Whether you read every point or simply take away one or two ideas, this framework is designed to improve your hiring outcomes. Some organizations will use it as a checklist. Others will return to it over time as they refine their recruitment practices. Both approaches are valuable.
This document is not designed to overwhelm. It is designed to be useful in different ways for different levels of engagement.
Some readers will move through it quickly and focus on a few ideas that immediately improve their job postings. Others will use it as a deeper reflection tool to redesign how they attract and evaluate talent. Both approaches are valid.
The intention is not compliance or perfection. It is improvement. Even one or two changes in how a job advertisement is written can significantly shift who applies, who feels included, and who chooses to stay in the process.
This framework is built on a simple idea: Job advertisements are not administrative documents; they are human invitations.
Every point in this guide is meant to help employers make those invitations clearer, more honest, and more accessible.
Take what is useful. Leave what is not yet useful. Return to it when needed. The goal is not to simply finish the list; it is to improve your hiring outcomes.
What most employers miss
A job advertisement is an invitation to a person, not a specification sheet for a replaceable part. Applicants bring skills, experiences, aspirations, families, and lived experiences that should not be reduced to a checklist. Remember that you are hiring people, not commodities or cogs, for a machine.
Every job advertisement is about marketing. The way you describe the role tells applicants what it is like to work for your organization and whether they can see themselves succeeding there. Your advertisement should reflect your mission, values, and purpose, and clearly communicate the kind of environment people are joining, not just the tasks they will perform. The language you choose should communicate genuine enthusiasm for the work and for the people who will do it.
Demonstrate your commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging by explaining your practices rather than relying on generic statements. Describe how inclusion shows up in daily work and leadership behaviour, not just policy language.
Clearly explain workplace accessibility and accommodation practices early in the posting. Applicants should understand whether they can physically enter and navigate the workspace safely and independently, and that accommodation requests will be welcomed, respected, and handled without stigma.
Explain why someone would want to work for your organization. Share your mission, values, and what makes the work meaningful, including how the role contributes to broader goals.
Include a realistic overview of what a typical day or week looks like. This helps applicants understand workload patterns, pace, and the variety of tasks, as well as the role’s lived experience beyond the job description.
Clearly identify the team structure and reporting relationship. Applicants should know who they will work with, who they report to, and the general team environment to understand the human context of the role.
Describe what success looks like in the role after 30, 90, and 180 days. Clearly explain key responsibilities, expectations, and measures of success so applicants understand how they will contribute and how performance will be understood.
Provide a clear hiring timeline, including when applications will be reviewed, when interviews are expected to take place, and when candidates can expect a decision. Predictability reduces anxiety and improves trust in your process and in your organization.
Include the name, position, and contact information of the person responsible for hiring. This allows applicants to address their application appropriately, ask questions, request accommodation, and follow up directly.
Include salary ranges and outline benefits clearly. Transparency supports fairness, builds trust, and helps attract strong candidates who might otherwise self-select out of the process.
Clearly explain where the work takes place, including location, transit or parking options, hybrid or remote expectations, travel requirements, and any other practical details that affect accessibility and fitness.
Avoid vague, confusing language and unnecessary jargon. Clarity respects the reader and improves the quality of applicants.
Separate “required” from “preferred” qualifications and keep mandatory requirements to those that are absolutely essential. Excessive “must-haves” often discourage strong candidates with transferable skills and lived experience.
Remove duplicate or repetitive application steps and ensure the process is simple, respectful, and easy to navigate.
Ensure job advertisements and application processes are mobile-friendly, as many applicants will engage on phones first.
Avoid exclusionary or stereotypical language such as “rock star,” “ninja,” or “young and energetic.” Use language that focuses on real skills, behaviours, and contributions.
Avoid vague descriptors such as “fast-paced environment” or “high-stress workplace.” Many employers believe their workplace is busy, but “busy” is highly relative and can mean quite different things to different people.
Instead, describe workload realities using concrete examples such as competing priorities, frequency of deadlines, interruptions, peak periods, or task volume. This allows applicants to self-assess accurately and prevents capable candidates from opting out due to uncertainty or misinterpretation.
Use relevant keywords naturally to support search visibility without sacrificing clarity or authenticity.
Include information about growth, learning, and development opportunities within the role and organization. Many applicants are looking for organizations to grow with, rather than simply a job.
Include a preferred or expected start date where possible to reduce uncertainty.
Proofread carefully. Errors signal a lack of care and can reduce trust in the organization.
Include links to an up-to-date website or relevant organizational information so applicants can learn more.
When reusing old job advertisements, review them carefully to remove outdated or contradictory information. Building culture and attracting good applicants starts here.
Do not overvalue pedigree or traditional career paths. Focus on capability, potential, and transferable skills. Many exceptional employees develop expertise through work experience, community involvement, military service, caregiving, entrepreneurship, or self-directed learning. Consider whether a degree is truly essential or simply traditional.
Use AI and automated hiring tools cautiously. Technology should support, not replace, human judgment. Hiring decisions should remain grounded in human assessment, with attention to bias, accessibility, and fairness. AI can improve efficiency, but it reflects the assumptions and data on which it is built. Organizations should regularly review automated screening processes to ensure they do not unintentionally disadvantage qualified applicants with non-traditional career paths or lived experience.
Do not require skills assessments or tests before establishing meaningful person-to-person contact. Early testing can create unnecessary barriers and exclude capable candidates whose strengths are better understood through conversation, work samples, or lived experience.
Do not rely only on online screening processes. Encourage and welcome in-person engagement where possible, as direct interaction can reveal motivation, initiative, and potential that may not appear in application systems.
Ensure your workplace is physically accessible, including entrances, washrooms, meeting spaces, and navigation pathways that allow people to enter and participate safely and independently. Not only does this demonstrate your organization’s dedication to inclusive workspace, but it is also the law in forward-thinking regions.
Maintain a clear, psychologically safe process for discussing workplace accommodation. Applicants and employees should feel confident requesting support without fear of stigma, knowing the focus is on enabling success rather than questioning capability.
Describe the problems the successful applicant will help solve, not just the tasks they will perform. People are often motivated by purpose, challenge, and impact. Explaining why the position exists and what success contributes to the organization helps applicants connect their skills to meaningful outcomes rather than a list of duties.
Thank you to every applicant. Real people take the time to apply to your postings. They could be future customers or clients; even if they are not, you owe them the simple human consideration of thanking them for their time.
This framework was never meant to be perfect, complete, or followed word-for-word.
It is meant to invite reflection, to help you stand out, to help you attract and hire the best people possible.
I don’t apologize for the length.
I don’t apologize for how many of these points represent unconventional practices.
Job advertisements are often treated as administrative necessities, something to get through quickly, standardized, and filed away. But in reality, they are one of the most influential points in the entire hiring process. They shape who applies, who self-excludes, who feels seen, and who believes they belong before they ever speak to a human being.
Small changes in language, structure, and transparency can have outsized impacts. They can open doors that were previously closed, and they can quietly remove barriers that were never intentionally placed but still exist.
Not every organization will apply every point here. That is expected. What matters is direction, not perfection. Progress in how we write job advertisements is still progress in how we value people.
If this document does its job, it will not be something employers simply “follow.” It will be something they return to, especially when they want better applicants, better alignment, and more human-centered hiring outcomes.
Because better hiring starts with better conversations, and better conversations begin with better invitations.
Paul.