Why Great Candidates Skip Your Job Listings

There are many job listings out there that are written with copy-pasted phrases that sound impressive but mean absolutely nothing. Some are riddled with spelling errors. Others are just sales pitches for the company itself. It’s a miracle anyone applies at all.

Job candidates want clarity, transparency, and professionalism. Miss the mark on any of these, and the people you actually want will scroll far away from your listing.

So in this blog, I’ll pretend to be your dream candidate and show you exactly what would make me run for the hills, and more importantly: how to stop that from happening.

🚩 “We are a dynamic, fast-paced company.”

Cool. Apparently, so is every other company I’ve ever seen on my job hunt.

This reads more like a warning than a selling point. It tells me nothing meaningful about your company, except maybe that you’re understaffed or badly managed, and I can look forward to burning out after a few months.

You’ve probably seen this phrase everywhere and assumed it’s just what you’re supposed to write in a job listing. But it isn’t. What I want to know is: what do you actually do?

Say this instead:

“We’re a [size] team working on [actual thing], to [goals].”

🚩 “We’re looking for someone who is ‘resilient’ or ‘thick-skinned.’”

Are you hiring for a role, or preparing me for trauma?

Phrases like this are giant flashing red lights, especially in industries where burnout is already high. Mental health and clear boundaries matter. This sounds like a warning: you’ll be micromanaged, criticised, or overworked. Possibly all three.

I get what you’re trying to say, but you can say it better.

Say this instead:

“You’re someone who can handle feedback professionally and work through challenges with support from your team.”

🚩 “This is a Junior position: you must have 20 million years of experience.”

I exaggerate, obviously. But I see things like this all the time.

It’s especially frustrating for early-career candidates trying to break into the field, and it just makes your company look a bit out of touch.

I get it. You want someone who can hit the ground running. But if you list a long wish list of experience and call it “junior,” you’re going to alienate a lot of great people.

So, either seriously reconsider the level you want to hire for, or get a grip and adjust your expectations.

Say this instead:

“Ideal for candidates with 1-2 years’ experience or strong internship/apprenticeship background.”

🚩 “Receptionist wanted - must also manage sales, marketing, admin, operations etc.”

I’m not falling for it.

I’m not going to run your social media, call up your sales leads, and feed your cat. Not when I’m hired as your Receptionist. You can’t expect your new hire to juggle multiple unrelated skill sets and roles.

If you're drowning in miscellaneous tasks, hire interns or rethink your structure. Don’t dump it all on one person.

Do this instead:

Be honest about what this role actually is. If you need support in several different areas, consider breaking the work up into part-time roles, internships, or freelance help.

🚩 “Thids postition id based im Hamborg.”

Poor spelling = Instant scroll away.

Also something that often gets ignored: formatting. A giant, unbroken wall of text that’s clearly been copied and pasted so many times that the formatting didn’t survive the journey. Hard no.

Do this instead:

Keep your quality up to standard. Get a decent spellchecker, check it, then check it again. Preview the listing before posting it to make sure it’s clean, readable, and typo-free.

In summary: From your dream job candidate...

If your job listing is vague, overloaded, full of clichés, or just plain sloppy, the candidates you actually want won’t give it a second look.

We’ve got over 10 years’ recruitment experience with the top 5 German industries. From hundreds of hours of feedback and analytical data, we know what job specs attract top talent, and what causes them to scroll straight past.

If you’re struggling to attract the right talent, or unsure whether your job listings are helping or hurting, we can help you fix that.

Book in a chat with us, and let’s work together to attract the best candidates for you.