Practical guides

Publish clear job openings on a website

A useful job page helps applicants judge the work, conditions and application route. It must remain accurate as a role changes, fills or closes.

Go to the method

Two colleagues reviewing a role description and candidate portfolio

Describe work rather than an idealised person

Set out tasks, expected outcomes, reporting line, location or work arrangement and important constraints. Separate essential skills from those that can be learned. A prestigious title cannot replace a clear description of the work.

Have the actual hiring owner approve conditions. If pay range, contract or timeline is published, confirm it matches the current vacancy. The web careers guide

  • Concrete work and context.
  • Requirements prioritised.
  • Conditions approved and current.

Make application predictable

State useful documents, steps, response channel and a contact or tracking route. Do not demand an account and many fields for first contact without need. Test submitting from a phone.

Explain rejected files, incomplete forms and duplicate applications. Avoid promising individual replies within a period the team cannot meet. The enquiry guide

  • Steps announced.
  • Mobile submission tested.
  • Errors and confirmation understandable.

Check accessibility and discovery

Use a title, URL and copy specific to each real role. Essential information should be readable on the page without a mandatory download. Form controls and attachments should remain keyboard-accessible.

If JobPosting structured data is considered, it must describe a real, visible and still-open vacancy. Do not create fictional jobs for search traffic. A team photograph shows a setting; it does not prove a work promise on its own.

  • Role-specific page.
  • Essential content in HTML.
  • Markup limited to real vacancies.

Close or amend correctly

Name an owner and review date. When a role fills or pauses, update the page and disable the form or clearly explain its state. Review list cards, shared adverts and translations too.

An old vacancy is useful as an archive only if marked closed and no longer collecting applications. If removed, choose a relevant destination rather than a generic redirect. The broken-links guide

  • Vacancy status current.
  • Form closed at the right time.
  • Copies and translations checked.