Most entry-level postings are written by copying the last one, which was written by copying the one before it. The result is a wall of text that asks for two years of experience in a job that requires none, hides the pay, and gets twenty applications from people who will not show up to the interview.
Fixing it is not a branding exercise. It is mostly deletion.
Start with what the law now requires in Ontario
Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees have obligations for publicly advertised job postings under the Employment Standards Act. If you are hiring in Ontario at that size, the following are not optional.
- Expected compensation. State the pay or a range. A posted range cannot span more than $50,000. Positions paying over $200,000 a year are exempt, which will not apply to entry-level work.
- Whether the posting is for an existing vacancy. Say so explicitly.
- AI disclosure. If you use artificial intelligence to screen, assess or select applicants, the posting must say so.
- No Canadian experience requirements. You cannot require prior work in Canada, Canadian credentials or Canadian professional networks, in the posting or on the application form.
- Follow-up. Interviewed candidates must be told the outcome within 45 days of their last interview.
- Records. Keep postings and application forms for three years after the posting comes down.
The full text is on the Ontario government’s page covering requirements for publicly advertised job postings. Rules differ elsewhere in Canada, so check your own province before assuming this is the national standard.
Here is the useful part: the pay transparency requirement is the single change most likely to improve your applicant volume. Postings without a wage get skipped.
The structure that works
An entry-level candidate is scanning on a phone, comparing four postings, and deciding in about fifteen seconds. Give them the four things that decide it, in this order.
1. Pay, up front. Not “competitive wages.” A number, or a range under the cap. If there are tips, shift premiums or a raise after probation, say what they are worth.
2. Schedule, specifically. “Flexible hours” tells a student nothing. “Two to three shifts a week, Thursday to Sunday, either 4 to 10 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.” lets them decide immediately whether it fits around class.
3. Location and how to get there. Nearest transit, and whether parking exists. For any site off a main route, this is the deciding factor for candidates without a car.
4. What the work is. Three to five concrete tasks. Not “provide excellent customer service.”
Everything else goes below that.
Cut the requirements list in half
The most common failure in entry-level postings is a requirements block that would exclude the person you actually want. Go through yours and delete anything that is not genuinely necessary on day one.
- Years of experience for a role you will train someone into
- A degree for work that does not need one
- A driver’s licence when the site is on a bus route
- Certifications you are willing to pay for after hiring
- “Must be able to lift 50 lbs” when the real number is 25
If a certification is a hard requirement, name it and say whether you cover the cost. If you do, that is a selling point and belongs near the top, not buried in the fine print.
Say what happens next
Tell candidates the process: how many interviews, roughly how long, and when they will hear back. Youth unemployment sat at 12.6 per cent nationally in July 2026 against an overall rate of 6.4 per cent, according to the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. Candidates in that market are applying widely and taking the first concrete offer. A posting that promises a decision within a week beats one that promises nothing.
A template you can copy
[Job title] – [City], [neighbourhood or site]
Pay: $X.XX per hour, plus [tips / shift premium / review at 3 months]. This is an existing vacancy.
Schedule: [number] shifts per week, [days], [hours]. Start date [date].
Getting here: [address]. [Transit route], [parking note].
What you will do:
- [Task]
- [Task]
- [Task]
What we need on day one:
- [Genuine minimum, e.g. availability on weekends]
- [Genuine minimum]
What we will train you on: [everything else].
Hiring process: one [in-person / video] interview, about 20 minutes. We reply to everyone who applies within [X] days.
To apply: [one link or one email address].
That is a complete posting. It is shorter than most, and it will outperform them.
Two more things that move the number
Post the same role again if it does not fill, but change the title, not just the date. Candidates search by plain job titles, not internal ones. “Warehouse Associate” gets found. “Fulfilment Operations Specialist II” does not.
And consider a wage subsidy if the role is a genuine first job. Several federal and provincial programs offset part of the wage for eligible youth hires, and we cover them in our overview of wage subsidies for hiring youth.
When you are ready, you can post a role on Youth Workforce, where every candidate has five years of experience or less, so an entry-level posting is not competing with senior listings for attention. Details on how the platform works are on the employer page, and plan costs are on the pricing page.
Keep reading
- Part-Time Jobs in Brampton: Logistics, Retail and Shift Work
- How to Become a Barista With No Experience (Canada)
- Your Rights at Work in British Columbia: Breaks, Overtime, Tips and Being Sent Home
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by province.
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