A job posting is more often than not the first thing a candidate encounters when considering a new position. If you aren’t getting enough candidates, then the job posting could be at fault, and you may be inadvertently presenting red flags to job seekers, making them wary of applying for your vacancy.

So, what are the red flags in job postings that may be deterring candidates from applying?

1. You Don’t Mention The Salary

Sometimes red flags are things you put into a job posting; other times, they are things you omit. Salary falls into the latter and is a major red flag that will stop job seekers from moving forward.

Let’s put it this way; Have you purchased something, anything, that you did not know how much it cost?

If you do not include a salary or at least an accurate salary range, you are asking candidates to do the same. Furthermore, you may get applications from inappropriate job candidates with too little or too much experience or too high or too low expectations, wasting your time and theirs.

If you are writing a job description and job advert now, and penning the words ‘competitive salary,’ it may be time to think again.

2. You Present A Culture Of Burnout

‘Work hard, play hard’ is a philosophy few candidates want to buy into. Employees are not looking for a highly-stressful or extremely fast-paced environment that will see them burn out in a few years or months.

Likewise, asking for ‘self-starters’ is another red flag you might put in your job posting that signals you offer employees little support and previous staff have left because of it.

As we reported in our article, Recruitment News – Outlook For The Remainder Of 2022, candidates have increased work-life balance expectations, so you need to signal how you can make this happen. If a burnout culture exists at your company, maybe you can reverse the trend with a hybrid office & remote shift pattern.

3. Too Many Qualifications And Requirements

If your job post has a long list of requirements and qualifications, you might have a red flag that signals you don’t know what or who you are looking for. Can any candidate meet all those requirements? Or, are you hoping that by mentioning many qualifications, most job seekers will have at least one and apply?

If your job posting is bordering on extreme, it is time to accurately grade and define the role and set realistic expectations.

Conclusions

Aim to be authentic and honest when crafting your job post so that candidates can make an informed decision. Create an accurate person profile for the role and then consider why someone would like to work here, encouraging them to pursue the opportunity further with a job application.

Next, read our guide on How To Hire.