Common Mistakes When Posting Jobs Online
Many underperforming job adverts are not failing because the role is impossible to fill. They fail because candidates cannot find the vacancy, understand it quickly, judge whether it is worth applying for or trust what they are reading. Avoiding a handful of common mistakes can improve both candidate response and job-board visibility.
Some mistakes hurt response. Others can hurt visibility too.
When posting jobs online, it helps to separate candidate-facing problems from platform-quality problems. Some mistakes make candidates less likely to apply. Others can also affect whether a job board shows the vacancy prominently at all.
Indeed's current employer policies say clear, accurate posts can improve visibility, while low-quality titles, duplicate jobs, keyword stuffing and inaccurate location posting can reduce how often a listing appears or lead to removal from organic results. LinkedIn similarly requires factual, professional posts where the title and description accurately match the vacancy.
Indeed posting policies LinkedIn quality job-post guidelines
Write for a real candidate first, then make sure the post also follows the quality rules of the platforms distributing it.
Using an internal, vague or promotional job title
The job title is often the first thing a candidate sees and one of the main signals a job board uses to understand the vacancy. Creative internal titles may make sense inside your organisation but perform poorly when candidates do not recognise them.
LinkedIn recommends standardised titles, straightforward language and terms candidates are likely to search for. Indeed's July 2026 employer policy also says simple, searchable titles are preferable and warns that excessive punctuation, symbols and promotional wording can make titles appear spammy and reduce visibility.
LinkedIn job title guidance Indeed title-quality policy
For a fuller framework, see How to Choose the Right Job Title.
Hiding the salary when you already know the budget
If the salary is known internally but withheld from candidates, applicants have to spend time applying before they can decide whether the opportunity is financially viable.
Where possible, publish the exact salary or a realistic range and separate base pay from commission, overtime, bonuses or OTE.
Reed reported that adverts showing salary received 60% more applications in its 2024 analysis. The exact effect varies by platform and vacancy, but the evidence is strong enough that salary disclosure should normally be considered part of the candidate proposition rather than an optional extra.
See Should You Include a Salary in a Job Advert? for more detail.
Using an inaccurate or overly broad location
Location should describe where the person will actually work. A city name can still be too vague when the practical commute differs dramatically between districts, business parks or industrial sites.
Office-based
Use the real workplace.Add an area, postcode or transport reference where that materially helps candidates.
Hybrid
Define attendance.State the normal office and expected days rather than simply writing “hybrid”.
Remote
State the boundaries.Explain country restrictions, time-zone requirements and any office or client travel.
Indeed specifically warns against “location blasting” — posting the same vacancy across cities where the job is not actually based. Its policy says each post should use the true workplace location and genuine remote roles should be labelled remote rather than duplicated across multiple cities.
Writing requirements for the perfect candidate instead of a suitable one
It is easy for a vacancy brief to become a wish list. The result is a long set of “must-haves” that may describe almost nobody in the real candidate market.
| Question to ask | If the answer is “no” |
|---|---|
| Would we reject an otherwise excellent candidate without this? | Move it to desirable. |
| Is this qualification legally or professionally required? | Consider equivalent experience. |
| Will the person use this software regularly? | Do not make it mandatory. |
| Does the role genuinely require this exact number of years? | Describe the capability instead. |
| Can the skill be trained reasonably quickly? | Consider hiring for potential. |
Reed lists “asking for the impossible” as a common job-advert mistake and recommends separating must-haves from nice-to-haves. Its guidance warns that unrealistic specifications can unnecessarily limit the candidate pool.
Reed: common job advert mistakes
They should not accidentally become a list of every attribute the hiring manager would ideally like.
Leaving out the information candidates need to decide
A job advert can be technically accurate and still be unhelpful. Candidates need enough information to judge the opportunity before investing time in an application.
Role
- Clear job title
- Main purpose
- Responsibilities
Pay
- Salary or range
- Bonus / OTE
- Shift premiums
Workplace
- Location
- Hybrid / remote rules
- Travel expectations
Fit
- Essential criteria
- Desirable criteria
- Qualifications
Offer
- Benefits
- Flexibility
- Development
Next step
- How to apply
- Closing date
- Process where known
Indeed's current posting guidance says high-quality posts should focus on essentials such as responsibilities, pay, benefits and qualifications, while LinkedIn says job posts should communicate relevant and factual details. Reed likewise says candidates typically look for salary, flexibility, benefits, culture and prospects.
Indeed quality-post guidance LinkedIn quality guidelines
See What to Include in a Job Advert for the full checklist.
Posting on the wrong job boards
A strong advert still needs the right audience. Posting every vacancy to exactly the same channels ignores the fact that candidate behaviour varies by sector, seniority, location and job type.
For a full decision framework, see How to Choose the Right Job Boards.
Keyword stuffing the advert
Repeating job titles, skills or locations simply to appear in more searches can make the advert harder to read and may reduce platform visibility.
Indeed's current policy explicitly says unnatural repetition can be treated as keyword stuffing and may reduce how often a vacancy appears in search results. It recommends clear titles, relevant skills and responsibilities, and complete sentences or concise bullet points rather than keyword lists.
