A clear job advertisement tells candidates what the job involves, where and how they would work, what evidence matters and how to apply. Start with an approved role and actual conditions rather than trying to make a vague vacancy sound exciting.
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s job-ad guidance explains that advertised pay cannot undercut applicable minimum entitlements. Check the relevant instrument and proposed arrangement before publishing a rate. This guide does not supply a rate for your business.
Define the public information before drafting
Confirm the legal employer, role title, location, employment type, reporting line and core duties. Resolve whether the role is ongoing, fixed-term or casual rather than using “flexible” as a substitute for an employment arrangement.
Separate essential requirements from preferences. Ask why each qualification, licence or experience requirement is necessary for the actual work. Avoid inventing a mandatory credential because another advertisement used it.
Check that the application channel works and identify who will answer recruitment questions. An attractive advertisement is incomplete if candidates cannot tell what documents to submit or where their information will go.
An annotated fictional job-ad template
This is a fictional template for editing practice. Bracketed fields are deliberate template fields to replace before use, not a real vacancy or BOJ offer.
Role: Administration Assistant — [confirmed workplace location]
Employer and arrangement: [legal employing entity], [confirmed employment type and ordinary work arrangement].
Purpose: Help the team maintain accurate records, coordinate bookings and respond to routine enquiries.
Main work: Update approved records; confirm bookings using the team’s process; prepare routine correspondence; and escalate queries outside the role’s authority.
Essential evidence: Examples of accurate record handling and clear customer communication. Include only genuinely required qualifications or licences and state their correct names.
What the employer provides: [verified induction, supervision and any confirmed conditions]. Do not insert benefits that have not been approved.
Pay: [accurate amount or range, basis and treatment of superannuation, checked against applicable minimum entitlements].
Apply: Submit [requested documents] through [verified channel] by [date, time and time zone]. Contact [verified recruitment contact] for process or access questions.
The purpose section explains why the role exists. The duties describe work someone can picture. The evidence section helps candidates decide whether to apply without relying on personality labels such as “rockstar”. The application section removes avoidable uncertainty.
Edit claims that candidates could misunderstand
Replace “work anywhere” if the job requires attendance at a particular site. Explain any travel, shifts or weekend work that genuinely form part of the role. Do not promise unlimited hours, promotion or sponsorship without confirmed authority and accurate conditions.
A role in Brisbane is not automatically connected to Brisbane 2032. Do not add Olympic language or official marks to make an ordinary vacancy appear appointed to the Games. The same care applies to claims about business partnerships or exclusive recruitment access.
The business.gov.au hiring guide provides a broader recruitment checklist. Use job-related requirements and obtain appropriate advice if wording or eligibility restrictions raise a discrimination concern.
Test the advertisement as a candidate
Ask someone unfamiliar with the role to identify the main duties, location, arrangement, required evidence and submission route. If they cannot, simplify the wording. Open the application link on a phone and check the closing information beside the document instructions.
Keep an approved copy and a named owner for changes. If conditions change, update the advertisement rather than relying on a recruiter to explain a different offer later.
Read our local-business planning guide for the wider context, or review BOJ employer information for the current submission process. A public advertisement and the internal job description serve different purposes; approve the role before promoting it.
