Three signs that your job advert is written for the wrong candidate

Before investing in employer branding campaigns, before increasing your LinkedIn Ads budget, before hiring an HR consultancy, review your job adverts. Most junior talent attraction problems start there, in the wording of the advert.

Sign 1: The advert describes the ideal candidate, not the actual job

"We are looking for a proactive person, able to work as part of a team, results-oriented, with good communication skills and a willingness to learn."

This description says nothing about the job. It describes generic qualities that any candidate can claim to have and that no selection process can verify in an interview.

A junior candidate reading this does not know whether the role involves speaking to clients, writing code, managing campaigns or analysing data. They do not know whether the team has two people or twenty. They do not know whether the work is office-based, hybrid or remote.

The warning sign is when the advert talks more about the candidate than the role. A good advert describes the job first and the profile afterwards.

Sign 2: The requirements are a wish list, not a description of genuine needs

Every requirement you add to a job advert reduces the pool of candidates who apply. Some of those requirements are genuine: if the role really requires advanced Excel, include it. But if it is a "desirable" that no one is going to check in the interview, you are filtering out suitable candidates based on criteria that do not affect actual performance in the role.

The useful exercise is this: for each requirement, ask yourself whether you would be able to assess it during the selection process. If the answer is no, it probably should not be in the advert.

Sign 3: There is no salary information

Junior candidates check multiple platforms before applying. When an advert does not include a salary range, the candidate assumes the worst or simply moves on to the next one. In a market where specialised platforms such as Joblanders show salary ranges from the outset, adverts without compensation information have significantly lower conversion rates.

Not publishing the salary does not protect your negotiating position. It only reduces the quantity and quality of the candidates who apply.

The advert as the first culture filter

The way you write a job advert communicates how your company works before anyone has an interview. A clear, honest and well-structured advert attracts candidates who value clarity. A vague advert full of aspirational requirements attracts candidates who learn to tell you what you want to hear.

The type of candidate you get starts with the type of advert you publish.