Most job ads that fail do not fail because the job is bad. They fail because the ad makes the candidate guess, and guessing costs them nothing to walk away from, so they do. Here is how to write an ad that brings in applications from people who can actually do the work.
Use the job title people search for
Write the title the way a candidate would type it into a search box, not the way it appears on your org chart.
- Works: Kitchen Hand, Casual, Cairns City
- Works: Second Year Apprentice Electrician
- Does not work: Team Member Level 2
- Does not work: Guest Experience Superstar
Include the role word (chef, cleaner, plumber, receptionist, labourer), the employment type (casual, part time, full time) and the suburb or area. Job seekers scan titles first and read the body second, so the title is doing most of the work.
Skip internal codes, and do not let enthusiasm stand in for information. Nobody searches for "superstar".
State the pay
This is the single biggest difference between an ad that fills and an ad that sits. Candidates skip ads with no pay information, especially casual and entry-level applicants who are comparing several roles in one afternoon.
You do not have to publish an exact figure if that is a problem for you. Any of these beats silence:
- An hourly rate, or a range
- The award and level you pay under, and whether you pay above it
- A salary range for a permanent role
- Whether penalty rates, overtime or allowances apply
If you are not sure what the legal minimum is for the role, check the relevant modern award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website before you advertise, then write the number you will actually pay.
An ad that states a pay figure and a suburb will out-perform a longer, more polished ad that leaves both out. Every time.
Say where the work is, and when
"Cairns" is not specific enough in a city that runs from Palm Cove to Gordonvale. A cleaner living in Edmonton will not take a 5am start in Palm Cove, and you do not want to find that out at the interview.
Be clear about:
- The suburb or site, or the fact that the role moves between sites
- The days and hours, including weekends and split shifts
- The start date, or that it is immediate
- Whether a licence and your own transport are needed
Vagueness here does not widen your pool. It just fills it with people who drop out later.
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
Write two short lists. In the first, put only what you would genuinely reject someone for not having: a white card, an RSA, a blue card, a specific licence, a trade qualification, the right to work in Australia. In the second, put what you would like: experience, a forklift ticket, a manual licence.
One long undifferentiated list of requirements scares off exactly the candidates who would have grown into the role. If applicants need help working out which ticket they need, point them at the certificates guide.
Keep it short
Aim for something a candidate can read on a phone in under a minute. A strong local ad usually has:
- One line on the business, in plain words
- What the person will actually do day to day, three to five bullets
- Pay, hours and location
- Must-haves
- How to apply, and when they will hear back
Cut the mission statement, cut the culture paragraph, and cut the word "passionate". Experienced tradespeople in particular read all of that as filler.
Reply fast, or lose them
Speed is the part most employers get wrong. Good casual and entry-level candidates in Cairns are usually applying to several places on the same day and taking whichever job confirms first. A great ad plus a week of silence loses to an average ad plus a phone call that afternoon.
What works:
- Review applications daily while the ad is live
- Phone your top two or three. Do not email them
- Tell everyone else it is filled, in one line. It costs a minute and buys you a reputation
- If you are still deciding, say so and give a date
The window gets even shorter in the busy hiring months, so it pays to know when you are competing with the whole town. The seasonal hiring guide maps the year out.
Make applying easy
Every barrier you add loses candidates. Applications on Cairns Jobs go straight to your inbox, and you can attach your own screening questions so the answers you need arrive with the first message instead of after three emails. Two or three questions is the sweet spot, and they should be things that genuinely sort the pile:
- Do you hold a current white card?
- Are you available on Saturdays?
- Which suburb are you based in?
Do not make someone register an account, work through a portal or write a cover letter for a casual shift. They will not do it.
Posting a job here is free, the listing goes live within minutes, and the free careers widget puts your live vacancies on your own website so people who look you up directly can apply on the spot. Optional paid promotion exists if you want a role pushed harder, so ask us for a quote.
For the wider process, from where local candidates look to keeping a shortlist warm, read the Cairns small business hiring guide. When your ad is ready, post the job, or have a look at how it works for employers first.