Start with what makes the role genuinely interesting

Hiring is a two-way decision. Candidates worth having are usually weighing up more than one option, and a job advert that opens with a list of demands rather than a reason to be interested loses good people before they’ve read past the first paragraph.

Lead with the role, not the requirements. What will this person actually get to do? What’s genuinely different about working here compared with a larger company — more responsibility sooner, a closer relationship with customers, a chance to shape how things are done? Small businesses often have a real advantage here and undersell it by opening with “we are seeking an experienced candidate to…” instead.

The five-part structure that works

Adverts that perform well tend to follow a consistent shape, even when the tone and detail vary:

• A short hook — one or two sentences on the role and why it exists right now.
• What the person will actually do — day-to-day tasks, not abstract responsibilities. “Manage supplier relationships and negotiate better terms” tells a candidate far more than “responsible for procurement.”
• Who you’re looking for — split clearly into essential and desirable (more on this below).
• What’s on offer — salary, benefits, flexibility, and anything that sets the role apart.
• How to apply — the process, the timeline, and who to contact with questions.

Adverts that bury the “how to apply” details at the bottom in small print, or leave out a closing date entirely, lose applicants who assume the role has already been filled or the process will be slow.

Essential vs desirable: writing an honest person spec

The biggest single improvement most small business job adverts need is separating what a candidate genuinely must have from what would simply be nice. When everything is listed as a requirement, you end up filtering out strong candidates who would have grown into the role — and research consistently shows this effect is uneven: candidates from underrepresented groups are statistically less likely to apply unless they meet nearly every listed requirement, while others apply regardless.

A useful test for each line in your person spec: would you actually reject an otherwise excellent candidate for not having this? If not, it belongs under “desirable,” not “essential.”

Salary — say something (and what’s coming down the track)

Being upfront about salary saves time for everyone. Candidates who wouldn’t accept the role don’t apply; you don’t interview people who’ll turn down the eventual offer. A specific figure or a realistic range both work better than “competitive salary,” which candidates have learned to treat as a euphemism for “we’d rather you didn’t ask.”

This is also an area to watch. The government launched a consultation in July 2026 on requiring employers to publish salary information in job adverts as part of wider pay transparency and equal pay reforms — the consultation runs until 27 October 2026, and it isn’t yet settled whether the requirement would be an exact figure, a range, or a benchmark rate. It isn’t law today, and any requirement is unlikely to take effect before 2027 at the earliest, but the direction of travel is clear enough that building the habit of salary transparency now is a sensible move regardless of when — or whether — it becomes mandatory.

The legal side: what you can’t say

The Equality Act 2010 protects candidates from discrimination based on nine characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. A job advert can indirectly discriminate even without meaning to, so it’s worth reviewing your wording against a few common traps:

• Age-coded language. “Young and dynamic team,” “recent graduate,” or “digital native” all signal an age preference, even unintentionally, and can put off — or legally disadvantage — older applicants.
• Unnecessary qualification requirements. Requiring a degree for a role that doesn’t need one can indirectly disadvantage candidates from certain backgrounds. Ask whether the requirement reflects the job or just tradition.
• Gendered phrasing. Words like “ninja,” “rockstar,” or “aggressive” skew applications along gender lines in studies of job advert response rates, even though nothing about them is explicitly unlawful.
• Physical requirements without justification. Only specify physical capabilities (lifting, standing, driving) where they’re a genuine part of the role, and be ready to explain why if challenged.

None of this means adverts need to be sterile — it means checking whether a phrase describes the job or describes an assumption about who should do it.

Where to advertise

Where you post depends on the role, but a sensible spread for most small businesses includes:

• General job boards — Indeed, Reed, and Totaljobs cover the widest audience and are the default starting point for most roles.
• LinkedIn — particularly effective for professional, managerial, and specialist roles, and useful for reaching passive candidates not actively job-hunting.
• Sector-specific boards — trade publications and niche job sites often produce more relevant applicants per posting than general boards, even with lower overall volume.
• Jobcentre Plus — free to use, and worth considering for entry-level or local roles.
• Employee referral — asking your existing team, even informally, often produces your strongest candidates at no cost.

If accessibility is something you want to actively signal, the government’s Disability Confident scheme is free to join and gives you a recognised badge to include on adverts and your website.

Common mistakes that quietly filter out good candidates

A handful of patterns show up repeatedly in adverts that underperform:

• The wishlist role. Ten years’ experience, five specific software packages, a niche qualification, and a salary that doesn’t match any of it — this combination rarely exists in one candidate, and posting it anyway wastes everyone’s time.
• No salary information at all. Strong candidates increasingly skip adverts that won’t say even a range.
• Jargon-heavy titles and descriptions. “Growth Ninja” might feel fun internally, but it won’t show up in the searches candidates actually run.
• Practical details missing. Location, hybrid or remote arrangements, and hours should be stated plainly, not left for candidates to ask about at interview stage.
• No clear closing date or process. Candidates who don’t know when or how a decision will be made often withdraw interest and accept another offer instead.

Useful resources

• Equality Act 2010 guidance for employers — at gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
• Disability Confident employer scheme — at gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign
• ACAS recruitment guidance — practical templates and advice on fair recruitment at acas.org.uk