Opening - Start your advert with an enticing and concise paragraph that catches the candidates’ attention and really sells your vacancy. Display the job title, position type, salary, location, and details of any remote/flexible working options, so candidates have all the information to hand.

A brief Introduction to your business - Let the candidate know a little bit about your business, your brand, and your culture, and why you’re a great company to work for!

Benefits - Take this opportunity to outline any great benefits or perks that the candidate would receive. Position these benefits towards the top of your advert so candidates are more likely to be drawn in.

Role and responsibilities - List a few of the main role responsibilities. It’s a good idea to break these up into smaller paragraphs, or better still, bullet points. This makes it clearer and easier for candidates to digest.

Key requirements (qualifications and skills) –Be clear on the essential qualifications/requirements for this role, e.g., specific A-Levels, certificates, a certain degree. It can be helpful to use bullet points in this section as well - if you list too many essential criteria, this may overwhelm candidates.

Optimise your advert and ensure the job title appears in your advert text 5-7 times. This will ensure the advert sits further up the listings on the job boards.

Keep the job title short, simple, and industry-relevant to attract candidates searching within a particular sector. Your job title should be a maximum of 40 characters (including spaces).

Display the salary - you could lose up to 50% of candidates if there’s no salary in your advert. Stating the salary also increases the calibre of candidates that apply.

Specify the employment type to ensure the correct candidates apply.

Hybrid and Remote roles are more frequent now so candidates are more drawn to these types of roles so specify this in your advert if applicable.

Be specific on the location of the role and include a full postcode – this will help candidates plan their commute.

Limit company details to no more than three lines -this will give you more room to sell the role itself.

Promote your employer brand, culture, and benefits package in your advert to attract candidates! 70% of candidates would consider accepting a lower-paying job if the role seemed enjoyable or fulfilling.

Consider Diversity and Inclusion in terms of the language used and the content of your advert.

Offer training/career opportunities to grow within the business, as this adds value and commitment.

Make sure your advert is clear and concise, and therefore mobile-friendly. 45% of job seekers will use their mobile daily to search for a new job.

End your advert on a call to action. For example, applying a one-click-apply can potentially increase your application rate by 90%.

Not optimising your advert will mean it sits further down the listings on job boards and won’t be viewed by as many candidates.

Avoid using unusual job titles that are NOT Industry-Relevant as candidates will be unlikely to search these and the reach of your advert will be drastically reduced.

Don't combine multiple roles or levels within one advert e.g. Junior/Senior.

Hiding the salary will deter candidates from applying – transparency is key. If you’re struggling to find the right candidate, adjust your salary bands.

Not displaying your perks/benefits package may encourage candidates to apply for similar roles elsewhere.

Listing too many essential criteria, roles, and responsibilities – this can be overwhelming.

Missing out key information about the role and what would be expected

Avoid phrases such as “do not apply if…” or “only apply if…”; this could potentially deter great candidates.

Avoid Jargon in your advert as this will confuse candidates.

Avoid using any URLs/email addresses/phone numbers in the advert text as these are not supported by the job boards, and your advert may be removed.