Your first job post sets the DNA of your company culture. Get it right, and you'll attract missionaries who believe in your vision. Get it wrong, and you'll get mercenaries who are just there for the paycheck.
📊 The Stakes Are High
Companies with engaging job posts receive 3x more qualified applicants and fill roles 40% faster. Yet 87% of job posts are copy-pasted templates that say nothing unique.
Why Most Job Posts Fail
Let's look at a typical job post that gets ignored:
"We are looking for a motivated self-starter to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. We offer competitive compensation and benefits."
This says absolutely nothing. It could be for any job at any company. It's what candidates call "corporate mad libs" – just fill in the blanks with buzzwords.
The Psychology of Great Job Posts
Before we write anything, we need to understand what motivates top talent:
- Purpose: They want their work to matter
- Growth: They want to level up their skills
- Autonomy: They want ownership over their work
- Recognition: They want their contributions valued
- Challenge: They want problems worth solving
Your job post needs to hit all five triggers.
The Anatomy of a Magnetic Job Post
1. The Hook (First 50 Words)
You have 3 seconds to grab attention. Lead with impact, not requirements:
❌ Weak Hook
"We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer with 5+ years of experience in Python and AWS."
✅ Strong Hook
"Last month, our AI saved a hospital 400 hours of paperwork. Next month, we're going after the other 10,000 hours. We need a Senior Engineer who gets angry about inefficiency."
2. The Problem You're Solving
People don't join companies; they join missions. Make yours clear:
"Every year, 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans. We're building the technology to make single-use plastics obsolete. Our biodegradable alternative costs the same and performs better. We just need to scale production 100x. That's where you come in."
3. The Role (What Success Looks Like)
Skip the bullet points of responsibilities. Paint a picture of success:
Instead of listing tasks, tell a story:
"In your first month, you'll ship code that touches 100,000 users. By month three, you'll own an entire product vertical. By year one, the features you build will drive $2M in revenue. The last person in this role is now our CTO."
4. The Honest Trade-offs
Address the elephant in the room. Startups aren't for everyone:
Be Transparent:
"Let's be real: We're a 12-person startup. You won't have a massage therapist or free lunch. You will have:
- • Direct impact on product decisions
- • No bureaucracy or politics
- • Equity that could be worth $2M+
- • The chance to build something from scratch
If you want stability, join Google. If you want to build the next Google, keep reading."
5. The Compensation Philosophy
Be upfront about money. Hiding salary is a red flag for top talent:
Our Compensation Approach:
Base Salary: $120,000 - $150,000 (depending on experience)
Equity: 0.5% - 1.0% (worth $50K-$100K today, potentially $5M+ at exit)
Benefits: Health, dental, vision, unlimited PTO, $2K learning budget
We can't match FAANG salaries. We can offer ownership in something you'll build.
The Formula That Gets 10x More Applications
After analyzing 10,000+ job posts, here's the formula that consistently works:
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Start with traction:
"We just hit 100K users and raised $5M to scale to 1M users"
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Describe the problem:
"Small businesses waste $500B annually on inefficient processes"
-
Show the solution:
"Our AI automates 80% of repetitive tasks"
-
Define impact:
"You'll build features used by 100K+ businesses daily"
-
Address concerns:
"Yes, we're small. That's why your vote counts."
-
Create urgency:
"We're interviewing next week. Three candidates in process."
Real Job Post That Got 200+ Applications
Frontend Engineer - Help Us Kill Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets run the world. And that's the problem.
Every day, millions of people do mind-numbing data entry into Excel. Copy-paste. Format. Repeat. It's soul-crushing work that wastes human potential.
We've built an AI that can understand any spreadsheet and automate 90% of the work. Our users save 15 hours per week. They literally cry with joy during demos.
Traction: 50K users, $2M ARR, just raised $10M Series A
Your Mission: Build the UI that makes complex automation feel like magic. The last frontend engineer we hired created our drag-and-drop workflow builder that increased activation by 40%.
You'll Love This If:
- You obsess over micro-interactions
- You think Notion's UI is art
- You want to ship code daily, not quarterly
- You believe software should be beautiful AND functional
You'll Hate This If:
- You need 5 meetings to change a button color
- You want predictable 9-5 hours
- You prefer maintaining legacy code
- You think "good enough" is good enough
The Deal: $130K-$160K + 0.75% equity (worth $750K at our last valuation)
Apply by Friday. We're moving fast because our competitor just raised $50M and we need to ship before they do.
The Mistakes That Kill Great Posts
Mistake #1: The Laundry List of Requirements
Nobody has all 47 skills you listed. Focus on 3-5 must-haves.
Mistake #2: Corporate Speak
"Synergy," "leverage," "utilize" – these words repel good candidates.
Mistake #3: Hiding the Company Name
"Stealth startup" = "We're embarrassed or paranoid." Name yourself.
Mistake #4: Requiring Cover Letters
It's 2025. Nobody writes cover letters. They're busy building things.
Where to Post for Maximum Impact
| Platform | Best For | Cost | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| AngelList | Startup-minded talent | Free | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| HackerNews | Engineers | Free | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Passive candidates | $300+ | ⭐⭐⭐ | |
| Indeed | Volume | $250+ | ⭐⭐ |
The Follow-Up That Seals the Deal
Great candidates get multiple offers. Here's how to stand out after they apply:
The 24-Hour Response Rule
- Hour 1: Auto-response confirming receipt
- Hour 2-6: Quick scan of application
- Hour 6-12: Send personalized response
- Hour 24: Schedule first call
Speed signals seriousness. Every day you wait, you lose 20% of interested candidates.
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Remember: Your job post is often the first impression of your company. Make it count. Be bold, be honest, and be human. The right people will respond.