What to Include in a Job Advert
A strong job advert gives candidates enough information to decide whether the role is relevant, attractive and practical before they apply. That means explaining the job clearly, but also answering the questions candidates care about: salary, location, working pattern, requirements, benefits and what happens next.
10 things every job advert should include
A useful job advert should answer the candidate's main questions without forcing them to contact you, search your website or wait until interview. For most UK vacancies, these are the ten pieces of information worth covering.
1. Job title
Use a clear title candidates recognise and are likely to search for.
2. Salary
Give the salary or realistic range and explain any variable pay separately.
3. Location
State the real workplace and whether the role is office-based, hybrid or remote.
4. Employment type
Make permanent, fixed-term, temporary, full-time or part-time status clear.
5. Role summary
Explain what the person will actually be joining the business to do.
6. Responsibilities
Describe the most important outcomes, duties and areas of ownership.
7. Requirements
Separate genuine essentials from skills or experience that are merely desirable.
8. Benefits
Explain what the candidate receives beyond basic salary.
9. Employer context
Give enough information about the company, team and environment to create context.
10. How to apply
Tell candidates what you need from them and what the next step looks like.
The title is especially important because it affects both candidate understanding and discoverability. If you are unsure what wording to use, see How to Choose the Right Job Title.
This broadly reflects current guidance from major recruitment platforms. Indeed describes a job description as covering responsibilities, activities, qualifications and skills, alongside company information, benefits and potentially reporting lines and salary. Reed says online job adverts should contain a clear title, duties, company vision and culture, application information and salary.
Indeed employer guidance Reed job advert guidance
If a suitable candidate reads only your advert, they should understand the opportunity well enough to make an informed decision about applying.
What is the difference between a job advert and a job description?
They overlap, but they are not the same document. A formal job description may record duties, reporting lines and organisational responsibilities in detail. A job advert should select the information a candidate needs and present it in a way that helps them decide whether to apply.
Reed makes a similar distinction in its recruiter guidance: the job description explains the tasks, duties, functions and responsibilities, while the wider advert also needs to sell the company and opportunity to the candidate.
Start with a short summary of the opportunity
The first paragraph should orient the candidate quickly. Explain what the role is, why it exists, the broad level of responsibility and one or two reasons the opportunity may be attractive. Do not begin with several paragraphs of company history before the candidate understands the job.
| Less useful opening | Stronger opening |
|---|---|
| “We are a dynamic, fast-growing and forward-thinking organisation looking for a passionate individual to join our amazing team.” | “We’re hiring a Management Accountant to take ownership of monthly reporting, budgeting and commercial analysis for a growing UK technology business.” |
Reed recommends opening a job advert with the candidate proposition: why the opportunity is worth considering, how it could benefit the person's career, and what the company offers beyond the basic duties. That does not require hype; it requires useful information.
Reed: how to write a great job advert
Keep the opening factual. “Fast-paced”, “exciting” and “market-leading” add little unless you immediately explain what makes the role or company distinctive.
Include salary, location and the real working arrangement
These details determine whether the opportunity is practical for the candidate. Hiding them does not remove the question; it simply postpones it.
Salary
Show a meaningful range.Include base salary and explain commission, bonuses, overtime or shift premiums separately where relevant.
Location
Give the real workplace.For large cities or dispersed sites, an area, postcode or nearest transport link can make the commute much easier to judge.
Working model
Define hybrid or remote.“Hybrid” should normally explain the expected office days. “Remote” should explain any country, time-zone or travel restrictions.
Salary deserves particular attention. Indeed reports that 92% of UK jobseekers in a survey rated salary as important information in a job description. Reed reported that jobs disclosing salary received 60% more applications in its 2024 data. Those figures come from different datasets, but both point in the same direction: salary is highly relevant candidate information.
Indeed salary guidance Reed salary research
For a deeper look at salary ranges, DOE, OTE and UK pay transparency, read Should You Include a Salary in a Job Advert?
Describe responsibilities as outcomes, not an exhaustive task list
Candidates need to understand what they will spend their time doing and what they will be responsible for. That does not mean copying every line from an internal job description.
A strong responsibilities section usually prioritises the duties that define the role: what the person owns, who they work with, what they produce or deliver, and what success broadly looks like.
Instead of asking “What tasks could this person ever do?”, ask “What are the main things this person will be responsible for getting right?”
Separate essential requirements from desirable ones
Requirements should help suitable people decide whether they are qualified — not describe an imaginary perfect candidate. Include the experience, skills, qualifications, licences or registrations genuinely needed to perform the role.
Indeed advises employers to keep qualification and skills lists concise, noting that an excessive list can discourage candidates. Its recruitment-process guidance also distinguishes between essential and desirable criteria when describing a clear job listing.
Indeed job description guidance Indeed recruitment process guidance
Check every requirement. If you would still interview an excellent candidate who did not have it, it may belong under “desirable” rather than “essential”.
