A job advert is a sales document, not a legal disclaimer, and most read like the latter. Endless bullet points of "requirements", a wall of corporate adjectives, no salary, and a closing line about how the company is "passionate about excellence". The right candidate skims it, learns nothing about whether they'd actually want the job, and moves on to the advert that told them what they'd be paid and what they'd be doing.
Put the salary in
Hiding the salary is the single most self-defeating habit in recruitment. "Competitive salary" tells candidates nothing except that you'd rather not say, and the best people - the ones with options and offers elsewhere - simply won't waste an application finding out. Publishing a real range, or at least an honest band, filters out mismatches before they cost anyone time and signals that you're a straightforward employer. It also matters for pay equity: secrecy is where unfair gaps quietly grow. State the figure, frame it as a range that varies with experience if you must, but state it.
Write so people picture the job
Describe what the person will actually do on a normal Tuesday, who they'll work with, and what success looks like in the role. That's far more compelling than a list of competencies. Watch the language, too - phrases like "work hard, play hard", "ninja", "rockstar", or demands for someone "young and dynamic" narrow your pool and, in the case of age, stray towards the wrong side of the Equality Act 2010. Inclusive, plain wording widens the field of good applicants rather than shrinking it.
Must-have versus nice-to-have
Separate the two ruthlessly, and keep the must-have list short. Every extra "essential" requirement you bolt on quietly deters strong candidates who meet most of the brief but not all of it, and the research bodies that study this consistently find women and underrepresented groups are likelier to self-select out when a list reads as a wall of demands. Be honest: what does someone genuinely need on day one, and what could they pick up?
- Lead with the salary and the location or working pattern - the two things candidates check first.
- Cut the requirements list to the genuine essentials, then move everything else to "nice to have".
- Post it where your actual candidates look - LinkedIn, Indeed, Totaljobs or a niche sector board - rather than spraying it everywhere and hoping.
The advert that wins isn't the cleverest. It's the honest one that told the right person exactly what the job is and exactly what it pays.