08/28/2026
Real talk for anyone about to hire for the holidays.
Every year after Labor Day, the same thing happens. You pull up last year's job description, change the date, repost it, and wait. Two weeks later you've got a stack of applications and none of them feel right.
The problem isn't the labor market. It's your requirements list. You've got 15 bullet points and half of them are wishes, not requirements. The strongest candidates read that, don't check every box, and move on to the next listing.
Three fixes: lead with the actual business problem you're solving (not "about the role"), cut your must-haves to three, and post the salary range even if your state doesn't make you.
You'll get fewer applications. That's the point.
Q4 hiring season starts right after Labor Day, and most small businesses are about to repost the same job description that got them a mediocre applicant pool last year. The mistake almost always shows up in one place: the requirements list. Here's the structural fix that takes an hour and changes wh...