A careers page that tells candidates what they need before they apply
Good candidates read a careers page to decide whether applying is worth an evening. They want to know what the work actually is, what it pays, how the process runs and how long it takes. A small company that answers those plainly often gets better applicants than a larger one with a glossier page and vaguer answers.
What candidates look for
| Question | Answer it with |
|---|---|
| What will I actually do? | A week in the role: the three or four things that take most of the time, and one recent example |
| What does it pay? | A salary or day-rate range, and anything else of value: pension, leave, equipment, training budget |
| Where and when? | Office, hybrid or remote, which time zones, core hours, any travel |
| Who would I work with? | The team, by role, and who the hire reports to |
| What's the process? | Each stage, who's involved, roughly how long it takes, whether there's a paid task |
| Am I qualified? | Must-haves kept short; nice-to-haves clearly labelled as optional |
Long must-have lists put off capable people who don't tick every box. Three or four genuine requirements are usually enough; anything else belongs under "helpful, not required".
Writing a role that's honest
Avoid the phrases that every job ad uses and nobody believes: "fast-paced environment", "rockstar", "we're like a family". Describe the actual pace ("we ship every week, rarely work late"), the actual team size and the actual problems. If the role is new, say so; if the previous person left after six months, a candidate will find out anyway, so be ready to explain why in the interview.
State how you'll handle applications: whether everyone gets a reply, when the role closes, and when you expect to decide. Candidates remember being left without an answer, and they talk about it.
Roles in a collection
Open roles come and go, so keep them out of the page's layout. In Anticode, a project can hold a CMS collection with typed fields, edited in the dashboard. A roles collection is listed at /roles/ and each role gets its own address, such as /roles/support-engineer, which you can share on job boards and in posts.
- Title, team and location
- Pay range
- Working pattern
- Summary and "a week in the role"
- Requirements, and helpful extras
- Closing date and process
When a role is filled, update its entry to say so, or remove it, so candidates don't apply for jobs that no longer exist.
Applications into your hiring channel
An application form keeps candidates' details off your public email address. Ask for name, email, the role, a link to a CV or portfolio, and a short answer to one role-specific question, which tells you more than a cover letter. Rely on a link for the CV rather than a file attachment. The built-in contact form only asks for a name, email and message, so separate fields like these mean a custom form tied to a site function, with up to 30 plain-text fields.
Applications are saved in your dashboard and sealed at rest. To get them in front of the people hiring, add the Slack connector so each one posts to a hiring channel, or use Notion or Airtable to track candidates through stages. Because applications are personal data, a site that collects them can't be published until the account owner and the person publishing have two-factor sign-in on, and the dashboard keeps a log of the last 200 reads, exports and deletes. Keep the Slack channel private, too. The recruit through a careers page workflow covers the rest of the process.
Building it with Anticode
As a careers page builder, Anticode can add a careers page to your existing project or build one on its own. Describe it: "a careers page for Northgate Physio with a roles collection, a section on how we hire, and an application form that posts to our hiring Slack channel". Give the Architect your real benefits and process; it can lay out the page, but it can't know what you offer. Keep the design system the same as your main site so candidates recognise the company.
Limits
- Not an applicant tracking system. No stages, scorecards or interview scheduling. Use Notion or Airtable through a connector, or a dedicated ATS.
- No automatic replies to candidates. Reply from your own email.
- No job board syndication. Post roles to boards yourself and link back to the role's page.
- Free plan allowance. Applications beyond the free plan's monthly allowance are held until you upgrade, which matters for a popular role.
Questions people ask
Should a careers page show salaries?
Showing a range saves everyone time and avoids a mismatch discovered at the offer stage. Some places also have rules on pay transparency in job ads, so check what applies to you.
Do I need a careers page if I hire once a year?
A short, permanent page that says how you hire and invites speculative applications is still useful. Add roles to the collection when they open.
Can I see who has read applications?
The dashboard keeps an access log of the last 200 reads, exports and deletes of form data.