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How to write a job ad a search can use

Updated

A job ad has two readers: the candidate and the search. The candidate has to want the job. The search has to find the right people, and it can only use what the ad states clearly. An ad that asks for "experienced", "a relevant degree" and "ideally industry knowledge" gets a search that guesses. These are the things a search can use, and how to write them.

What a search can see, and what it can't

A search of career data sees what people have done: titles, employers, industry, location and for how long. It's worse at seeing what people can do. In Navigent, the search reads function, seniority, location, industry and years of experience from the ad. Languages, education and skills aren't in search data. They're marked "To clarify" and checked on the LinkedIn profile once the candidate is on the shortlist.

Keep them in the ad. The candidate needs to know, and you need to check. Just don't build the search on them.

Function: use the titles people use

Call the job what people call it on their own profiles. "Controller" finds controllers. "Finance Hero" and "Team Lead II" find nobody. If your company uses English titles in a Danish market, give both: "Controller (Business Controller)".

Then say in one sentence what the person does: "You own budgeting, forecasting and monthly reporting for three business units." That sentence is what separates a controller from a bookkeeper with the same title.

Seniority: name the level

Write the level in words a search can use: junior, experienced, senior, manager or director. The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment accepts "junior" and "senior" in ads on Jobnet, the public job board. Say who the role reports to, and whether it manages people, and how many. "Senior controller, no direct reports, reporting to the head of finance" is a level. "Exciting role with real influence" isn't.

Location: place, remote days and distance

Give the city or address, how many days a week are in the office, and how far away the candidate can live: "The office is in Horsens. We expect you to live within an hour's drive." A search can use a city and a distance. It can't use "East Jutland or thereabouts".

Years: a range, not a word

"Experienced" means nothing to a search. "3–5 years as a controller" does. Tie the years to the function, not to working life in general: three years as a controller isn't three years in the job market.

There's a ceiling. The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment writes in its rules for ads on Jobnet that it's lawful to value experience, and that wording such as "3–5 years of experience" or "at least 2 years of experience" is accepted, with 10 years as the maximum, because a precise number of years can be read as a requirement to be a certain age. So don't ask for 15 years when you mean "senior".

Industry: usually a nice-to-have

Industry experience is rarely a true requirement, even when it's listed as one. Say which industries count, and whether neighbouring ones do: "Experience from manufacturing, ideally food or pharma." If it's a preference, write it as one. A search that requires the industry throws out candidates who could learn it in three months.

Must-haves and nice-to-haves: keep them apart

The most important choice in the ad is what must be true. Keep must-haves few, three to five say, and make each one something you can check. Everything else goes under nice-to-haves.

A quick test: would you turn down a candidate who meets everything else but lacks this one thing? If not, it's a nice-to-have.

The difference matters to the search. A must-have excludes people. A nice-to-have only changes the order. In Navigent, function, seniority, location and years can exclude, always with a tolerance, while industry and nice-to-haves only rank. Missing data never excludes anyone.

Pay: soon more than a nice touch

The EU Pay Transparency Directive gives job applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range, in the job ad or before the interview, for example. Employers may not ask about an applicant's pay history, and job ads and titles must be gender-neutral. The deadline for bringing the directive into national law was 7 June 2026, but the Danish bill lapsed with the general election, and Local Government Denmark (KL) expects the directive to be in Danish law from 1 January 2027. Put the salary range in the ad now if you can. It's coming anyway.

Avoid words that exclude the wrong people

Section 5 of Denmark's Act on Prohibition of Discrimination in the Labour Market forbids an ad to say that you're looking for, or prefer, someone of a particular race, colour, religion or belief, political opinion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics, national, social or ethnic origin, age or disability, or that you don't want such a person. Section 6 of the Equal Treatment Act says the same about gender. Both can be punished with a fine, and an employer may not ask for an applicant's age when they apply.

Age is where ads most often go wrong. In 2015 an applicant was awarded DKK 25,000 in a case about an ad seeking "en ung" (a young) travel trainee for "et ungt og dynamisk team" (a young and dynamic team); the Board of Equal Treatment treated the word "young" as seeking a particular age group. In January 2026 a rejected applicant for a job advertised as "yngre salgsassistent" (younger sales assistant) was also awarded DKK 25,000. Describe what the team does and how it works instead. Write language requirements as the level the job needs: "You speak and write Danish and English fluently".

Before and after

Before:

We're looking for an experienced and dynamic finance professional to join our young team in East Jutland. You have a relevant degree and ideally industry knowledge.

After:

Controller (Business Controller) for a manufacturer in Horsens. You own budgeting, forecasting and monthly reporting, and report to the head of finance, with no direct reports. You have 3–5 years of experience as a controller. Manufacturing experience is a plus. The office is in Horsens, and you work from home one day a week.

A search can use the second ad: the function is controller, the level is experienced with no reports, the place is Horsens, the years are 3–5, and manufacturing is a nice-to-have.

A checklist before you publish

  • Is the title the one people write themselves, in Danish and English where both are used?
  • Does one sentence say what the person does?
  • Are the level, the reporting line and any direct reports stated?
  • Are the city and distance stated, and how many days are remote?
  • Are the years a range tied to the function, and 10 at most?
  • Is industry a must-have or a nice-to-have, and does the ad say which?
  • Are there three to five must-haves, each one checkable?
  • Are languages, education and certifications listed, so the candidate knows, even though the search can't see them?
  • Are there words that could read as age, gender or origin?

Once Navigent opens, you can paste your own job ad into the free Requirements profile tool and see what a search can read from it, with no sign-up and nothing stored. Get early access at navigent.io.

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