Five Steps to NDIS Job Ads Candidates Want to Answer

Winter, EnableUs Community

Last time we talked about why NDIS job ads get ignored, and the idea that an ad should work like a trailer for the job, not a compliance filing. Today is the practical part. Five steps for writing an ad that candidates actually want to answer. Will, where does a writer start?

Will, EnableUs Community

With the title, because it's the first thing a candidate sees, and on a job board it's also the thing they search. People type established terms like Disability Support Worker or Support Coordinator. They don't type Support Team Member or Client Care Assistant. If your title is an internal label, the right people may never find the ad at all.

Winter, EnableUs Community

But a plain title feels flat. Isn't the title where you get to stand out?

Will, EnableUs Community

You stand out by being specific, not by being clever. Add the location, so the suburb or service region, and the type of support. Supported Independent Living, community access, high intensity personal care, psychosocial support. Put that in the title or straight beneath it, and a candidate can sort themselves in a few seconds. One recruitment software company, Datapeople, makes a similar point about searchability. It says job boards match the titles candidates search for, so unique titles don't show up, and it suggests keeping titles to four to six words.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Say that title gets a good candidate in the door. Maybe someone changing careers into disability support. What are they looking for next?

Will, EnableUs Community

They want to know who they'd be working for, and that's step two. This is where a lot of ads fall back on lines like we are the best employer, or passionate and person centred. Those claims tell a candidate nothing. They only count if they're grounded in how you really operate.

Winter, EnableUs Community

So what does grounded look like?

Will, EnableUs Community

Something concrete. Small, consistent support teams around each participant, if that's how you work. How supervision is set up. What you commit to for professional development. How you approach worker safety. The blog this is based on adds a condition, and it matters: these claims should reflect your actual workplace.

Winter, EnableUs Community

That condition does a lot of work. If the ad says one thing and the roster says another, the candidate finds out.

Will, EnableUs Community

Fast. And this part is my interpretation, not from the source, but a simple test is to ask whether a current worker would recognise your description of the job. If they'd raise an eyebrow, rewrite it.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Step three is requirements, and I think this is where NDIS ads get heavy. Long lists, lots of acronyms.

Will, EnableUs Community

And a long, unformatted wish list can scare off capable people. Career changers, or experienced workers who simply haven't used one particular system. A vague description has the opposite problem, because it attracts people who aren't right for the role. So separate essential from desirable, and lay out the core duties, the expected hours and the work location plainly.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Compliance is the tricky bit. How do you include it without sliding back into a compliance first ad?

Will, EnableUs Community

By drawing a clear line. Some things are mandatory before someone can start, like the NDIS Worker Screening Check, a driver's licence if the role involves driving, or a required clinical qualification. Say so. Other things can be completed during onboarding, like the NDIS Worker Orientation Module. Say that too. When candidates know exactly what's needed upfront and what comes later, you cut screening friction and you cut drop off.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Which leads into step four. What you're offering, not just what you're demanding.

Will, EnableUs Community

Right. The ad should state pay, or the applicable SCHADS Award classification, plus shift patterns, the employment type, whether that's casual, permanent part time or full time, and what mentoring or paid training exists. Then explain flexibility and career pathways as they work in practice.

Winter, EnableUs Community

What if the flexibility is limited? Providers worry that honesty puts people off.

Will, EnableUs Community

Some people it will. But the risk on the other side is over promising flexibility the roster can't reliably deliver, and then losing that worker soon after they start. If weekend shifts are fixed, say so. A candidate who reads that and still applies is a better hire than one who finds out in week two.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Then the last step. The apply button.

Will, EnableUs Community

Tell people exactly how to apply, what to send, and when applications close if there's a closing date. Something like a two page CV and a targeted cover letter. Don't ask for an exhaustive form, a list of referee contacts, or compliance paperwork at the first click. That repels strong candidates, both active and passive. Offer a named contact or a direct email for questions before they apply, too.

Winter, EnableUs Community

And before it goes live?

Will, EnableUs Community

One editorial pass. Plain English, welcoming and inclusive wording, bullet points and clear headers, and a check that every line matches the real role. It's the cheapest quality control in recruitment.

Winter, EnableUs Community

Though the ad itself is only the start of the process.

Will, EnableUs Community

Exactly. It's the intake step. Whoever it brings in still goes through a structured, values aligned screening and behavioural interview, because that's where you verify practical competence and participant safeguarding. A good ad helps the right people show up. The process confirms who they are.

Winter, EnableUs Community

So a title people can search, a workplace described truthfully, clear lines on what's required, an honest offer, and an easy way to say yes. If your next ad does those five things, it's already a better trailer than most on the board.