Creating duplicate jobs or constantly reposting the same vacancy
It can be tempting to repost an underperforming vacancy repeatedly or create several near-identical versions to increase exposure. On some platforms, this can have the opposite effect.
Indeed's current policy says duplicate jobs and frequent reposting can make it harder for candidates to know which listing is current and may reduce ranking in search results. Its guidance recommends updating an existing job rather than creating unnecessary duplicates.
Refresh the vacancy, not just the publication date. If response is poor, review title, salary, requirements, advert quality and distribution before simply republishing the same content.
For practical ways to diagnose weak response, see How to Improve Job Advert Response.
Using jargon, clichés or unproofread copy
Candidates should not have to translate internal acronyms, corporate clichés or unnecessary technical language to work out what the vacancy involves.
Jargon
Translate internal language.Acronyms and company-specific terminology may be meaningless outside your business.
Clichés
Replace them with evidence.“Hit the ground running” and “fast-paced environment” communicate little without context.
Errors
Proofread before publishing.Typos and contradictions can reduce candidate trust and make requirements unclear.
Reed recommends removing unnecessary jargon and clichés and proofreading adverts for typos, grammar and contrived phrases. LinkedIn's quality guidelines likewise say egregious grammatical errors, incomplete sentences, excessive jargon and spam-like wording do not inspire trust in applicants.
Reed proofreading guidance LinkedIn professionalism guidelines
Making the first application stage too difficult
Every additional field, document and assessment asks the candidate for more time before the employer has even decided whether they are worth progressing.
Suitable for many first-stage applications.
Useful where genuine essentials need checking.
May ask for interview-stage effort before the candidate has spoken to anyone.
LinkedIn recommends making clear in the description if candidates need to include a cover letter or résumé. The broader principle is transparency: candidates should know what is expected, and employers should only request material that is genuinely useful at that stage.
LinkedIn job-posting best practices
Complete your own application on a phone. If it feels frustrating when you already know the job, it will feel worse to a candidate seeing the company for the first time.
Using wording that could discriminate against applicants
This is not only a response issue. In the UK, discriminatory recruitment advertising can create legal risk.
GOV.UK says employers must not state or imply in a job advert that they will discriminate against anyone. Its guidance specifically says phrases such as “recent graduate” or “highly experienced” should only be used when they reflect an actual requirement, because otherwise they could discriminate against younger or older applicants.
GOV.UK also notes that where an employer advertises can cause indirect discrimination — for example, if advertising is restricted to a medium that disproportionately excludes a group.
GOV.UK: discrimination in recruitment
Write requirements around capability, qualifications and working conditions that are genuinely relevant to the role.
This article is recruitment-writing guidance rather than legal advice. Where a requirement could disadvantage a protected group and you are unsure whether it is objectively justified, seek appropriate employment-law advice before publishing.
Online job posting checklist
Run through these checks before sending the vacancy to any job board:
Use recognised market terminology without promotional wording.
Use an exact figure or realistic range and separate variable earnings.
Do not duplicate the job across places where the vacancy does not genuinely exist.
Separate genuine essentials from desirable experience.
Cover responsibilities, working pattern, benefits, employer context and application steps.
Match sector, seniority, location and candidate behaviour.
Avoid keyword stuffing, clichés, unnecessary jargon and spam-like punctuation.
Update or improve existing vacancies rather than creating unnecessary copies.
Only ask for information genuinely required at the first stage.
Check grammar, contradictions, discriminatory wording and unclear instructions.
Review the advert before it reaches the job boards
Many common posting mistakes are easier to fix before the vacancy goes live. Check the title, salary, requirements, location and candidate proposition first, then choose the channels that best match the role.
Online job posting FAQs
What is the biggest mistake employers make when posting jobs online?
There is no single mistake for every vacancy, but unclear titles, missing salary or location information, unrealistic requirements and poor job-board targeting are among the most common problems because they directly affect whether suitable candidates find and understand the role.
Can a bad job title reduce job-board visibility?
Yes. Platforms such as Indeed say vague, cluttered or promotional titles can reduce credibility and visibility, while LinkedIn recommends standardised titles and clear language candidates are likely to recognise.
Is it bad to repost the same job several times?
It can be. Indeed says frequent reposting and duplicate content may reduce ranking and create confusion over which vacancy is current. It is usually better to improve and update the existing advert where the platform allows it.
Should I post the same remote job in lots of cities?
Not simply to increase exposure. Indeed specifically warns against location blasting and recommends labelling genuinely remote vacancies as remote rather than duplicating them across locations where the job is not based.
How long should a list of job requirements be?
There is no ideal number, but every essential criterion should have a clear reason. If you would still interview a suitable person without it, consider moving it to desirable or removing it.
Can job advert wording be discriminatory?
Yes. UK employers must not state or imply that they will discriminate against applicants. Requirements should relate genuinely to the job, and employers should review wording that could disadvantage people with protected characteristics.
Sources used in this guide
Job-board policies change regularly, so employers should check the platform's latest guidance before posting. This article was cross-checked against the following current and established sources.
