Has a role opened up at your business, and you are looking to advertise a job?
This seems like a simple role but hold on! It can be hard to create an enticing and factual job advert, so for many companies, it is worth knowing what that includes and how to craft the ideal advert for the job.
Job Description vs Job Advert
In simple terms, a job advert is short, aiming to sell the role to candidates and the job description is longer, including all of the duties of the job and the working hours. The job advert is engaging, whereas the job description is formal.
Salary
In 2025, the minimum wage increased across the UK. However, if you are hiring for a senior role, you will need to look at the local rates in the area where the job is based. For example, an accountant’s role in Swindon is going to differ from the wage of an accountant in London!
So, be sure to check with your HR team the rates for the role you are hiring for and put it on the advert. If you are a small business or a sole trader who is asking for additional help in an upcoming job, it can be worth checking in with an external HR team, such as HR Swindon, to make sure you have all the details before listing the job.
Location
Where is the job based? Since the pandemic of 2020, many companies are offering staff the option to have remote or hybrid roles, which frees up flexibility and helps with work-life balance. If the role you are advertising is location-based, put it on the advert and, whatever you do, get the category right! There has been an upsurge in job applicants applying for roles that are labelled as remote, only to later discover that they are hybrid, which can interfere with current commitments or plans.
Qualifications or Experience Needed
Another part of the job you will need to include in the advert is the experience required or the qualifications needed for the candidate to successfully get the job. For example, if you are putting an advert online for a senior psychotherapist, you would expect them to have at least five years or more working in that field, with up-to-date qualifications. Of course, if the role you are advertising is an entrance role, then you should advertise that no qualifications and/or experience are needed.
This will help you hone in on the candidates who are most suited for the role, and you will not have to worry about false advertising, or candidates applying for a job that they will not have the skills to get.
Opportunity
How will this job benefit the people who are applying? Does this job come with the opportunity for advancement in the business? If the answer is yes, then include that in the advert! Is the job an entry-level position with lots of room for promotion? Or is it a senior-level role, which comes with great opportunities relating to jobs in other companies in the future? Either way, be sure to include the opportunity in the job advert, as this will enable candidates to assess whether it would be a short or long-term role for them.
Closing and Interview Dates
It is commonly seen on websites like LinkedIn and Indeed, but including a closing date for applications, as well as the timeline of when the interviews will take place, is usually welcomed by job seekers. It allows for clarity and, if needed, for them to get access to more information or documentation that they may need to apply.
It is worth adding a caveat if you anticipate a high number of applicants. You should state on the advert that you will close the job advert as soon as a sufficient number of applicants have applied. Also, relating to the interview(s), you should state if they will be held via an online platform, like Zoom, or if the interviewees will need to attend a set location. This can also help jobseekers to plan and, again, is usually seen as a sign of professionalism on your end.
Start Date
Is the role you are advertising due to start immediately (in the next two weeks), or will the work be needed in a month or two? You will need to include the start date or the anticipated start date of the role, as this will allow job seekers to plan. If they are going to be resigning from a current role to take on this one, they will likely need to give notice, so the advice for posting a job of any kind would be to do so as soon as the vacancy becomes available.
