Writing Effective Job Advertisements

How much do the words in a job ad matter? More than you think. I’ve seen how often job seekers are left to decode the fine print in postings. The words matter. Lensa has analyzed 400M+ postings and 20M+ applications since 2015. We've identified five key factors you need to watch for: • Length: Postings in the 200-400 word range usually give enough detail without drowning you. Very short posts can mean vague expectations. Extremely long ones can signal a company that isn’t clear on priorities. • Salary ranges: If pay is listed, you can compare quickly and avoid wasting time. If it isn’t, know you’ll likely have to push for clarity later. • Coded language: Words like “aggressive” or “dominant” can tell you something about culture. If those words don’t fit how you work, beware. • Buzzwords: “Rockstar,” “ninja,” “genius.” These don’t define the job. If you see them, look closely at the actual responsibilities before deciding to apply. • Benefits: Health coverage, retirement, flexibility. If these appear early in the posting, it’s a sign the company knows they matter and wants to compete for talent. Read the ad like a preview of how the company operates. Clarity in the post often predicts clarity in the job. Make your move. But first, read the words.

“We’re Hiring”, “Join our Team” ! The Post No One Cares About A recruiter once told me, “We post job openings, but we barely get good applications.” I asked to see their post. It read: “We’re hiring! Join our team. Exciting opportunities await.” That was it. No story, no hook, no reason to care. Now, here’s what’s interesting—Harvard Business Review states that 75% of professionals are passive candidates. They’re not actively looking for jobs, but they might consider one if it speaks to them. So, who is your job post really reaching? You’re missing three key groups: The Passively Interested – People who aren’t job-hunting but could be intrigued if you tell a compelling story. The Influencers – Friends, family, and colleagues of potential candidates. If they resonate with your post, they’ll share it. The Future Hires – Those who may not apply now but will remember your company when the time is right. A Gallup study found that 70% of a company’s ability to attract top talent comes from how it tells its story. So, before you hit “post” on another generic hiring update, ask yourself: ✅ Does this make someone feel something? ✅ Does it show why this role matters, not just list requirements? ✅ Does it make people want to engage—even if they’re not looking? Because hiring isn’t just about announcing jobs. It’s about making people want to be part of something bigger. And, recruitment isn’t about job postings—it’s about storytelling. What are your thoughts on such posts ? #hiring #linkedin

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.

Most job ads are not written for the person who will actually do the job. They are written for an imaginary candidate that nobody has ever met. Ten years of experience in a role that has only existed for five. A degree requirement for a position that has nothing to do with academic thinking. A list of software proficiencies that reads like the procurement history of the IT department. Businesses pile criteria into job ads not because they have thought carefully about what the role needs, but because they are copying what they have seen before and adding a little more to be safe. The result is a document that describes nobody. And the people it repels most reliably are the ones who would have been exceptional. Strong candidates read a job ad and ask one question. Can I deliver what this business actually needs? If the ad is a long list of credentials and technical requirements, that question becomes very hard to answer. So they make a judgement call based on incomplete information, talk themselves out of it, and apply somewhere that gave them a clearer picture. The businesses consistently attracting strong candidates are not writing longer or more detailed ads. They are writing more honest ones. What does this role need to achieve? What does the first year look like? What kind of environment will this person be operating in? Those questions produce answers that mean something to the right someone reading. A job ad is not a compliance document. It is the first commercial conversation you have with the people you most want to reach. Most businesses are treating it like an afterthought and wondering why the shortlist keeps disappointing them. If you want to improve the quality of your shortlist, start by improving the quality of what you are asking people to respond to. I work with small businesses to do exactly that.

Writing Job Posts That Actually Attract Humans (Not Just Bots) Let’s face it: most #job postings sound like they’re written by a robot who’s just clocking out. 🫠 Want your job post to stand out? Let’s ditch the clichés and talk about how to write one that actually works: 1️⃣ Stop Calling Them #Rockstars or #Gurus: Nobody wakes up thinking, “Today, I’ll disrupt industries as a #ninja warrior.” Just tell them what they’ll actually be doing (in real-world terms). 2️⃣ #Perks > Ping Pong Tables: Unless they’re applying for a table tennis league, talk about real benefits—flexibility, career growth, or even better snacks. 🍕 3️⃣ Show the #Real Deal: Candidates know every job comes with challenges. Be upfront: “This role involves tight deadlines, but you’ll have an awesome team to back you up.” Honest posts attract honest people. 4️⃣ Make the #Title Make Sense: “Chief Happiness Wizard” sounds cool, but it’s not going to pop up in a LinkedIn search. Stick to practical titles,or lose great candidates to your own creativity. 5️⃣ Keep It #Human: Imagine you’re chatting with someone over coffee. Would you really say, “Synergy-focused paradigm shifter needed”? Didn’t think so. 6️⃣ Add Personality: Throw in a line about your company culture—like how your team has a monthly pizza bake-off or that your #Slack channel is 80% memes. 7️⃣ #Call Them In, Not Out: “If you’re the kind of person who geeks out over data analytics and loves a good Excel hack, this role is for you!” And for the love of #hiring—STOP copy-pasting job descriptions from 2007. #Candidates can tell, and they won’t swipe right. 🙅♂️ Remember, job #posts are your first impression. Keep them simple, real, and (dare I say?) fun sometimes. The right talent will see through the noise and come running. 🏃♀️🏃♂️ What’s the most cringe-worthy job post you’ve ever come across? Let’s swap stories in the comments! 😂👇 #HiringHumans #JobPostsThatWork #TalentAttraction #RecruitmentFun #EmployerBranding #MakeHiringFun

