A five-person company needs someone for customer operations. The owner copies an old ad from a larger firm: "dynamic team player, five years of experience, excellent communication, ability to work under pressure". Forty applications arrive, most of them from people who clearly sent the same message to thirty other companies. Two are good, and one of those has already accepted another offer by the time the owner replies.
This article is for the owner or manager of a small company who is writing a job ad for the first or second time. It describes a format that takes about an hour to write and filters better than a long requirements list. The principle is simple: a small company cannot offer a brand, so it has to offer clarity.
Start with outcomes, not duties
Before writing anything, answer one question: what should be different a year from now because this person is here? Write three or four answers, each as a result someone could check.
- "Customer questions get an answer within one working day, and the person owns that inbox."
- "Monthly invoicing is done by the fifth, without the owner chasing it."
- "Our supplier list is current, and each supplier has a named backup."
Outcomes tell a candidate what the job is really about, and they tell you what to ask in the interview. A list of duties ("responsible for administration, assisting the team, other tasks as needed") does neither. If you cannot write an outcome, the role may not be clear enough yet to hire for; settle that first.
Keep requirements short and honest
Split requirements into two lists.
Must have (three to five items). Only things the person needs on day one and you cannot teach in a few weeks. For example: "writes clear short emails in English", "has handled invoices in any accounting tool".
Nice to have (optional). Things that would help but will not decide the hiring.
Be careful with years of experience. "Five years" often excludes capable people and rarely predicts anything. Describe the situation instead: "has worked alone on a task with no manager checking every step."
Add one sentence on what you will teach: "You do not need to know our tools; we will show you in the first week." This invites good candidates who would otherwise rule themselves out.
Show the pay range
Give a range, not "competitive salary". Put the monthly or hourly figure, the currency and whether it is gross, and mention the main extras that truly exist, such as remote days, fixed working hours or training budget. Do not list perks you do not have.
A range saves time on both sides. Candidates who cannot accept it do not apply, and you stop spending interviews on a conversation that ends at the last question. It also helps fairness: when the range is written down, you are less likely to pay two people in the same role very different amounts for no reason. Check the rules that apply in your country; some places already require pay information in job ads.
Pick a range you can actually pay. If you then offer the bottom of it to everyone, candidates will notice.
Describe the first month
This is the part most small-company ads leave out, and it is the part candidates read with the most interest. Write four short lines:
- Week one: meet the team, get accounts and equipment, shadow the person who does the work today.
- Week two: take over one small recurring task with a colleague checking it.
- Week three: handle that task alone and bring questions to a fixed weekly conversation.
- Week four: review together: what went well, what is unclear, which outcome comes next.
It does not have to be exact. It shows that you have thought about the person's arrival, and it forces you to prepare. If accounts and access take days to arrange, start before the person arrives; our new employee access checklist lists what to prepare for day one.
Show the hiring process
Tell candidates what happens after they apply, with rough timing. For example: "A short call within five working days, a one-hour conversation with the owner, a small practical task of about thirty minutes, and an answer within a week of the last step."
Keep any practical task small and related to the real job, such as "reply to this sample customer email" or "tidy this short spreadsheet". Do not ask for unpaid work that you would then use. And keep your promise on timing: a candidate who hears nothing for two weeks assumes the answer is no and moves on.
A simple structure for the ad
You can write the whole ad on one page:
- Title: the plain name of the job and where it is done (office, remote, hybrid).
- Two sentences about the company: what you do and how big the team is.
- Outcomes: three or four.
- What we expect: the short must-have list, and what we will teach.
- First month: four lines.
- Pay and conditions: range, hours, contract type, location.
- How to apply: one step, ideally a short message instead of a long form, and the hiring steps with timing.
Aim for 300 to 500 words. Ask someone outside the company to read it and say, in their own words, what the job is. If they cannot, rewrite it.
Common mistakes
- Copying a large company's ad. It describes a different job and a different employer.
- A long wish list. People who meet most but not all items will not apply; often they are the ones you want.
- Hiding the pay. It costs both sides time.
- Vague promises. "Growth opportunities" means little; "after six months you take over the supplier relationships" means something.
- Silence after applying. Even a short rejection message protects your reputation in a small local market.
- No plan for the first day. A good hire can be lost in the first week if nothing is ready.
A short plan for this week
- Write three or four outcomes for the role.
- Cut the requirements to five must-haves and say what you will teach.
- Decide the pay range and the extras you really offer.
- Write the four-line first month.
- Write the hiring steps with timing, and ask an outsider to read the whole ad.
You do not need a recruiter or special software for a first hire. A clear page, an honest range and a reply within a week will put you ahead of most ads a candidate sees that day.
Sources
- Practical guidance based on common small-company hiring practice, offered as a planning aid. The example ad lines, timings and wording are illustrations to adapt to your own company and local law. The examples are invented. No client results or performance figures are claimed in this article.
