Writing a job post that gets answered by the right people

A job post has one job: help the right people apply and help the wrong people decide not to. Most posts fail at both ends — they are long enough to deter strong candidates and vague enough to attract everyone else.

Split the requirements honestly

Write two lists. Required means you would not hire someone without it. Preferred means it improves the case. If your required list runs past five items, at least two of them are preferred and everyone reading the post can tell.

This split is not cosmetic. It changes who applies. Candidates who meet most of a twelve-item requirements list frequently self-select out, and the ones who apply anyway are not reliably the strongest.

Describe the work, not the department

A reader should be able to explain what this person does on a normal Tuesday. Name the two or three outcomes the role owns, the people it works with, and what the first ninety days look like. Cut the paragraph about your industry-leading culture; it is doing no work.

Post the range

A stated range removes the largest source of wasted time on both sides, and in a growing number of jurisdictions it is required. If your range is wide, say what moves a candidate through it.

Be exact about the arrangement

• Work model: remote, hybrid or on-site — and if hybrid, how many days and where.
• Employment type and expected hours.
• Location, including any requirement to be within travel distance.
• Anything unusual: shift patterns, on-call, travel, physical requirements.

Ask a few questions that change your mind

Three or four screening questions are enough. The test for a good one: could the answer move a candidate from 'no' to 'yes' or the reverse? If not, it is trivia, and it costs applicants time you will not get back for them.

Read your own post as a candidate

Would you apply? Would you know what you were applying to? Is there anything here that would make a strong person hesitate for a reason you did not intend? On Rice & Bean, the posting wizard shows you the candidate-facing preview before you publish. Use it — it is a different document from the form you just filled in.