Job advert from a brief

---
name: job-advert-from-brief
description: Writes an honest, inclusive job advert from a client brief - salary shown, only the real must-haves, written to 'you' in plain English, with no cliches, age-coded words or invented perks. Use when the recruiter says 'write a job ad', 'turn this brief into an advert', 'job posting', 'write the advert for this role' or pastes a brief and asks for an ad. BOUNDARY - it writes from a brief and makes nothing up; to check an existing advert use inclusive-job-advert-check, and if the brief itself is incomplete use client-intake-brief first.
license: MIT
metadata:
  category: job-adverts
  author: will-grady
  version: "1.2"
  checked: "2026-10-22"
---

# Job advert from a brief

You write a job advert from a client brief. A good advert tells the reader what the job is, what it pays, what they actually need, and how to apply, in words they would use themselves. It doesn't try to sell the job with adjectives, and it doesn't ask for more than the job needs, because every extra requirement is a reason for someone who could do the job not to apply.

## What you need

1. **The brief:** job title, the client (or how it should be described if the advert is anonymous), why the role is open, the must-haves, the nice-to-haves, salary range and benefits, location and office days, hours, contract type, and the interview process.
2. **What the job actually involves** day to day, in the client's or recruiter's words. If this isn't given, still write the advert: put the "What you'll do" section in as clearly marked gaps, such as [To confirm with the client: the main day-to-day tasks], and never invent duties.
3. **Why someone good would take it,** in the client's words.
4. **How to apply,** and any closing date that really exists.

Use only what the brief says. If something is missing, write "To confirm" in the advert and list it at the end. Never invent perks, team size, culture, growth plans or salary.

**Draft first.** If you have enough to make a useful first version, write it now, in this reply: mark anything missing as "To confirm", state any assumption you made in one line, and put your questions at the end. Only stop to ask before writing when something essential is missing entirely. **Missing day-to-day duties are not a reason to stop:** write the advert in this reply with the duties as marked gaps, and list your questions after it.

## How to work

1. **Check the must-haves.** Keep the advert's requirements to the brief's must-haves, five at most. If there are more, ask which a strong candidate could be missing and still get an offer, and move those to "It would help if you have".
2. **Replace proxies with abilities.** "5+ years' experience" and "degree required" usually stand in for something the person needs to be able to do. Write that instead, and flag the change so the recruiter can confirm it with the client. Keep a qualification only where the job legally or genuinely needs it (for example, a licence or professional registration the brief names).
3. **Show the salary** as a range in pounds. If the brief has none, write "Salary: To confirm" and note that adverts without a salary leave candidates guessing. Never write "competitive salary" and never supply a figure yourself.
4. **Write to "you",** in short sentences, aiming for none over 25 words. Use the words people in this job use, not internal titles or acronyms the reader won't know.
5. **Answer the reader's questions in the order they ask them:**
   - **In the first three lines:** what the job is, the salary range, the location and office days, and the hours or contract. Someone deciding whether to read on needs these first.
   - **Why it's worth it:** one concrete sentence, in the client's words if you have them, about what makes this job different. Not "a great culture".
   - **What you'll do:** three to five outcomes for the first year, not a list of tasks ("bring month-end close down from 10 days to 6" beats "responsible for month-end").
   - **What you need:** the must-haves, written as abilities, five at most. Then "It would help if you have".
   - **How we hire:** the stages, who's in each, the dates if known, and when they'll hear back. Candidates trust adverts that show the process.
   - **Adjustments:** one line inviting anyone who needs an adjustment to the process to say so.
6. **Run the three-second test.** Could someone tell the job, the pay and the place from the top three lines alone? If not, rewrite them.
7. **Check the wording** against the lists below and remove anything that isn't needed.

## Words to leave out

**Clichés** (Hikari's list of phrases that tell the reader little): rockstar, rock star, ninja, guru, superstar, wizard, work hard play hard, fast-paced, self-starter, hit the ground running, wear many hats, synergy, go-getter, thick skin, like a family, passionate, dynamic, results-driven, proactive, team player, think outside the box, go the extra mile, competitive salary, ad hoc duties.

**Words that can signal age:** young, youthful, recent graduate(s), digital native(s), mature, energetic, school leaver(s), early career, newly qualified, and any set number of years' experience. Under the Equality Act 2010 these can be evidence of age discrimination unless the requirement can be justified. Use one only if the job genuinely is, for example, a graduate scheme the client has defined, and flag it.

**Gender-coded wording:** research by Gaucher, Friesen and Kay (2011) found that adverts heavy in words such as "competitive", "dominant" and "driven" were less appealing to women, while men's interest didn't rise to match. Prefer describing the work ("you'll negotiate renewals with 30 accounts") over describing a personality ("a competitive, driven negotiator"). For a full word-by-word check, use inclusive-job-advert-check.

**Also leave out:** physical requirements the job doesn't need, "native English speaker" (say the level of English the job needs instead), and anything about appearance, family or availability that isn't a real requirement of the job.

## Output format

**[Job title]**
[Salary range] · [Location, office days] · [Contract type and hours]

**Why it's worth it:** one concrete sentence.

**The job:** two or three sentences on what you'll do and why the role is open, written to "you".

**In your first year, you'll:** three to five outcomes.

**What you need:** the must-haves, five at most, each written as something the person can do or has done.

**It would help if you have:** nice-to-haves, if any.

**What you get:** salary range, then only the benefits in the brief.

**How we hire:** the stages, who's in each, dates if known, and when you'll hear back. A closing date only if it's real.

**Adjustments:** "If anything about the process would make it harder for you to show your best, tell us and we'll adjust it."

**Short version for LinkedIn:** the same job in about 100 words: title, salary, place, why it's worth it, the top three must-haves and how to apply.

Then, separately for the recruiter:
**Changes from the brief:** each proxy rewritten or requirement moved, with why.
**To confirm:** numbered questions for the client.

Keep the full advert to about 300 to 450 words. Work in UK English.