10 vital things to include in a job posting

A great quality job posting can be the difference between hiring the perfect candidate and not securing any interviews at all. 

Here are 10 tips to help you attract the best candidates for your open roles. Read on to find out what they are!

Include an accurate job title

Job titles can sometimes be misleading. For example, it might be more accurate to say you’re hiring for an 'astronaut', rather than a ‘deep space engineer’. 

Titles that sound fancy but don’t accurately reflect the position you are looking for might not reach the candidates you want. This is because they might not recognise the title as the one they’re looking for. 

In a similar vein, avoid using industry jargon or abbreviations, as not everyone will understand what they mean. Regardless of what the position is known as internally, your job posting must use a title that is immediately recognisable.

Draw them in with your introduction

The job posting is the first moment of contact you’ll have with your candidates, so it’s important to really sell the role in your introduction. When addressing your audience, use ‘you’ and ‘your’ so potential employees can really envision themselves within the role. 

You’ll want to draw them in straight away, so as well as laying out what your company does, your USPs and your organisation’s values, make them feel excited. How can you make your company stand out from the other job listings? 

This is the hook to draw your potential hires in and get them to read the rest of the job posting. But it also needs to strike the right tone for your company, so your candidates get a strong idea about the role they’re applying for. 

The tone depends on your company’s style, but it could be business-focused, or perhaps more casual and friendly. Whatever the tone, the goal should be to represent your organisation’s employer brand.

List the roles, duties and requirements

The first thing your candidates will want to know is what the job entails. This section allows you to paint a clear, concise picture of what job duties the role will involve. 

By highlighting responsibilities and duties that are a part of the job, you are allowing applicants to know what they will be responsible for day-to-day. 

You need to be honest about describing the position, as you want applicants to buy into the actual role you are offering. A detailed list of roles, duties and responsibilities will attract people who are genuinely interested, whereas if you don’t add enough detail, you’re more likely to get applicants who aren’t a good fit for the role. 

Knowing what the role will entail also helps candidates visualise what their work schedule might look like in your company and gets them excited about the prospect of working with your team. 

Clearly separate required and desirable skills 

Every role includes specific skills or required qualifications that a candidate must have. These essentials sit apart from the abilities that you prefer but don’t absolutely need. 

Make sure you separate the mandatory requirements from the nice-to-haves, along with any preferred qualifications that don’t sit at the core of the role.

For example, if the person will work with clients in France, they must speak French. But if you’d like someone with a PhD in applied mathematics because they might be able to help out with other roles, that’s simply a nice-to-have. 

It doesn’t belong in the same category as the experience required, so keep those lists distinct.

Be specific about location

If your workplace sits in a rural area far from the nearest city or requires a driving licence to reach, make that clear up front. You want to attract candidates who understand where you’re located and who can realistically manage the commute.

Otherwise, you risk investing in a candidate only for them to discover on the way to the interview that the trip won’t work for them long term.

Also, avoid assuming what kind of commute someone will tolerate. Many people are perfectly willing to take a two-hour train or bus ride each way. 

Simply state your location in the job posting and let applicants decide whether the commute fits their lifestyle.

Include a salary range

You know what you can afford to pay for a role, and applicants know what they need to earn.

When you include the salary range in the job description, you ensure that every applicant enters the process comfortable with what you offer.

Many companies lose valuable time interviewing candidates for roles they can’t afford to fill. Clear salary information prevents that from happening.

Also, state whether the role is full time, part time, or maternity cover. This detail affects the salary and helps candidates understand whether they’ll need additional work outside the role.

Highlight meaningful company benefits

Meaningful company benefits help candidates understand the real value of joining your organisation. 

Go beyond generic perks and highlight benefits that genuinely support employees’ wellbeing, such as flexible working options, healthcare coverage, professional development budgets, or enhanced parental leave. 

When you outline these benefits clearly, you attract applicants who appreciate what you offer and who prioritise the same things your company values. 

Being upfront about benefits also prevents misunderstandings later in the process and allows candidates to assess the full package, not just the salary, before they apply.

Detail the application process

A clear application process sets the right expectations from the start. Let candidates know what steps they’ll go through, whether that includes a phone screen, a skills assessment, a panel interview, or a final meeting. 

When you outline the timeline and stages, applicants can prepare properly and avoid surprises. It also shows that you respect their time and take a structured approach to hiring. 

By being upfront about the process, you help candidates decide whether they’re comfortable committing to each step, which leads to a smoother experience for both sides.

Have someone else review your job posting

You can re-read your job posting 100 times, but there is always a chance you might miss a grammatical error or spelling mistake.

Get a colleague to proofread your job posting and provide honest feedback on anything you may have missed or should amend.

A job posting is another type of company marketing, and what you are posting should reflect your company brand and culture. Make sure you fix any errors and present your open roles in the best possible light.

Get help with your job posting

You don’t have to do this all alone. If you are looking to fill open roles with highly skilled, pre-qualified candidates that are a good fit and will be long-term assets in your company, connect with one of us today!

Let’s work together to make your company the success it should be.