A job post is your first piece of sales copy in the hiring process — you’re selling the role and your company to potential candidates. Most job posts are dull, generic, and attract either no applications or a flood of wrong-fit applicants. Here’s how to write one that draws in the right people.
Lead With What’s In It for Them
Most job posts open with a lengthy description of the company’s history and mission — information candidates can find on your website. Start instead with what makes this opportunity genuinely compelling for the right candidate. What will they learn? What problems will they solve? What impact will they have? What makes working at your company different from working at a competitor?
The candidate’s first question is “why would I want this job?” Answer it in the first paragraph.
Be Specific About the Role
Vague job descriptions attract vague candidates. The more specifically you describe the actual work — the tasks performed daily, the problems encountered, the decisions made, the metrics tracked — the better candidates can self-select based on genuine fit.
Include what a successful first 90 days looks like. What will this person accomplish? How will you know they’re succeeding? Concrete outcomes communicate role clarity and organizational thoughtfulness that ambitious candidates find attractive.
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List Requirements Honestly — And Minimally
Requirement inflation is a pervasive problem in job posts. When every role requires five or more years of experience, proficiency in ten tools, and a bachelor’s degree — regardless of whether those requirements actually predict job performance — you filter out excellent candidates and attract mediocre ones who know how to tick boxes.
List only requirements that genuinely matter for success in the role. Distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Research consistently shows that some groups, particularly women, are less likely to apply unless they meet 100% of listed requirements — so every inflated requirement reduces the quality and diversity of your applicant pool.
Be Transparent About Compensation
Job posts that omit salary or compensation ranges waste everyone’s time and signal poor organizational transparency. Candidates who advance through your hiring process only to discover the compensation doesn’t match their expectations represent significant wasted investment for both parties.
List a compensation range. If you’re not sure what the market range is, research current salaries on Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, or Levels.fyi before posting. Salary transparency also signals confidence and respect for candidates’ time — qualities that make your company more attractive to serious professionals.
Communicate Your Culture Authentically
Every company claims to have a “collaborative culture” and “passionate team.” These phrases mean nothing because everyone says them. Instead, show rather than tell: describe a specific example of how your team collaborated on a challenge, a specific way your values show up in daily decisions, or a specific benefit that reflects your culture genuinely.
Authentic culture description attracts culture-fit candidates and filters out those who wouldn’t thrive in your environment — dramatically improving both acceptance rates and retention.
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Distribution Matters as Much as Quality
A perfectly written job post that nobody sees produces no candidates. Post on the platforms most likely to reach your ideal candidate:
- LinkedIn for professional and office roles
- Indeed for broad reach across most categories
- Remote.co or We Work Remotely for remote positions
- Industry-specific boards for specialized roles
- Your own social media and email list for culture-forward candidates who already follow you
Referrals from your own network and current team members typically produce the highest-quality, fastest-to-hire candidates of any source. Announce the opening to your professional network directly alongside your job board postings.
For job post templates, recruitment strategy guides, and hiring process frameworks for small business owners, Internet Chicks Worth offers practical HR content designed for entrepreneurs who want to attract and hire excellent candidates without a dedicated recruiting team.
