# Write a job posting
Turn your rough idea of the role into a clear posting, without requirements or perks you never mentioned.
**Time:** 12 minutes

**What you'll have when you're done:** A job posting draft with the role, day-to-day duties, schedule, pay, requirements, and how to apply.
---You know who you need: someone reliable for weekend shifts who can run the register and doesn't panic when it's busy. Turning that into a posting that attracts the right people takes longer than it should.

AI can structure a posting quickly. It also tends to pad: "fast-paced environment," a degree you never asked for, benefits you don't offer. Everything in a posting is either a promise or a filter, so every line needs to be yours.

---

## Do this

1. **Describe the role in your own words**: what they'll do on a normal day, the schedule, the pay, and what they need to know already.
2. **Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves.** Only you can decide this, and it shapes who applies.
3. **Ask for a draft**, using the prompt below.
4. **Remove anything you didn't provide.**
5. **Check local requirements before you post.** Some states and cities require a pay range in job postings, and there are rules about what a posting can ask for. Your state labor department's website is a good place to start.

```
Help me write a job posting for a small business.

Business: [type of business, general location]
Role: [title]
What they'll do on a normal day: [plain description]
Schedule: [days, hours, part-time or full-time]
Pay: [rate or range]
Must-haves: [list]
Nice-to-haves: [list]
Benefits: [only what you actually offer, or "none"]
How to apply: [method]

Write a clear, friendly posting under 300 words, in plain language
rather than corporate phrases. Only include the requirements,
benefits, and details I listed. Don't add a degree requirement,
years of experience, or perks I didn't mention.
```

---

## Check this before you trust it

- **Every requirement.** If you didn't list it, remove it. Extra requirements can put off good applicants.
- **Pay, schedule, and benefits**, against what you'll actually offer.
- **Wording that touches on age, health, or family.** Phrases like "young and energetic" or "recent graduates" can read as age requirements. Remove them, and if you're unsure whether something is allowed, check with your state labor department or an employment attorney.

---

## If it goes wrong

**It sounds like every other posting.** Add one or two true, specific details about the job, like "you'll know most of our regulars by name within a month," and ask it to keep them.

**The list of requirements got longer.** Paste your original must-haves and say: "Use exactly these requirements and no others."

**You get applicants who don't fit.** Look for the must-have that was missing or vague, make it specific, and repost.

**You're not sure what to pay.** AI can't reliably tell you current local wages. Look at postings for similar roles near you, or your state's published wage data.

<div class="cta">
<h2>Related</h2>
<ul>
  <li><a href="/guides/small-business/turn-how-you-do-it-into-an-sop/">Turn the way I do something into an SOP</a> <span>For training the person once you've hired them</span></li>
  <li><a href="/guides/everyday-life/email-youve-been-putting-off/">Write the email or message you've been putting off</a> <span>For the message to applicants you won't be hiring</span></li>
  <li><a href="/guides/ai-explained/what-to-say-to-ai/">What do I actually type or say to AI?</a> <span>Why listing what to avoid changes the draft</span></li>
</ul>
</div>