---
title: "Job ad language checker: free tool for startup job ads"
description: "Paste a job ad and see the words that cost you applicants: gender-coded language, clichés, exclusionary phrases, missing salary and long requirement lists."
image: https://funded.club/hubfs/og_image_funded.png
---

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FREE TOOL

# Job ad language checker

Paste a job ad and see, line by line, the words that quietly cost you applicants: gender-coded language, recruiter clichés, phrases that shut out older or international candidates, and a missing salary. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.

Your job ad

Check my ad

Try an example ad

Clear

The check runs in your browser as you type. Funded.club does not store or see the text.

0

Paste an ad to get a score

**0**words (aim for 350 to 600)

**0 : 0**"you" to "we"

**0**requirement lines

## Your ad, highlighted

Masculine-codedFeminine-codedCliché or jargonMay exclude peopleDuty language

Hover over or tap a highlight to see the suggested fix.

Ad fixed. Now who reads it?

A good ad brings applicants. A dedicated Funded.club recruiter headhunts the people who never read ads, with first screened candidates in 7 days, for a low fixed fee agreed upfront.

[Get a fixed-fee quote](https://funded.club/contact-us)

## What the checker looks for

Most job ads lose good candidates in the first ten seconds, and rarely because of the role itself. They lose them on a word that signals "not for you", a salary line that says nothing, or a list of fourteen requirements that reads like a filter rather than an invitation. The checker scores eight things, in roughly the order candidates notice them.

| Check | Why it matters | What good looks like |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Salary | "Competitive salary" is the phrase candidates trust least, and pay transparency is now a legal requirement in a growing number of places. | A real range, plus equity and vesting if you offer options. |
| Gender-coded words | Ads heavy with words like "dominant" or "competitive" can read as aimed at men, and ads that are all "supportive" and "nurturing" can tilt the other way. | A rough balance, or neutral wording that describes the work. |
| Clichés and jargon | "Rockstar", "ninja" and "work hard, play hard" tell a candidate nothing about the job and put off experienced people. | Plain words for what the person will do and own. |
| Exclusionary phrases | "Digital native", "young team" and "native English speaker" can rule out older or international candidates, and in many countries can also create legal risk. | "Fluent English", "comfortable with modern tools". |
| Requirements | Long lists and high year counts filter out strong people who would have done the job well. | Six or fewer must-haves, written as skills, not years. |
| Candidate focus | Ads written about "we" read like a company brochure. Ads written to "you" read like an offer. | More "you" than "we". |
| Duty language | "The successful candidate will be responsible for" is how a contract reads, not how a person talks. | "In your first six months you will..." |
| Length and sentences | Most candidates read on a phone. Very long ads and long sentences get skimmed. | 350 to 600 words, sentences under about 25 words. |

## A worked example: the same ad, rewritten

Here is a passage from a made-up but typical ad for a founding engineer, and the rewrite the checker's suggestions lead to. The rewrite is a few words longer, but every word now tells the candidate something they can act on.

Before (score 39)

We're looking for a rockstar engineer and self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced, work hard, play hard environment. The successful candidate will be responsible for our backend and must have 10+ years of experience. Competitive salary.

After (score 92)

You'll be our second engineer and will own the backend that processes every order. We ship most weeks and you'll decide what we build next with the founders. You have run a production service that real customers depend on. Salary £75,000 to £90,000 plus options.

Three changes did most of the work. The clichés became a concrete description of the pace ("we ship most weeks"). The ten-year requirement became the thing ten years was a proxy for ("run a production service"). And "competitive salary" became a number. Add the vesting schedule and the work set-up and the ad is ready to post.

**What the checker can't tell you:** whether the role is pitched at the right level, whether the salary is right for your market, or whether the must-haves are the right ones. It checks the words, not the thinking. Benchmark pay against current data for your market, and sense-check the must-haves against the scorecard for the role.

## Next steps after the check

Starting from a blank page? The [job description builder](https://funded.club/job-description-builder) gives you a startup-ready draft for 20 roles that already passes most of these checks. When applications arrive, the [interview kit generator](https://funded.club/interview-kit-generator) turns the same role into a printable interview plan with questions and a scoring rubric. All our tools are on the [free hiring tools](https://funded.club/free-hiring-tools) page, and every role has a full toolkit in the [startup hiring toolkits](https://funded.club/blog/startup-hiring-toolkits) hub.

## Frequently asked questions

### Where do the gender-coded word lists come from?

They are based on the masculine and feminine word lists published by Gaucher, Friesen and Kay in 2011, which many gender decoder tools use. A coded word is not wrong on its own. The checker looks at the balance across the whole ad and suggests neutral alternatives where one side dominates.

### Is my job ad stored anywhere?

No. The check runs entirely in your browser. The text is not sent to Funded.club or anyone else, and it is gone when you close the page.

### What is a good score?

Above 80 means the ad is in good shape and the remaining notes are minor. Between 60 and 80, fix the red items first, usually the salary and the requirements. Below 60, it is often quicker to start again from the job description builder.

### Should I include a salary range in a startup job ad?

Yes. A range brings more relevant applicants, saves interview time on both sides, and is increasingly required by law. If you offer equity, give the range and the vesting schedule too.

Worth a brief chat about your next hire? [Book a free call](https://funded.club/contact-us).

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