Many vacancies for junior roles read as if they were written for a senior position: a long list of requirements, vague company blurbs and a job title that says little. A text that shows what the work involves and who's behind it works better for someone just starting out.
Why does a long requirements list backfire on junior vacancies?
In a junior role, where limited experience is expected by definition, a long list of requirements is mostly a hurdle, even when those requirements were “nice to have”. Cut what isn't really needed, and add what someone can learn in the role.
What should take the place of a requirements list?
Describe the work itself: what does someone do in a typical week, who do they work with, and what decisions can they make independently after a few months. That's exactly the information a candidate needs to judge whether the role fits, and exactly the information most vacancies skip.
How specific should a vacancy be about pay and hours?
As specific as possible. State a concrete hourly rate or a clear range, and the number of hours a week, instead of “competitive”. The EU pay transparency directive gives applicants the right to receive, before the interview, information about the starting pay or range, for example in a published job ad [1]; the Dutch bill was submitted on 21 May 2026 and still has to be adopted [2]. The salary can't be below the statutory minimum wage [3].
What attracts junior talent, beyond salary?
According to CBS, in 2024 young employees (aged 15 to 27) named good managers, a good salary and job security as the most important working conditions; young people in education more often than others found it important to set their own working hours (84% versus 74%) and to work part-time (81% versus 68%) [4]. What you can translate from that into your vacancy:
- A clear picture of guidance: who the point of contact is, and what the first month looks like
- Clarity about hours and flexibility around exams
- Concrete examples of what a working student in this role does
- Room to grow within the role, instead of a job that looks exactly the same after a year
- A tone that matches how the team actually communicates
How long should a good junior vacancy be?
Shorter than you think. Show in a few paragraphs what the work involves, what it pays and who's behind it, instead of a page full of company values and requirements. Put the most important information at the top.
How VOIDS helps companies with this text
VOIDS helps companies write vacancies that are concrete and honest about work, pay and hours. Describe the role, the hours and the flexibility around lectures, and not the candidate you have in mind.
Sources
- EUR-Lex (Europese Unie) (2023): Richtlijn (EU) 2023/970 ter versterking van het beginsel van gelijke beloning (artikel 5), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Meer openheid over loonkloof tussen mannen en vrouwen, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Bedragen minimumloon 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2025): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2025, accessed 11 October 2026.
Transparency: VOIDS connects working students with organisations and therefore has an interest in this topic. We back up facts with sources and connect research and trends to our own experience from practice.
