How to Write a Remote Job Listing that Sells
Hiring Remote
Learn the art of writing a fantastic remote job listing, and you'll attract your ideal candidate in less time. Check out our free job listing template too!
Is your remote job listing not gaining the traction it deserves? Are you still unsure of how to even write a remote job listing?
There’s almost nothing worse for hiring teams than failing to attract or reel in the best candidates for your open positions.
When the hiring process takes longer than anticipated, your other employees have to work harder to pick up the slack, if the job gets done at all.
And since remote workers have never been in higher demand, finding the right fit for your company has become even more challenging.
So in today’s guide, you’ll learn the art of how to write a remote job listing that sells. And you’ll even have access to our job listing template to make the whole process faster, easier, and more successful.
Psst! Have questions about the remote hiring process? Check out our Guide to Hiring Remote! From initial hiring decisions to onboarding, you’ll find everything you need to source phenomenal remote candidates in less time.
Before we get to the ins and outs of expertly-written job postings, there’s a big misconception we need to clear up first:
A Job Posting Is NOT a Job Description
Some people confuse a job posting or job listing with a job description. However, these aren’t the same in the job search world.
A job description explains the internal responsibilities and the company’s expectations for an employee in a specific role. Job descriptions usually require a sign-off from the hiring manager or upper management team and generally contain a:
- Job title
- Role summary
- List of requirements and qualifications
- How someone in the role finds success
- Who the role reports to (and/or manages)
This is all information one would typically find in a standard job ad, so it’s easy to see the confusion.
But a job posting sells the position, your company, working with your team, and why someone should smash that ‘apply now’ button. The anatomy of a killer remote job posting includes:
- A catchy job title with searchable industry keywords
- Dynamic role summary and interesting “day-in-the-life” highlights
- An engaging company introduction and mission statement
- Requirements, qualifications, and preferred skills
- Remote work environment expectations
- And much more!
You can see why a job listing does a better job of luring in candidates to read your ad in its entirety and, hopefully, apply ASAP.
However, the trick is to use the killer job descriptions you and your hiring team write to create an enticing job posting on a remote job board (like ours!).
With this distinction out of the way, let’s talk about how to transform your job description into a job posting that sells.
How to Write a Remote Job Listing that Sells
Job boards are busy watering holes these days. Companies have to step up their game if they want to score the attention of the best candidates.
So once your job description is ready to go, follow these 10 steps to create a remote job listing that sells:
1. Use an Accurate, Searchable Job Title
Funny job titles like “SEO Wizard” or “Marketing Unicorn” may draw in people who’ve been scouring the job board all day and want a laugh, but they won’t do you any favors in the long run.
Smart candidates actively search positions using industry keywords.
So skip the clever nicknames and choose job titles that match common keywords and phrases candidates will be plugging into search bars. Think straightforward, like “UX Designer,” “Content Writer,” and “Senior Python Engineer.”
This tip also boosts your chances of receiving more qualified, experienced applicants.
2. Get Readers Hooked for More
Why should a candidate read your job listing out of the other 50 for the same role? What’s your hook and their incentive?
Again, to stand out in the sea of job posts, your listing must captivate readers from the very first sentence.
Boring posts that fail to capture a brand’s voice or use the wrong tone can turn away applicants before they even get to your envy-inducing employee benefits.
An emotive introduction only takes 3 to 5 interesting details to get readers hooked. So make sure to describe what makes the role exciting and why someone would be lucky to work with your awesome team and for your company.
3. Describe and Write To Your Ideal Candidate
You should have an idea of your dream applicant when you’re writing your job description. So to find your perfect match, spell out all the characteristics and soft skills you’re looking for here.
Pretend you’re writing to your ideal candidate and:
- Flip the script from “We’re looking for” to “You are,” so it’s more relatable. Applicants will have a much easier time picturing themselves in the position.
- Use inclusive language. Avoid words like “rockstar,” “ninja,” “competitive,” and other alienating languaging that contains gender and racial bias.
Once you understand your dream candidate, you’ll know exactly how to connect with them. As a result, they’ll feel as if the job listing was created and tailored just for them.
4. Share Your Company Story
Ever see job ads where a company tries too hard to sell themselves? They make it seem like they’re too cool for the hiring process, and candidates should be begging to work for them.
This tactic backfires more often than not because candidates can tell a genuine company from an inauthentic one.
That’s why a quick, thoughtful introduction of your company gives candidates the best first impression. All it takes is 3 to 4 sentences to describe your company and:
- Your mission and values
- The problem you solve
- How long you’ve been around
- Your company culture
- Your commitment to DE&I
Doing this immediately tells potential employees what you stand for, if they’ll fit in, and whether they’ll want to carry the torch to complete your vision.
Why go through the effort? Because you want employees who get your vision, align with your mission, and practice the values you believe in. You’ll both attract candidates who will live by your credo and turn away/filter out those who won’t uphold them.
