Most job ads are written by someone thinking about what they need to filter out, not what would make a good candidate want in. That's understandable — but it's also why so many roles sit open for months while genuinely strong people scroll straight past them.
A job ad is a sales document before it's a filtering document. It only gets to do the filtering job once someone's actually read it and decided the role is worth applying to — and a huge number of ads lose good candidates before that point, not because the role is bad, but because the ad makes it sound like a checklist rather than an opportunity.
Lead with what's actually compelling
Before you list a single requirement, answer the question a strong candidate is genuinely asking: why would I want this, specifically, over the four other similar roles open right now? That might be the scope of the role, the team, real growth potential, working arrangement, or the problem the company is solving. Put that near the top — not buried under three paragraphs of company boilerplate.
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
The single most common mistake in job ads is a requirements list that reads like a wish list rather than a genuine bar. If you list ten "essential" skills, most strong candidates who'd actually thrive in the role will have seven or eight of them — and a meaningful share will talk themselves out of applying rather than risk wasting their time. Be honest about what's genuinely non-negotiable versus what's a bonus:
- Essential: the two or three things someone genuinely cannot do the job without
- Desirable: skills or experience that would help but that you'd happily train or work around
- Everything else: cut it, or fold it into "you might also have" language rather than a hard requirement
Be specific about the day-to-day
Vague ads produce vague applications from candidates who aren't sure what they're actually signing up for. A short, concrete sense of what a typical week involves — the real mix of the job, not just the department name — helps the right people self-select in and the wrong people self-select out before either of you wastes an interview slot.
Say what the salary is
A meaningful share of candidates now skip straight past ads with no salary information, on the reasonable assumption that "competitive salary" often means "we'd rather you didn't know before you're invested." A realistic range — even a wide one — signals confidence and saves everyone a wasted process when expectations turn out to be incompatible three interviews in.
Watch the tone, not just the content
Job ads are read as a preview of the culture, fairly or not. Dense corporate language, excessive buzzwords, and gender-coded phrasing ("aggressive self-starter," "nurturing team player") all quietly shape who applies and who doesn't, often in ways that work against you. Read your ad back and ask whether it sounds like a person wrote it or a template did.
A useful gut check
Before you post it, read the ad as if you were a strong candidate currently employed and not desperate to move. Would it make you curious enough to click through, or would it read like every other ad in your inbox? If it's the latter, it needs another pass.
Getting it in front of the right people
A well-written ad still has to reach the right candidates, and that's where a lot of in-house hiring processes run out of road — particularly for niche or senior roles where the strongest candidates aren't actively browsing job boards at all. If that's the position you're in, it might be worth reading our guide on when to bring in a recruiter alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include a salary range in the job ad?
In almost every case, yes. Candidates increasingly skip ads without one, and you're filtering out strong applicants before they even read what the role involves. A realistic range costs you nothing and saves both sides time further down the process.
How long should a job ad be?
Long enough to give a genuine picture of the role and short enough that someone will actually finish reading it — in practice, that's usually a few short paragraphs plus two focused lists, not a full page of dense text.
What's the single biggest mistake employers make in job ads?
Writing a wish list instead of a job description — piling on every skill that would be nice to have until the requirements section reads like a unicorn hunt. Strong candidates self-select out of ads like that, assuming (often correctly) that the bar is unrealistic or the role is a mess.
Does the tone of a job ad actually affect who applies?
Yes, more than most employers assume. Dry, jargon-heavy ads written entirely in HR-speak signal a certain kind of culture, whether or not that's accurate — and candidates read between the lines just as much as employers do with a CV.
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