Start your job posting, instantly
Create job descriptionA strong job post does three things at once: it clearly explains the role, sets honest expectations about pay and location and makes it easy for the right people to see themselves in the work. On Indeed, that means sharing the details job seekers care about most, writing in plain language and using the tools that help your job reach and resonate with qualified candidates.
A job post is often a job seeker’s first real look at your company, so it needs to work for them as much as it works for you. This guide is based on what job seekers tell us they look for on Indeed today: clear information, realistic expectations and enough detail to decide quickly whether to apply. As you read, keep coming back to one simple question: “Would a job seeker find this helpful right now?”
Sometimes you might see one of your jobs on Indeed even if you did not post it directly. That can happen when Indeed aggregates listings from your career site or other job boards. Posting directly on Indeed is still recommended, because it gives you more control over the content, lets you use Indeeds hiring tools and helps candidates have a smoother, more consistent experience with your job post.
Indeed’s step-by-step job post process makes posting jobs easier. To make the most of it, gather some info ahead of time.
Here’s what job seekers say are must-haves if you want them to apply:
The above info covers the majority of the questions any job seeker is going to have about the position. And with this info, you can spend less time filling out your job post and more time connecting with great candidates.
For some jobs, hard skills and certifications are a must to consider a candidate. For others, you might want to prioritize ability and cultural fit. Why? Many of the employers we’ve talked to have stated that their best hires were somewhat unconventional.
It’s about potential. Some candidates might have the right attitude and the drive to be a powerful asset to your team, even if their resume isn’t packed with the exact experience you’re looking for. Below are some characteristics that many employers tell us they look for:
Don’t be afraid to mention some of these traits in your job description. That way, job seekers can see whether or not the role—and the company culture—is a good fit before they apply.
Your job description describes the ideal candidate, but there’s a difference between crucial hard skills and preferred (but still important) soft skills. The difference? You can’t consider someone for a Nursing job if they don’t even have a Nursing degree.
For the sake of your job seekers, always put the need-to-have requirements at the top of your post. They’ll be thankful to see whether they’re qualified or not right off the bat. It’s also important to clearly label which qualifications are required and which are preferred.
If you’re not sure, a quick conversation with a colleague can help you get on the same page.
Any time you post a job on Indeed, you’ll decide whether to leave it as a free post or pay to sponsor it. Sponsoring gives your job more visibility in relevant search results and unlocks additional tools designed to help you reach and engage qualified candidates faster, so it helps to know up front whether you have budget for that role.
If you start with a free post and later realize you need more traction or speed, you can return to the job in your Employer Dashboard at any time and add a sponsorship budget without creating a new posting.
When you start a job post, Indeed breaks it down step-by-step so you don’t miss any crucial info that job seekers are looking for. Make sure to answer as many prompts as you can so we can help connect you with the right candidates.
When you write in a way that’s easy to read, you’re more likely to have your post read from start to finish. Some job seekers might close out of a poorly formatted post even if they could be a good fit. And you definitely don’t want a talented job seeker to be left with a less-than-ideal impression of your company.
Above all else, following these best practices will help you attract the kind of quality candidates you want to hire, even if they’re just scanning your post.
Here are a few best practices:
Once you start receiving prompts for job details, try not to skip any of the form fields Indeed provides. Pay range is the very first thing candidates look for in a job post–don’t skip it! Luckily, Indeed makes it easier by giving you salary recommendations based on average market data for the job title and location.
Location is also a very important detail that you should include. Did you know that commute time is the #2 reason candidates withdraw from an application.[1] Even if you’re working remotely right now, including your company’s location is a must if you expect a new hire to work on-site in the future.
The more info you provide the better. All that info is used to show quality candidates your job post in the search results. And don’t worry, all the job post info you type out is saved for next time. So the next time you post a job, you can save time by selecting a previous job post as a starting point.
Not-so-little details that job seekers want to see.
Your job description is where you list qualifications, skills, benefits, and anything else that’s relevant to the job. Indeed breaks it down one area at a time so it never feels like too much.
A great job description includes 4 main sections: Introduction, Responsibilities, Requirements, and Benefits. If possible, try to add some of the need-to-have requirements in your intro so job seekers can immediately decide whether or not they’re qualified.
Indeed has a number of tools to help you attract and find qualified applicants. When you use Applicant Qualifications, you’ll save time finding great candidates to interview.
To quickly find your best applicants, make sure to ask some questions on the Applicant Qualifications page of your job post. You can ask questions about applicants’ qualifications and, later on, filter by these questions in your Employer Dashboard.
Indeed provides a number of pre-made questions to choose from, but you can also customize Applicant Qualifications to fit your needs. That way, you can immediately see whether or not to consider an applicant for the job.
You can choose to auto reject applicants who answer “no” to certain questions. Although it may seem harsh, people prefer to know where they stand with a potential employer. And Indeed creates polite, personalized emails on your behalf to soften the blow.
Here are some of the pre-made Applicant Qualifications you can choose from.
Believe it or not, we understand that posting a job is sometimes the way to go in certain hiring situations. But if you want to hire fast or are hiring for a hard-to-fill position, paying to post your job will give your job better visibility in relevant search results. That means your job post will appear more often to the kind of candidates you’re looking for.
To post a job for free* or to sponsor? That’s the question.
Sponsoring makes a big difference for employers who are serious about hiring. Employers have two different opportunities to optimize and maximize job posting performance on Indeed. Standard or Premium Sponsored jobs both offer major advantages to finding quality candidates:
You can pause, close, or remove your budget at any time. Just click Edit Job in the Employer Dashboard. From there, you have the ability to change your budget, pause your job, or close it. We know that hiring needs can quickly change, which is why Indeed gives you complete control of your spend.
Need more help preparing and posting your job? Our Customer Success team optimizes jobs on Indeed every day. Contact Indeed directly from within your Employer Dashboard.
To contact Indeed directly:
Our Customer Success team is here to help employers like you connect with great candidates. If you don’t have a job posted yet, you can create an employer account on Indeed in order to reach us. We’re here to assist with your hiring needs no matter your circumstances. Give them a call to make sure your job title and description are the very best they can be.
Back to Hiring with Indeed
*Indeed will never contact you about your employer account through apps like WhatsApp or ask for sensitive details over informal channels. If you get a call or message that does not seem legitimate, avoid sharing any information, block the sender and report the number to your phone provider.
This article is based on product information available at the time of writing, which may change at any time. Indeed does not guarantee that this information is always up-to-date. Please seek out your CS/Sales rep for the latest on this topic.
Indeed’s Employer Guide helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.