If you think finding top talent is as easy as posting a job ad and waiting for applications, think again. The job market in Japan has been fiercely competitive for years, with more vacancies than candidates. As of May 2023, there were 132 job openings for every 100 job seekers. The odds are stacked against recruiters. But fear not! Your secret weapon is attracting passive talent – those who aren't actively looking for a job. These individuals hold the key to unlocking your hiring success. So, how can you tap into this hidden talent pool? Here are 3 strategies for attracting passive candidates: 1️⃣ Position yourself as THE company to work for For those content in their current roles, you need to convince them that your organization is worth leaving for. Don't wait until the final interview to showcase how amazing your company is. Start engaging candidates from the get-go, highlighting the opportunity and getting them excited about joining your team. Leverage employee testimonials to showcase your company's values, culture, benefits, and career progression. And remember, show them the meaningful impact they can make in areas like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences. 2️⃣ Be clear on career advancement opportunities Passive candidates won't jump ship without a clear plan for their career advancement. While an attractive salary is important, they also need to feel secure about their future. Paint a compelling picture of what their career could look like at your organization. Set career objectives early on, map out their development path, and demonstrate how your company fosters a culture of growth and progression. Be specific with examples to win them over. 3️⃣ Get the job offer right Making a job offer is a critical moment, especially for candidates who are currently employed. They'll have doubts and fears about changing companies. Take the time to understand their concerns, empathize with their worries, and address any questions they may have. Don't assume the deal is sealed—be prepared to provide reassurances and answers. These strategies go beyond traditional recruitment methods. Book a discovery session with us today and leverage our local experience and networks to find your ideal candidates. 🔗 Read more on our blog: https://zurl.co/Oo5q #Recruitment #PassiveCandidates #HiringStrategies #JapanJobs

When you put "5+ years of experience" on a job description, what are you saying? (aside from potentially leaving yourself open to indirect discrimination / ageism) Would you really turn away your dream candidate because they had 4 years and 10 months of experience instead of 5? Of course not. That would be ridiculous. The real issue is that "years of experience" tells you nothing useful about whether someone can do the job. When you write "5+ years React development," what you probably mean is something like: has built and deployed multiple production applications, comfortable with state management and performance optimization, can review code and mentor junior developers, has experience with testing and CI/CD pipelines. See how much more useful that is? Now candidates know exactly what skills you value, and they can self-assess whether they're a good fit, regardless of whether they've been doing it for 3 years or 10. Instead of defaulting to years, try describing the actual experience you want. Rather than "Senior developer with 7+ years of experience," try "Can architect scalable systems, lead technical discussions, and has experience with microservices." This approach is way more inclusive. You're not accidentally filtering out career changers, self-taught developers, or people who took breaks for family or health reasons. You're focusing on what matters: can they do the job well? It also attracts better candidates. The right people will read your specific requirements and think "That's me!" The ‘wrong’ people will self-select out because they can see they don't have the relevant experience, they won't want to waste their time. Combine a focused, relevant advert with your knockout questions and you’ve created a funnel that’s way cleaner. So next time you're writing a job description/advert, skip the years requirement. Tell us what you need instead. #GameJobs #VideoGames #JobAdverts #Copywriting #GamesIndustry

I read a job description yesterday that asked for 10 years of experience in a technology that’s existed for 4. And it wasn’t the first time. This is what’s actually happening behind the scenes at a lot of companies right now: Someone in leadership says “We need to hire.” HR scrambles to write a JD. They copy one from 2019. They add 14 “nice to haves” that are actually dealbreakers. They post it and wonder why nobody applies. Then they call me. Here’s the truth about job descriptions: they’re not a wish list. They’re your first impression. And most of them are terrible. If your JD is 900 words long, full of corporate jargon, and reads like it was written by a committee... your best candidates are scrolling right past it. What actually works: Be specific about the actual day-to-day work. Say the salary range. Just say it. Cut the requirements list in half. Then cut it again. Write it like a human being, not a legal document. The best hire I made last quarter came from a JD that was 6 sentences long. Six. Your job post is either a door or a wall. Which one is yours? #hiring #jobdescriptions #recruiting #talentacquisition #humanresources

I had a client send me a job spec last week. Under company benefits, they'd listed: Good pension. Tea and coffee. FREE PARKING. I had to laugh. Free parking? That’s the benefit you’re leading with? Top candidates aren’t browsing job ads, thinking: "Forget flexibility, career growth, and compensation… I can PARK for FREE!" They're seriously scrutinizing your role, asking: → Will this company invest in my development? → Will I have the flexibility to do my best work? → Do they treat me like a professional, or just a seat to fill? You’re not competing for attention with perks. You’re competing with real progress. Here’s what actually moves the needle for top performers: Real flexibility (not fake-hybrid with 4 office days) Training budgets and technical certifications Self-directed learning portals £500+ development stipends Wellness perks that go beyond fruit and ping pong One of my clients puts new hires through two technical accreditations during probation. Another gives each employee £500 per year for any course, book, or training they choose. That’s true career investment. You're walking away with credentials that boost your career. The best candidates are already employed. They’re already earning. And they’re not moving for tea, biscuits, or parking. Instead, they want to know you'll invest in their future, give them flexibility, and treat them like the professionals they are. If your job ad leads with where they can leave their car, You’re not underselling the role… You’re underselling your business.