Why this matters
A job post is an ad competing with every other employer in your area. Vague duties, hidden pay, and a clunky application filter out exactly the people you want. And in a growing list of states, omitting the pay range isn't just weak marketing. It's illegal.
What "done" looks like
- A searchable, standard job title, the words a candidate would actually type
- 5-7 concrete duty bullets pulled from your job definition
- The pay range printed in the post
- Applying takes under five minutes from a phone
How to do it
- Use the boring title. "Line Cook," not "Kitchen Rockstar." Job boards match on titles; clever ones bury you.
- Lead with pay and schedule, the two facts every candidate scans for first.
- List real duties from the one-page job definition you wrote earlier in this checklist, not a wish list.
- Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves, and cut must-haves to what the job truly requires, every extra requirement shrinks your pool.
- Make applying trivial: resume upload or a short form, mobile-friendly, no account creation.
- Post where your candidate looks, Indeed for most local roles, LinkedIn for professional ones, plus your website and word of mouth.
Common mistakes
- Writing "competitive pay" instead of a number, many candidates filter those posts out entirely.
- Requiring years of experience or degrees the job doesn't actually need.
- Spending three paragraphs on how great the company is before saying what the job pays.
Real-world examples
- Colorado's rules cover employers with at least one Colorado employee and jobs that can be performed in Colorado. California covers employers with 15 or more employees, at least one in California, when the position may be filled there. Washington covers employers with 15 or more employees, at least one based in Washington, when recruiting Washington-based employees. New York covers employers with four or more employees and jobs performed at least partly in the state. Remote roles can trigger these laws where the work may be performed. Check current state law before posting.
- Major job boards have consistently reported that postings with pay information attract more applicants than comparable postings without it.
From a founder's point of view
Hiding the wage saves nothing, the number comes out at the interview anyway. Posting pay up front is a filter working in your favor: everyone who applies has already said yes to it.
Rule of thumb
Read your post as a candidate: if you can't find pay, hours, and duties in ten seconds, rewrite it.
