How to Write an Ecology Job Advert That Actually Attracts Senior Talent
Most ecology job adverts repel the candidates employers most want to hire. Here's what to change — from a recruiter who reads them every day.
Senior ecologists are not actively job-hunting. They're being approached. So your job advert isn't competing with other adverts — it's competing with a recruiter's WhatsApp message offering a confidential conversation. Most adverts lose that fight in the first three lines.
The four things senior candidates scan for first
We've tested this with passive candidates across dozens of searches. They look for, in this order: salary range, hybrid/remote pattern, the technical work (BNG, EIA, protected species), and who they'd report to. If any of those four are missing or vague, they close the tab.
- Publish the salary band — 'competitive' kills your application rate
- State the hybrid pattern in days, not adjectives ('2 days office, 3 flexible')
- Name the technical work, not just the job title
- Name the team lead and their background where possible
What to cut
Cut the corporate values paragraph, the bulleted list of generic benefits, and the 'we are an equal opportunities employer' boilerplate at the top. They belong at the bottom, not in the headline section a senior reads on their phone between meetings.
A template that works
Role + location + hybrid + salary band in one sentence. Three bullets on the actual work. Three bullets on must-haves (licences, CIEEM grade, software). One short paragraph on the team. Apply link. That's it.
If you'd rather we wrote the brief and ran the search for you, get in touch — we'll write the advert as part of the engagement.
Hiring in ecology or sustainability?
We'll map the market for your role — no obligation.
