How to write a job advert that gets applications

7 minute read · Updated 2026-08-26

Most vacancies that struggle to attract candidates do not have a market problem, they have an advert problem. Learning how to write a job advert properly is the cheapest fix available to any employer: the same role, re-advertised with a clear title, a stated salary and a shorter requirements list, will usually pull several times the response. Here is what to change.

Start with the job title candidates actually search for

Internal titles are the biggest single cause of low application volumes. Nobody searches for Customer Experience Ninja, Operations Associate Level II or Technical Resource. Use the term the market uses: Warehouse Operative, Care Assistant, Class 1 HGV Driver, Registered Nurse, Site Manager, Management Accountant, Teaching Assistant.

Add the qualifier that candidates filter by, and nothing else: shift, level or location. Class 1 HGV Driver (Nights, Wakefield) works. Keep the title short enough to read on a phone, since most job board traffic is mobile.

Put the salary in the advert

Adverts that state pay consistently attract more applications than those saying competitive, and they waste less of everyone's time at offer stage. Give a real range and the basis: £13.50 to £14.75 an hour depending on experience, or £34,000 to £38,000 plus a shift allowance. If the range is wide, say what moves someone up it.

Then list the rest of the package, because it is often what wins the candidate: pension contribution above the auto enrolment minimum, overtime and premium rates, holiday above the statutory 5.6 weeks, a van or fuel card, funded tickets such as SMSTS or a Driver CPC block, and any bonus with its actual trigger. Whatever pay you set, it must be at or above the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for the person's age, and those rates change every April.

Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves

A list of fifteen requirements tells strong candidates not to bother. Restrict the essential list to four or five items that you would genuinely reject someone for lacking, typically a licence, a card, a registration or a specific number of years in a defined task. Put everything else under a clearly labelled desirable heading.

Be concrete about the gate. Blue CSCS card and SSSTS is useful. Excellent communication skills is not, because you cannot sift on it and nobody self excludes because of it. If a driving licence and your own vehicle are genuinely required, say so, and say why, since it removes a large source of failed placements in care and multi site roles.

Describe the actual job, not the company's values

Candidates want to picture the week. Give them: the shift pattern and hours, whether there are nights, weekends or on call, where the work happens and whether there is travel between sites, who they report to, the size of the team, and the three or four things they will spend most of their time doing. A short paragraph on the employer is fine, but it should come after the job.

Aim for around 400 to 700 words total. Use short paragraphs and a bulleted requirements list, because the majority of candidates will read it on a phone at speed.

Finish by telling candidates exactly how to apply, what the process is and roughly how long it takes: for example, CV review, a fifteen minute phone call, then one interview at the site with a tour. Give a named contact for questions, and say when interviews will happen, because candidates juggling several processes prioritise the employer who is specific.

How to write a job advert that stays lawful

Under the Equality Act 2010 an advert must not discriminate on grounds of age, sex, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity. In practice most problems come from casual wording rather than intent:

Age: avoid young and dynamic, recent graduate, mature candidate and digital native. Ask for the skill or the qualification instead.
Sex: use Salesperson rather than Salesman, and avoid he or she throughout.
Disability: state genuine physical requirements factually, for example regular lifting up to 20kg, rather than asking for someone fit and healthy, and offer to discuss reasonable adjustments.
Nationality: ask that candidates have the right to work in the UK. Do not ask for British citizens only or specify a nationality, and do not screen out people based on where they were born.
Avoid asking about health or sickness absence before an offer, which is restricted by section 60 of the Equality Act, with narrow exceptions.

If a requirement really is an occupational requirement, take advice before relying on it. ACAS publishes free guidance on recruitment, and a solicitor is worth a phone call if you are unsure.

What advertising a job should cost

Employers usually have three options, and it is worth being clear about the difference. A single job board advert is the cheapest route and typically costs a few hundred pounds or less per role, with discounts for buying credits in bulk. CV database access is a subscription, and it suits employers hiring continuously, because you approach candidates directly rather than waiting for applications. A recruitment agency charges a percentage of the salary, commonly in the mid to high teens and above for hard to fill roles, and is worth it when the search is genuinely difficult or confidential.

For most volume and mid level UK vacancies, advertising plus a proactive CV search costs a fraction of an agency fee. You can compare the current options on our pricing page.

Next step: post your vacancy, then read our guide to shortlisting candidates and right to work checks so the applications you attract do not stall. Employers new to the site can find an overview on our employers page.