Job ads that get replies: five changes that doubled our response rate
Job ads that get replies: five changes that doubled our response rate
We rewrote 60 job ads for clients and measured what happened. Salary ranges were only the start.
Jonas Weber
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5 min read
Over six months we rewrote 60 job ads for clients and tracked applications from qualified candidates. These five changes made the biggest difference.
1. Show the salary range
Ads with a range received 2.1 times more qualified applications. Ranges wider than 25% did worse than narrower ones: people read a wide range as "we don't know yet".
2. Say what the first three months look like
"You will own onboarding" is vague. "In your first month you will rebuild the onboarding email sequence" is a job.
3. Cut the requirements in half
Most lists mix must-haves with nice-to-haves. Keep five. Every extra line removes good candidates who don't tick it.
4. Describe the process
Number of rounds, who you meet, how long it takes. Candidates choose between processes as much as between companies.
5. Name the team
"A team of five engineers and a product manager" tells people more than any paragraph about culture.