A good architecture job advert does more than list duties. It helps the right candidate understand the role, the practice, the salary context, the projects and whether applying is worth their time.
If the advert is vague, overstuffed or full of internal language, strong candidates will either ignore it or apply with the wrong expectations.
Start with the job title candidates actually search for
Internal titles can make sense inside a studio, but they often fail online. Use a job title that the architecture market recognises first, then explain any internal level or specialism inside the advert.
- Use Project Architect, Senior Architect, Part II Architectural Assistant or Architectural Technologist where that is what the market understands.
- Avoid vague titles such as Designer, Technical Lead or Creative Architect unless the role detail makes the level obvious.
- Add software, sector or responsibility in the body, not by making the title unreadable.
Give salary and working pattern context
Candidates care about salary, location, flexibility, project type and progression. If those details are missing, the advert asks candidates to take a gamble before they have even spoken to you.
If you cannot publish an exact salary, give a sensible range or explain the level clearly. Silence around salary usually costs trust.
Write requirements like a shortlist, not a fantasy
A job advert with forty requirements often reads as if nobody is good enough. Split requirements into must-haves, useful extras and things that can be learned in the role.
- Must-have: legal right to work, role level, project delivery experience or essential software.
- Useful: sector exposure, presentation experience, Revit confidence or client contact.
- Trainable: internal systems, studio process, some sector knowledge and non-critical software.
Check the advert for bias and friction
Inclusive job adverts are not about watering down standards. They are about removing language and process friction that puts good people off before they have a fair reason to apply.
Useful checks before publishing
Run the advert through a simple quality check before posting it publicly.
Common mistakes
- Copying a competitor advert without checking whether it attracts the right people.
- Starting with a long practice biography before explaining the role.
- Listing every possible responsibility instead of the real priorities.
- Leaving out salary, flexibility or project context.
- Ending without a clear application step.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s recruiter view is that a job advert should make the right person feel seen and the wrong person self-select out. That is not about hype. It is about accurate role detail, useful context and respect for the candidate’s time.
Next step
Before publishing your next advert, read it on a phone and ask one blunt question: would the right candidate understand the role in the first fifteen seconds?
Advertise the role properly
If the role is ready, publish it where architecture candidates are already looking. If the brief is still unclear, fix the role before pushing it live.
- Clarify the title, salary and working pattern.
- Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves.
- Use Architecture Social when the role needs visibility or a proper search.
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