WWR’s Remote Job Posting Template
A job board like ours is pretty busy. While it’s great for our business, we also want you to make sure your job listing is getting the notice it deserves.
Have questions about the remote hiring process? We wrote a guide! Check out our Guide to Hiring Remote!
Download our Job Posting Template
Create a job posting that sells! After reviewing thousands of remote job listings, we here at We Work Remotely created a free template for you to use.
Download a Job Posting TemplateFeel free to make a copy and edit with your listing information.
Tips on creating a successful job posting
How to transform your job description into a job posting that sells.
1. Use an accurate and searchable job title
Using a title like “Design Unicorn” may be funny and appealing to some, but your job posting will be left out of search results and you’ll miss out on qualified applicants.
Job seekers are looking up common keywords and phrases like “content writer,” “UX designer,” and “customer support specialist.”
2. Include an emotive introduction
It’s just like writing a blog post or sales copy. What’s your hook? Captivate the candidates you’re looking for by including 3-5 details that they’ll find exciting. What makes the role exciting? Why should they apply to work with and for you?
3. Describe the ideal candidate you’re looking for
First list out the characteristics and soft skills you’d want in an ideal candidate. This allows applicants to see you’re wanting to hire an actual human being, not just a robot that checks the boxes for qualifications and requirements.
4. Tell your company story
Who is your company? In a brief paragraph of 3-4 sentences, describe what problem your company solves, how long you’ve been around, the company culture, and the stability of your company. Don’t forget to include those company values! :)
5. Describe your remote situation
Candidates flag us everyday reporting 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.
Here are some questions to help you out:
- Are you remote-first or remote-friendly?
- Are you looking for candidates in a specific region or time zone?
- Why are you a remote company?
- What are your logistical requirements?
Ex. “We meet on a quarterly basis for in-person team meetings (all flights and accommodations are covered) and have status meetings once a week.”
Some other tips:
- Be transparent with your remote expectations. Do you hold mandatory meetings on Monday? Do you require your team members to cover their own work equipment?
- Include your communication process. Provide high-level details on how your employees stay in sync.
- Incorporate relevant keywords in your job posting. Here are a few examples:
Remote job
Work remotely
Telecommute
Virtual job
Home-based
Work from home
Because you’ll be receiving a large volume of applicants, including these remote-related details will help inform remote candidates whether your company is the right fit for them and filter out the applicants simultaneously.
6. Provide a clear outline of the responsibilities of the position
Now that you’ve completely captivated the candidate with compelling information, provide the requirements that are essential to this job. What will their day-to-day look like? Who will they work with? Who will they report to?
7. Provide a list of requirements
Here’s where you list out what you require this candidate to be. Aside from previous experience and education, are they required to be a problem-solver? Collaborator? A keen eye for a certain aesthetic?
8. Include company benefits
If you’re a young company, and you don’t have benefits to sell with quite yet, state that! Honesty and being upfront is really what it’s about.
9. Break down the application process
In steps, provide what the process is from when they first apply to when they get hired. This’ll inform the candidates and they won’t need to contact you wondering, “What’s next?”
Handy Remote Hiring Tips:
- Use inclusive language - avoid words like “rockstar”, “ninja”, and any other alienating languaging that contains bias
- Flip the language from “We’re looking for” to “You are”, so that it’s more relatable to the candidate
- Format your job listing so that it’s pleasurable to read (ie. don’t include a million bullet points in the Requirements section that could be better articulated in a company mission statement on your own website).
- Get a couple of different eyes on the job listing before pushing it live. Proofread, proofread, edit, proofread, edit, proofread.
- You’re a remote company, so that means that people will sometimes be working from home. If you have the wiggle room, offering a coworking space membership goes a long way to hiring well and maintaining quality workers.
- Featuring your job on We Work Remotely will give you 5x the exposure and double the tweets. It’s really the quickest way to hire.
Reasons why your job posting isn’t getting traction
On rare occasions, companies have reached out to us wondering why their job listing is receiving a lower than expected amount of applications. Below are common reasons why:
The job role isn’t clear
The job description hasn’t been fully thought out and they’re basically looking for a unicorn. For example, combining marketing and web development. 🤔 Seriously.
The job posting looks like a bit of a disaster
The job listing either has too much or too little copy. The formatting is off. The tone of the job listing is trying a bit too hard to sell themselves or feels inauthentic.
The job posting is lacklustre
Speaking of tone, a common reason a job listing may not be getting any traction is that it’s either missing the company’s brand voice or all of the sweet reasons why they’re a great place to work at. We’re not just talkin’ benefits and perks, we also mean, what are your company’s values? More and more, job seekers are searching for companies that align with the way they work and think. It’s a win-win situation, really. Wouldn’t you want employees who support your vision, after all? Including this information also helps filter out candidates who may not align with your mission or values.
The job posting is mistaken for a job description
A job posting is not the same thing as a job description. Job descriptions communicate the responsibilities and expectations of the role that a company uses internally. Job postings sell the position, your company, team, remote-ness, and why you’re awesome. A job posting is what should be posted on job boards, like ours! As you guessed it, write your job description first before the job posting.