The length of a job advert is not a question of counting words and characters but ensuring that it contains all the necessary information. That being said, you don’t want your job description to resemble an essay, nor do you want your job advert to be ignored. So let’s explore first what it is you need a job description to include.

A job advert needs to:

• Describe the job which you are recruiting for
• Tell the candidates what skills they need
• Describe salary and any perks which come with the job
• Provide information about your company and why someone would want to work with you
• (see our job advertising checklist for more detail)

Maximum Job Description & Advert Length

These are very much only guidelines. What works for one particular role won’t necessarily work for another.

Job Description

The length of a job description will naturally vary depending on the role, but you really should be looking at between 300-500 words. This is between half, and a full sheet of A4 typed or one or two screen lengths on desktop and mobile.

Any shorter, and applicants won’t learn enough aboturn the role and are unlikely to apply; again, any longer and you run the risk of putting off applicants. You can read How To Write A Job Description or get started straight away with a job description template.

Job Advert

Job adverts should fit onto a single card and be no more than 100 words. It should appear on the first screen above the fold, somewhere around the centre or top of the page.

For those who think your job descriptions and/or adverts are too long, get a head start by using one of our job advert templates.

Job Description & Advert Layout

The content at the top of a job description is the advert. This section will have the most visibility and should therefore be the most compelling. The advert should contain the following:

• Job title
• Company name
• Location/remote
• Salary
• Full/part-time
• Temporary/permanent

For longer sections or smaller devices, it might be worth adding a navigator so candidates can view information without excessive scrolling. This could include:

• Read more button
• Internal hyperlinks
• Navbar
• Tab menu
• Accordion menu

Summarise Information Into Bullet Points

I would recommend summarising everything down to bullet points where possible. For example, instead of saying ‘we are willing to pay a suitable candidate between £25,000 – £30,000 per year’, put ‘Salary: 25k-30k pa’ The information is still there, easy to understand but takes far fewer words and characters. 

Did you know? Job adverts that include a salary take less time to fill than those with no salary information.

In sections where more description is necessary, organise the points you are trying to make into shorter bullet points. For example, list any desired and required skills as well as personality traits and perks. 

Usually, all the information a candidate needs to know about to decide whether the role is for them, can be summarised into a single bullet point. Text is great for selling a company.

Share only need to know information

If your content is too long, consider what (if anything) can be removed. This information can easily be given to the candidate by a recruiter, via phone call/email or at the interview stage.

Visit our interviews hub for employers.

Exclude Unattractive Information

We aren’t recommending that you lie or be deceitful about the requirements of a role, however save some of the more challenging aspects until you have advertised all the great stuff. Delivering this type of information in person can often lead a candidate to be more understanding and possibly even more determined to help. If you are aware of why people are turning down a role (that is unavoidable), inform the candidate over the phone as soon as possible to avoid wasted time.

Make A Video

Everyone loves a video! Nothing shows your company in a better light and reduces the length of a job description like a video. They are far more engaging and allow the candidate to learn more about the role and the company.

Getting Your Job Advert Seen

Most people are interested in mainly job title and salary, that’s why most job boards start by asking these 2 questions. Therefore, it is always best to make sure your job title includes keywords with high search volumes to increase visibility. You should also make sure that the title you are advertising matches the salary. You don’t want to be advertising for a penetration tester offering £20,000pa. For accurate information about average salaries in the UK, visit checkasalary.co.uk.

Next, find a flat fee recruiter like Hiring people who can help you post your job averts across various job boards for a one-off fee, avoiding high commission charges associated with traditional recruitment agencies. Please look at our job advertising packages or contact a member of our sales team to learn more.