How Your Job Listing Impacts which Candidates You Attract

In the realm of job hunting, candidates often feel like they’re playing a game of chance, submitting resumes into the void of algorithmic filters and opaque hiring processes. The truth is, job seekers know most job descriptions look the same—full of platitudes, overinflated requirements, and buzzwords. It’s time for companies to rethink their approach, align incentives, and design a system that attracts the right candidates while fostering mutual honesty and respect.

Incentives Drive Behavior

Just as systems engineers align variables to achieve desired outcomes, hiring managers need to craft job listings that align with their hiring goals. If your job description lists impossible requirements—"7+ years of experience with a library that’s existed for five years"—you send a clear signal: we’re not serious about this process. Candidates learn to ignore such requirements and apply anyway. This perpetuates a cycle of inauthenticity: you embellish, and they embellish back.

Instead, ask yourself: What do we really need in this role? If it’s expertise in a specific coding language, articulate why it’s essential. If you’re maintaining a legacy system that needs incremental improvement rather than disruptive change, say so plainly. Candidates want to know what they’re walking into, and honesty will save you both time and effort.

Overcoming the Platitudes

Many job descriptions tout "Trust," "Integrity," or other nebulous corporate values. Candidates have seen this all before. Instead of aspirational ideals, describe the realities of the role. For example:

• Instead of: “We value excellence and innovation in everything we do.”
• Try: “We’re a team tasked with keeping a 10-year-old monolith running at scale. We’re looking for someone who can find joy in the maintenance work and be a champion for small but meaningful improvements.”

When companies shift from empty corporate-speak to honest, specific descriptions, they attract candidates who genuinely fit the role—not those who know how to game the system.

Crafting a Better Candidate Experience

Candidates mirror your process. Ghost them, and they’ll ghost back when better opportunities come along. Reject them without explanation, and they’ll refine nothing about their applications. But give constructive feedback—"Your experience doesn’t align with our need for deep API integration expertise"—and candidates can adapt, improving their fit for future roles.

Set clear expectations for cover letters and applications. Be explicit: "We value honest, direct cover letters over flowery enthusiasm." If a candidate’s letter says, "I’ve worked on scaling legacy systems, and I’m eager to learn anything I don’t already know," that’s a candidate worth considering over someone who simply regurgitates the job description.

Build the Right Teams

Technical proficiency isn’t everything. Look for qualities that matter but don’t fit neatly into a bullet point:

• Is this candidate a motivator who can boost team morale?
• Do they take pride in the often thankless maintenance work that keeps systems running?
• Can they bring fresh energy and curiosity to a stagnant team?

These traits often matter more than experience with specific tools or frameworks. Don’t expect to find them in a resume. Instead, structure your hiring process to uncover these human qualities.

A Better Hiring Process in Action

Consider the difference between these two job descriptions:

1. We’re seeking a software engineer with 8+ years of experience in PHP, Kubernetes, and AWS to maintain a high-traffic application while meeting 99.99% uptime SLAs.
2. We’re a small team tasked with maintaining a legacy PHP monolith. Attempts to migrate to microservices haven’t been successful, and we need someone to help keep the lights on while finding opportunities for small improvements. We value collaboration, curiosity, and pragmatism over deep PHP expertise.

The second listing is more likely to attract someone who genuinely fits the team’s needs. A thoughtful candidate might reply:

"I like maintaining systems and figuring out how they work. I’ve worked on migrations before and would love to help, but I also take pride in the unglamorous work of ensuring stability and uptime. I don’t know every part of your stack, but I’m quick to learn and happy to ask questions when I’m stuck."

This is how aligned incentives work. When companies value honesty and clarity, candidates return the favor.

The Takeaway

The hiring process isn’t just about filling seats—it’s about building teams that thrive. By crafting honest, clear, and specific job descriptions, companies can foster better alignment with candidates, reduce mismatched expectations, and build stronger, more collaborative teams.

In the end, you get what you reward. Reward honesty, thoughtfulness, and collaboration, and those are the qualities you’ll attract.