

Candidates withdraw from slow, opaque processes, and the ones who withdraw first are the ones with other options.