For firms today, good staff are harder to find than clients. A job ad that says specifically what the job is, what you expect and what you offer stands out from interchangeable listings. The generator suggests suitable texts for your profession, writes the ad in gender-neutral language and, in Austria, reminds you of the obligation to state the salary.
Salary statement: mandatory in Austria
Since 2011, employers in Austria have had to state the minimum pay under the collective agreement or by law in every job ad, and say whether they are willing to pay more (§ 9 Abs. 2 Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, the Equal Treatment Act). For employees of tax advisory firms, the Kollektivvertrag für Angestellte bei Wirtschaftstreuhändern (collective agreement for employees of chartered accountants) applies; for law firms, the collective agreements of the individual federal states apply. Anyone who forgets the statement receives a warning the first time, after which administrative fines may follow.
In Germany, stating the salary in the ad has so far been voluntary. However, the EU Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970 requires employers to tell applicants the starting salary or its range before the job interview. A salary range in the ad meets this requirement in any case and, in our experience, brings more suitable applications.
Gender-neutral job ads
Job ads must address all genders, in Austria under the Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, in Germany under the Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG, General Equal Treatment Act). The tag “(m/f/d)” after the job title, in German “(m/w/d)”, is the usual way to do this. The text matters just as much: avoid phrases such as “young, dynamic team” or “native German speaker”, which indirectly select by age or origin. Instead, ask for what the job really needs, for example “very good German”.
What makes a firm’s job ad attractive
Specific tasks instead of empty phrases, a realistic profile instead of a wish list, and benefits you really offer: flexible working hours, days working from home, paid training and support with professional exams count for more in firms than a fruit bowl. Name a contact person and keep the first step simple: a CV by email is enough.
Copy the ad as formatted text for Word and job portals, or as HTML for the careers page of your website. Applicants almost always look at your website before applying, and your team, way of working and premises are often more convincing there than the ad itself.
