“Dynamic team,” “development opportunities,” “fruit Thursdays.” Sound familiar? For years, job advertisements were filled with empty clichés that told the candidate absolutely nothing. Today, this approach is a fast track to recruitment failure. Candidates are tired of slogans; they are annoyed by the lack of specifics, and above all – the lack of respect for their time.
And the biggest sign of disrespect is hiding the salary.
If your job offers still sound like they were copied from a template from a decade ago, you are wasting time, money, and worst of all, the best candidates. They simply don’t apply to offers that are vague or generic.
A good job offer is really a marketing text. It’s your first line of sales, and the product is the position in your company. In this article, we will guide you step-by-step through the process of creating ads that recruit – from changing your mindset to SEO optimization.
The advice we present here isn’t just theory. It’s a strategy we have successfully implemented for our clients, including many employment agencies – both Polish (Silverhand), German, and Dutch.
The most important rule: Salary is not taboo, it’s the foundation
Let’s start with the fundamental issue that still causes unnecessary emotions. Publishing the salary in a job ad is no longer “good practice” – it’s the standard and an absolute necessity.
Why is this so important?
- You respect the candidate’s time: Nobody wants to go through a multi-stage recruitment process only to find out at the end that the offered rate is 40% lower than their expectations.
- You respect your own and your recruiters’ time: Why conduct interviews with people whose financial expectations are outside your budget? By publishing a salary range, you perform an initial, effective screening.
- You build trust: Transparency builds the image of a company that plays with open cards. Hiding the salary suggests that you either want to pay as little as possible or you don’t know what the position is worth yourself.
Candidates overwhelmingly filter offers by the salary criterion. If your ad doesn’t have it, it is simply invisible to many people. Regardless of whether you are recruiting a welder for Germany (where you would state the hourly rate, e.g., €17.00 gross / hour), a Sandblaster for the Netherlands (e.g., €550 net / week), or a Manager in Poland (e.g., PLN 10,000 gross / month), this information must be there.
The language of benefits instead of empty clichés
Let’s move on to the language. Your offer must be simple, specific, and speak to the candidate’s imagination.
The problem with “dynamic team” and “friendly atmosphere” is that these are unverifiable and subjective qualities. What does that actually mean? Nothing. Instead, show what really distinguishes your offer.
How to turn a cliché into a concrete benefit?
- Instead of: “Development opportunities” Write: “You will receive an annual training budget of PLN 4,000 to use for courses and conferences” or “We guarantee a clear promotion path: after 12 months and achieving X goals, you will take the position of Senior Specialist.”
- Instead of: “A friendly atmosphere” Write: “We work in 5-person project teams, with no overtime. We focus on direct communication and regular feedback (1-on-1 with the leader once a month).”
- Instead of: “Attractive benefits” Write: “We finance 100% of private medical care for you and your family” or “FREE accommodation, paid by the Employer.”
Real benefits are those that solve the candidate’s problems (e.g., commuting costs, childcare, housing costs) or improve their quality of life. Flexible hours, the possibility of remote work, additional paid leave – these are the specifics that attract attention.
Breaking the mold: invert the order and sell from the first sentence
Most candidates don’t read job offers – they scan them. Their eyes jump to the “We offer” section, then they look at “Requirements.” So why force them to wade through a long company description and a wall of responsibilities?
Grab their attention immediately. Change the traditional order of the sections.
A structure that works:
- A catchy, clear title (more on this in the SEO section).
- A short introduction (2-3 sentences about who you are and who you are looking for).
- What We Offer? (Start with specifics!) – Place the salary and the 3-4 most important benefits right here. This is your marketing “hook.”
- Main tasks / Responsibilities – List what this person will actually be doing.
- What We Require? – Focus on the key qualifications.
- About us / What the process looks like? – Briefly about the company and information on what will happen after applying.
This inverted pyramid ensures that the candidate immediately gets an answer to the most important question: “What’s in it for me?”
Here is an example of a correctly formulated “We offer” section:
We offer:
- employment on German terms – a German Employer (not a delegation)
- attractive salary of €2,700 net / month
- accommodation organized by the Employer, cost covered by the Employee
- contributions and taxes paid in Germany by the Employer
- opportunity for professional development and long-term cooperation
- support from our Consultants in coordinating employment
- insurance for the Employee and their family
- respected right to holiday leave
- our services are free (including translation and professional preparation of a CV in German for recruitment needs)
Main tasks – specifics that build credibility
After you have attracted the candidate with the “We offer” section, it’s time to precisely describe the tasks. This section is just as important because the candidate must be able to imagine their typical workday. Instead of generalities like “supporting the department” or “achieving goals,” use precise language.
A good list of responsibilities:
- Uses action verbs: “welding,” “assembly,” “running,” “diagnosing,” “controlling.”
