You can make a sales vacancy more appealing by replacing the list of job requirements with a concrete prospect for growth: earning potential, career progression, autonomy and the type of clients the candidate will be working with. Top sales performers aren’t looking for a list of tasks, but for a place where they can excel and grow. Put that message at the top.
Does this sound familiar? Your job advert is online, it looks professional, but the best salespeople aren’t applying. That’s rarely down to the salary alone. It’s down to the message: a list of requirements doesn’t sell to people who make a living from selling.
Why doesn’t a standard list of job responsibilities work for sales?
A standard list of job requirements doesn’t work for sales because salespeople are used to selling themselves on the basis of their ambition, not a set of requirements. A list stating “at least 3 years” experience“ and ”HBO level of working and thinking’ says nothing about what they are capable of achieving.
What’s more, the best salespeople hardly ever apply for jobs actively. They’re happy in their current roles, are approached by others, and only make a move if a more attractive offer comes along. Your job advert must therefore entice, not filter.
The labour market makes this all the more urgent. According to the UWV, commercial and sales roles have long been among the hardest to fill (UWV, Labour Market Tension Indicator, 2025). In such a tight labour market, anyone who simply outlines what the job entails will be overshadowed by employers who highlight the benefits for the candidate.
“Employers often discover, through target audience data, that salespeople are motivated by completely different factors than expected” – this is a recurring theme in our work. Remuneration, client portfolio and autonomy carry more weight than a long list of requirements.
How do you make a commercial job advert appealing?
You can make a commercial job advert appealing in six steps: start with the prospects for growth, be specific about the salary, describe the team and the clients, remove unnecessary requirements, make the first sentence punchy, and finish with an accessible application process. This shifts the focus of your text from “what we’re looking for” to “what you’ll get out of this”.
Would you like to find out more about data-driven recruitment?
- Recruitment using AI and data
- Takes an average of 3–8 weeks to complete
Step 1: Start with a focus on growth, not on demands
In the first two sentences, outline what the candidate can achieve. Consider earning potential, progression to a sales management role or building up their own client portfolio. The list of duties can be placed further down the page.
Step 2: Be specific about earning
Salespeople think in terms of results and remuneration. Set out the bonus structure, the OTE (on-target earnings) and what top performers realistically earn, without making empty promises. Concrete details are more effective than vague references to “market-standard terms”.
Step 3: Describe your customers, product and team
A good salesperson wants to know what they’re selling and to whom. Describe the type of customers, the deal size and the average sales cycle. This makes the role tangible and attracts people who fit that profile.
Step 4: Remove requirements that do not predict anything
Every unnecessary requirement costs you candidates. For each requirement, ask yourself: does this really predict commercial success? Experience in your exact sector is often less important than drive, discipline and the ability to learn.
Step 5: Make the opening line click-worthy
The first sentence determines whether someone carries on reading or clicks away. Avoid phrases such as “We are looking for an enthusiastic account manager”. Choose a sentence that immediately highlights the ambition or earning potential.
Step 6: Lower the threshold for responding
Drop-outs during the application process are one of the main reasons for missing out on candidates. Ask for less in the first stage: a short message or a brief introduction works better than a detailed letter and a cover letter.
Would you like to know how to link those six steps to targeted campaigns? Then read more about our data-driven approach and the TEAM framework.
What factors really attract top-performing salespeople?
Top-performing salespeople are primarily attracted by earning potential, autonomy, career progression and a strong product. Salary is a basic requirement, but rarely the decisive factor in changing jobs. The table below shows how to transform a traditional job description into one that highlights growth prospects.
| List of roles (old) | Growth prospects (new) |
|---|---|
| At least 3 years’ experience | Build up your own account portfolio in Year 1 |
| Competitive salary | Basic salary + unlimited bonus, OTE clearly stated |
| You maintain contact with customers | You will be working with decision-makers at SME clients with deal sizes of X |
| Opportunities for career progression are available | A clear career path to becoming a senior manager or sales manager within two years |
| Enthusiastic team player wanted | A sales team of six that focuses on figures every week |
Research into employment conditions consistently shows that autonomy and professional development are key factors when choosing a job (CBS, labour market figures, 2025). For commercial roles, the direct link between performance and remuneration is also a key factor.
Don’t base those decisions on gut feeling, but on data. We combine data from hundreds of recruitment campaigns with target audience research to determine which message really resonates with your target group of salespeople. This reduces the average time taken to fill a vacancy to between 3 and 8 weeks.
How do you check whether your commercial job advert is working?
You can test whether your commercial job advert is effective by measuring how many qualified candidates it attracts, not how many clicks it receives. Look at the ratio between views, applications and high-quality candidates, and make adjustments each week based on those figures.
A few indicators point directly to areas for improvement:
- Lots of views, few applications: your opening line or offer isn’t convincing.
- Lots of applications, poor quality: your message is attracting the wrong target audience.
- High drop-out rate after the first stage: your recruitment process demands too much too soon.
Under our approach, a client typically interviews only the 2 to 4 best candidates per month; we handle the entire pre-selection process. This is only possible if the job advertisement attracts the right people right from the very first sentence.
Do you want to fill your commercial roles more quickly with suitable candidates? Take a look at our Current vacancies for top performers or discover Why FosFor brings top players together with top-tier organisations. Ready to take a systematic approach to your sales recruitment? Book a no-obligation strategy meeting and turn your job advert into a story that attracts top talent.
Frequently asked questions about making commercial job vacancies appealing
What makes a sales vacancy attractive to top salespeople?
Top salespeople are attracted by tangible earning potential, career progression, autonomy and a strong product. Put that growth prospect at the top of the list, rather than a list of requirements. Be explicit about the bonus structure and the type of clients, as commercial talent is drawn to performance and reward, not a list of job requirements.
Should you state your salary in a sales job advert?
Yes, transparency regarding remuneration works in your favour for commercial roles. Salespeople think in terms of results and earnings. Specify the basic salary, the bonus structure and the realistic on-target earnings. This filters out unsuitable candidates and attracts people who are actually motivated by a performance-based model.
Why aren’t good salespeople applying for my vacancy?
The best salespeople rarely apply for jobs actively; they’re content in their current roles and only make a move when a more attractive opportunity comes along. If your job advertisement mainly lists requirements rather than offering a growth opportunity, you’ll fall by the wayside. Targeted campaigns on the right channels reach these latent candidates in a way that a passive job advertisement does not.
How long does it take to fill a sales vacancy?
Using a data-driven approach, FosFor fills commercial vacancies within 3 to 8 weeks on average. The turnaround time depends on the scarcity of the role, the attractiveness of your offer and how quickly you make a decision. A well-crafted job advert and a short application process significantly speed up the process.
What is the difference between a list of duties and career prospects?
A job description sets out what the employer is looking for: requirements, duties and responsibilities. A career development plan sets out what the candidate stands to gain: earning potential, career progression, clients and autonomy. For sales roles, the career prospects section works better, because sales-minded individuals are drawn to what they can achieve, rather than a list of obligations.