Just 8% of space job adverts are any good

by Headshot of Joseph Dudley Joseph Dudley

The average space job advert is pretty bad. Rated against 10 best practice criteria, it gets a score of just 54 out of 100. Only 8% of ads get a score of 75 or more.

What makes a good ad?

We reviewed all the literature and advice we could find about job adverts, and came up with the following criteria:

  1. A clear job title
  2. Salary information
  3. A good description of the company
  4. A concise summary of the role
  5. A clear person specification
  6. No overt gender bias in language
  7. Information about benefits
  8. Transparency about the application process
  9. A diversity statement
  10. No typos or weird formatting

We then scored 50 adverts from 50 space companies. Adverts could get up to 10 points in each category for a maximum score of 100.

44% got a score less than 50.

The best adverts came from public bodies like universities and the UK Space Agency. The top score was an impressive 91 for a position at the Met Office.

Most adverts did well on the ‘core’ elements of job title, company background, job description, and person specification, but didn’t provide information about salaries, benefits, or the application process, and didn’t have a diversity statement.

Bad ads impact who applies

Research by CV Library last year found that 82% of professionals voted salary as the most important factor in an advert, and 40% said they wouldn’t apply if no salary was listed. Not including the salary is madness.

The missing elements are also the ones that have the biggest impact on the range of candidates who apply. Improving them is key to making the space sector more diverse.

The UK Space Sector employs more than 40,000 people, and plans to more than double that by 2030. As a high tech sector, it’s competing with Silicon Valley companies for talent, so following best practice can make all the difference when it comes to attracting good candidates.

Space Recruitment Toolkit

To help address these problems, we’ve developed a Space Recruitment Toolkit with advice and examples for writing better adverts. It also covers preparing to hire, interviewing candidates, giving feedback, and more.

Make your ads better

Better adverts get better quality applications from a wider and more diverse pool of candidates.

If you’re curious where your company’s ads come in the rankings, get in touch with us. We can offer tailored advice to make sure you’re doing everything you can to attract talented candidates from all backgrounds.

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