I love my job, but your job listing is giving me a headache

I love what I do, but most job offers give me a headache in under a minute. Corporations hiring in the design field often leave me with the impression of a fish out of water. Somehow, most job offers read as if they were crafted to sound like a collection of red flags.

Publishing a job listing requires empathy and honesty. If the job you’re advertising is unattractive to you, the recruiter, stop writing! It will show in the subtleties of your writing. And no, AI can’t fix that for you, it’ll still shine through. I apologize for the word choice, but I need to paint an adequate picture here: A polished turd is still disgusting. It’s insulting to anybody who reads it. Ask for advice from professionals in the field you’re looking to hire from. And ask yourself: How can I make this job more appealing? Not the description, but the job itself.

Instead of hiding the sometimes necessary ugliness behind jargon or meaningless slogans, offer compensation for the unattractive, but unavoidable parts of the job. It’s OK, it’s a job, and some jobs are unattractive some of the time. There will be parts of it that are fun, and parts that aren’t, and that’s fine!

Red Flags

My number one red flag is when a company has the audacity to want to be my family. When I look through job listings, I’m not looking for a new family, that “perk” is just unsettling to me. Family is something intimate, emotional, and the part of my life where I can be unprofessional. My boss and colleagues are my boss and my colleagues, period. We’re a team, not a family.

The second red flag is “a fun office/work environment”. If you describe it as “fun”, you’re just saying words. Give meaning, be more specific, and avoid the word “fun”. It’s overused. Are the people usually happy to come to the office instead of working remotely? I want to know why. Are we colleagues, can we talk to each other without pretence and back-stabbing? Is the office architecturally attractive? Whatever it is you think qualifying the work environment to be “fun”, be specific about it.

What I’m looking for

In a way, the company description part of any job offer is similar to a referral or assessment. All the positive things must be said explicitly because otherwise negative assumptions will take their place. If you have nothing substantive and positive to say, compensate with pay, additional paid days off, bonuses, and perks. As I wrote above: That's OK, some companies and jobs are not enjoyable, and there will be people who will do it for the money.

I’m looking for meaningful labour, for challenges, for opportunities to grow and learn while delivering great work. And if the tasks to be done are headache-inducing, I’m looking for balancing factors, like increased pay, fewer hours, or other meaningful benefits.