Include benefits that are specific enough to mean something
Benefits answer the candidate's question: “What do I receive in return for joining?” They should go beyond phrases such as “competitive benefits package” when you can provide the actual details.
Time
- Annual leave allowance
- Flexible hours
- Additional leave schemes
Financial
- Bonus or commission
- Pension contribution
- Life assurance
Flexibility
- Hybrid arrangement
- Remote-work support
- Flexible start/finish times
Development
- Training budget
- Professional qualifications
- Clear progression routes
Wellbeing
- Private healthcare
- Employee assistance
- Wellbeing allowance
Practical
- Season-ticket loan
- Parking
- Travel or car allowance
Indeed reports that 82% of UK jobseekers in its survey rated employee benefits as key information in a job description. Reed likewise lists benefits, flexibility, culture and career prospects among the things candidates typically look for in an advert.
Tell candidates enough about the company and team
Company information should help the candidate understand the environment they are joining. A short, relevant description is usually more useful than several paragraphs copied from an About Us page.
What does the company do?
Explain the product, service or purpose in plain English.
Where does this role sit?
Name the team, reporting line or stakeholders where that context matters.
Why is the role available?
Growth, a new function or team expansion can add useful context when appropriate.
What is distinctive about the environment?
Use specific examples of culture, working style, scale or mission rather than generic adjectives.
Indeed recommends including company mission, culture and benefits in the job description. Reed also recommends explaining company vision and culture, but the information should remain relevant to the candidate and vacancy rather than overpowering the description of the job itself.
Explain how to apply and what candidates should expect
End the advert with a simple next step. Tell candidates whether you need a CV, application form, portfolio, covering note or another piece of information, and avoid asking for material you do not genuinely need.
For example: “Apply with your CV. Shortlisted candidates will have a 30-minute introductory call, followed by one interview with the hiring manager and team lead.”
If there is a fixed closing date, planned interview window, practical assessment or background check, include that information where it is known and relevant. Reed specifically includes “how to apply” as one of the core elements in its recommended job advert structure.
Check the advert for discriminatory wording
UK employers should ensure the advert does not state or imply that applicants will be treated less favourably because of a protected characteristic.
GOV.UK's recruitment guidance says employers must not state or imply in a job advert that they will discriminate against anyone. It specifically warns that wording such as “recent graduate” or “highly experienced” should only be used where it reflects an actual requirement, because otherwise it could disadvantage younger or older applicants.
GOV.UK: discrimination in recruitment GOV.UK: protected characteristics
Describe the capability, qualification or availability actually required rather than using demographic shortcuts.
This guide is about writing better recruitment advertising rather than providing legal advice. If a requirement could exclude a protected group and you are unsure whether it is objectively justified, seek appropriate employment-law advice before publishing.
Job advert checklist
Before your vacancy goes live, check that a candidate can answer all of these questions from the advert itself:
The title and opening make the purpose of the role immediately clear.
A salary or meaningful range is visible, with variable pay explained separately.
The workplace, remote/hybrid arrangement and expected attendance are clear.
The advert explains the main duties, outcomes and ownership.
Essential and desirable requirements are separated realistically.
Benefits, flexibility and development opportunities are specific.
The company and team context are useful without dominating the advert.
The application route and any known next steps are easy to understand.
If your advert contains the right information but response is still weak, see How to Improve Job Advert Response before simply increasing advertising spend.
Turn the information into a candidate-friendly advert
Once you have the facts, the next job is presentation: put the most important candidate information first, keep the language direct and make the advert easy to scan. Career Poster's AI tools can help you create a first draft or review an existing advert before it goes live.
Job advert FAQs
What information should always be in a job advert?
A strong advert should normally include the job title, salary, location and working arrangement, employment type, role summary, responsibilities, requirements, benefits, employer context and application process.
Should a job advert include salary?
Where possible, yes. Salary is one of the most important pieces of information candidates use to assess a vacancy. A realistic range also helps applicants judge the level of the role before applying.
How many responsibilities should a job advert include?
There is no universal number. Include the responsibilities that define the role rather than reproducing every possible task. A candidate should understand the main areas of ownership and what they will spend most of their time doing.
Should I list every skill I would ideally like?
No. Separate genuine essential requirements from desirable ones. An unnecessarily long list can make the vacancy look more restrictive than the job really is.
How much company information should I include?
Include enough to explain what the business does, where the role sits and what makes the environment relevant to the candidate. Avoid allowing company history to dominate the description of the actual opportunity.
Can I use the company's full internal job description as the advert?
You can use it as source material, but it will often need editing. A job advert should be candidate-facing, prioritise the information people use to decide whether to apply and explain why the opportunity is worth considering.
Sources used in this guide
Recruitment-platform guidance and datasets can change over time. The recommendations in this article were cross-checked against the following current employer and government guidance.
