A Recipe For Job Postings

I have been experimenting with a recipe for opening a job posting. It’s terse, it’s got an emotional hook, and it provides a filter to let candidate select quickly:

1. Our vision
2. What we do right now
3. Our mission
4. How you change the world by working with us

This was opening the paragraph for a TeamSense postings when I started this in early 2021:

At TeamSense we enable hourly workers and their managers to stay safe, connected, and productive. Our software makes it easy for employees to call in sick, report Covid-19 symptom before work, get reminders about open enrollment, or know who is on the floor today. We want to empower hourly workers by connecting people and automating busywork. Your work at TeamSense empowers hourly workers and the organizations that manage them.

It needed refinement (better writing, for one — “empower” was used to much) but I loved what it did. It’s got all the things that a candidate wants to know right away:

• Why do you exist?
• What might I be working on?
• What does my contribution mean?

We adapted and updated this over the years. Here’s an example opening with from a recent post in mid-2024:

👋 Hey there! We’re TeamSense – a fast-moving, fully-remote startup on a mission to revolutionize how companies connect and engage their hourly workers.

We’re building more than just a product – we’re building a company, a team, a culture, and a brand. We pay attention to the details and take pride in everything we do, ensuring we build something that will endure.

As we expand our operations, we seek a curious, driven, and experienced Commercial Account Executive to join our team. Working at TeamSense allows you to be a force for change. Join us in making a difference in the lives of the hourly workforce and their organizations.

(FYI, I am no longer at TeamSense, but I know they are testing and refining this and it’s essentially the same lead I was using when I last posted roles.)

This is longer, and I might try to make it shorter, but it has the same elements. It’s also better. It refines the model as follows:

1. Our vision / mission
2. Our values
3. What you will be doing
4. How you change the world by working with us

I like the addition of clarifying “What might I be working on?”, and I think it could be even more improved, beyond just the job title. Of course, the rest of the post is providing that, so it needs to be really condensed here.

I think it’s missing the part that answers “What we do right now”. This is also the other half of the rest of the job post. But it’s important to be clear about that from the start so candidates can decide quickly, “Is this something worth reading more about”.

I’m interested in how others feel about this? Is this on the right track? As a candidate, what are the best openers that you have seen? As a hiring manager, what have you tried that you’ve seen success with?