5. Describe the Remote Work Environment
Candidates flag us every day to report job listings that aren’t really remote. In most cases, the company actually does meet the remote requirements but fails to explicitly state their remote situation or what kind of remote company they are.
Misunderstandings like this may cause your dream candidate to apply elsewhere.
So make sure you’re crystal clear about your:
- Remote status. Are you a remote-first or remote-friendly company? It may be wise to incorporate relevant keywords in your job posting, such as:
- Remote job
- Work remotely
- Telecommute
- Virtual job
- Home-based
- Work from home
- Schedule needs. Are you looking for candidates in a specific region or time zone? Is there a set schedule employees have to work, or can they arrange flexible work hours?
- Logistical requirements (Ex. “We meet quarterly for in-person team meetings (all flights and accommodations are covered).”
- Communication preferences. Do you hold mandatory virtual meetings every Monday? Require all employees to communicate asynchronously via Slack or project management tools?
- Remote work setup. Do you require your team members to cover their own work equipment? Will you give them an onboarding stipend to set up a home office? Do employees receive a coworking space membership?
Be transparent with these high-level details, and you’ll receive applications from experienced remote workers who know what to look for in a remote company.
6. Outline the Unique Responsibilities of the Position
Now that you’ve intrigued a candidate with all the fun information, it’s time to get down to the day-to-day grind of the role.
Which requirements are essential for someone in this position? What tasks will they complete daily/weekly/monthly? Who will they work with (solo or with a team)? Who will they report to or manage? Which tools will they use?
Give potential employees everything they can expect, so there are no surprises during your virtual interviews.
7. Provide a List of Requirements
Aside from previous experience and education, what does an applicant need to excel in this position? Must they be a problem-solver? Collaborator? Skilled in a particular programming language?
The position you’re hiring for will come with its own skills and traits required to complete the daily duties. And if you’re looking for a solid remote worker, you may want to include:
- Strong communication skills. A remote employee must know how to clearly and professionally convey their ideas, thoughts, and feedback.
- Interpersonal skills. Remote work environments require a nuanced approach to communication, including knowing which messages are better for email or Slack versus a video conference to discuss a situation “in-person.” High emotional IQ and self-awareness fall under this umbrella.
- Highly disciplined self-starter. It takes loads of discipline to ignore your Instagram notifications and adorable fur babies to work remotely. Without a specific schedule or other coworkers to keep them in line, remote employees must be proactive in creating a work routine, designating priorities, completing tasks, and sticking to deadlines -- without someone virtually micromanaging them.
- Growth mentality. Remote workers with a growth mentality will always want to improve their skills, productivity, and career development. As they build upon these, they’ll also raise your entire team and company. Plus, they know how to take criticism and feedback without throwing a virtual hissyfit.
Make sure to format this section so it’s a pleasure to read. Don’t crowd the area with a zillion bullet points, especially if they could be better articulated in your company introduction.
8. Seal the Deal with Your Company Benefits and Employee Perks
A sweet employee benefits package should be like the icing on your tasty job listing cake. So make sure to list everything that will attract and retain the top talent. Mention your options for healthcare and wellness (such as gym memberships or mental health services), salary matching, vacation policy, and more.
9. Run Through the Application and Hiring Process
Before ending your job listing, it’s always smart to include a brief description of what a candidate can expect during the hiring process. So clue them into what happens from the minute they apply for the job to when they’re (fingers crossed!) hired.
Mention how many interviews they can expect, whether they’ll be on-camera or over the phone, and the date they should hear a final decision.
Applicants will feel more at ease, and they won’t send your hiring team a million messages asking about the next step.
10. Work Your Magic Behind the Scenes
Once you complete all nine of those steps, you’ll have a remote job listing that beats most of what’s out there (kudos!). However, it’s not time to celebrate yet.
A short, hurried posting that’s riddled with mistakes shows a lack of quality and attention to detail that might influence the perception of your company operations. So always get a couple of different eyes on the job listing before pushing it live. Proofread, proofread, edit, proofread, edit, proofread.
After your job listing makes it through this process, it’s time to debut and promote it. If you’re only adding the listing to your company career portal or using a giant traditional job board, you’re not going to gain the traction your job listing deserves.
Featuring your job on We Work Remotely gives you 5x the exposure and double the tweets. WWR is the largest remote work community in the world. With over 2.5M monthly visitors, it’s every telecommuter’s #1 destination to find incredible remote jobs. And it’s really the quickest way to hire.
Use Our Remote Job Posting Template Now to Put these Tips Into Practice
You now know how to create a remote job posting that sells! This is a really important way to market your company’s brand, so it’s crucial to get this right.
After reviewing thousands of remote job listings, we created a template to take the guesswork out of hiring the best remote employees.
All you have to do is make a copy and edit the template with your listing information for a foolproof remote job listing that sells. Good luck and happy recruiting!
Ready to post your stellar remote job listing today? Click here to reach the largest remote community on the web now!
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