- Is specific: Precisely defines what the work involves (e.g., “electrical systems in the production hall,” “steel structures for tank construction”).
- Shows the full scope: Includes not only the main task but also side tasks, like “quality control” or “cooperation with other departments.”
Here is an example of well-described responsibilities for an Electrician:
The main tasks of the employed person include:
- executing, assembling, and installing electrical systems in an industrial building
- running low and medium voltage cabling and connecting electrical devices
- assembling electrical switchboards, control cabinets, and distribution boards
- inspecting and testing electrical installations for compliance with the design and applicable standards and OHS regulations
- diagnosing and removing electrical faults at the construction stage
- cooperating with other construction departments and the technical team in implementing electrical installations.
And here for a Welder:
The main tasks of the employed person include:
- welding steel structures for tank and pressure component construction using the MAG/TIG method
- welding stainless steel elements using the MAG/TIG method
- preparing and processing welds according to the technical drawing and quality requirements
- cooperating with the production and quality control departments
- controlling the quality and accuracy of the performed welds
- performing simple assembly and fitting work on tanks and subassemblies
Responsibilities formulated this way build the image of a professional employer who knows who they are looking for and what the actual scope of work is.
Requirements: a filter, not a wish list
Do you really need a candidate with 15 years of experience, knowledge of 3 languages, and the ability to operate a coffee machine? Long lists of requirements scare people away instead of attracting them.
Focus on 3-5 key requirements. What is absolutely necessary for this person to do their job? The welder example is perfect: German language, experience, driver’s license, certificate. Four key points.
Separate “must-haves” from “nice-to-haves.” If something is only “welcome” (e.g., knowledge of an additional program), clearly state that.
Avoid banalities. Requirements like “commitment” or “good work organization” add nothing. Focus on hard and measurable competencies.
Example of correctly formulated requirements:
Requirements:
- communicative / good knowledge of the German language (allowing communication in the workplace)
- experience in the above-mentioned position
- category B driver’s license and a car
Remember, many candidates won’t apply if they don’t meet 100% of the requirements. By shortening the list to the bare minimum, you paradoxically increase the number of valuable applications.
The ad must work – SEO optimization in recruitment
Candidates search for jobs the same way they search for products in an online store – they type phrases into Google or the search engine of a job portal. Your offer must be optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that it can be easily found – especially for permanent recruitment.
This applies to both job portals and your own “Career” page.
- The title is fundamental: It must be precise and contain key phrases: [Job Title] and [Location].
- Bad: “Hiring a superhero for our team”
- Good: “TIG Welder (Germany)”
- Good: “Marketing Manager – Remote work”
- Good: “Warehouse Worker – immediate start (Poznań, Franowo)”
- Keywords in the content: Naturally use phrases in the text that a candidate might search for. If you are recruiting a TIG welder, the content should also include phrases like “TIG welding,” “job for a welder,” “welding stainless steel.”
- Use headings: Divide the text into sections (H2, H3), just like in this article. This makes it easier for not only people but also Google bots to read.
This isn’t theory – it’s proven practice. Our Case Study
By analyzing data, including user session recordings in HotJar, we saw in black and white how candidates get lost in traditional, content-heavy offers. That’s why, especially in the demanding blue-collar market, we decided on a radical change and inverted the ad structure.
The effects exceeded expectations:
- We noted a significant increase in application volume.
- Users stopped scrolling aimlessly. HotJar recordings confirmed that candidates immediately found what they were looking for (the pay rate and benefits).
- Clarity increased. Candidates made faster and more informed decisions about applying.
- We differentiated ourselves from the competition. In a sea of identical offers, those with the “benefits first” structure immediately attracted attention and built a professional image for the client.
Summary: treat a job offer like a sales offer
Creating an effective job advertisement requires a change in mindset—from “who we will graciously hire” to “what we can offer to convince the best to join us.”
Let’s summarize the key steps:
- Always state the salary – it’s the foundation.
- Use simple language and concrete benefits (show, don’t tell).
- Invert the structure – start with what you offer.
- Limit requirements to the absolute minimum (3-5 key ones).
- Optimize the offer for SEO, starting with the title.
If you feel that creating such offers is extra work, you are right. It is marketing work. But it’s an effort that pays off multiple times over in the form of better candidates, faster recruitment processes, and lower costs per hire.
…But it’s an effort that pays off multiple times over in the form of better candidates, faster recruitment processes, and lower costs per hire.
Do you feel you want to take your recruitment to the next level, but you lack the time for it?
Creating offers is just the beginning. At OMG Marketing, we specialize in the complete recruitment marketing process. Contact us – we will help you not only write ads that recruit but also build an entire strategy that will attract your ideal candidates.