10 seconds to win (or lose) a senior: how they really decide whether to keep reading your job post

A senior doesn’t “lack time”: they have too many options. That’s why the first 10–15 seconds on your job post are everything. In that blink they decide to keep reading or close the tab. Here’s what they look at—and how you can pass the filter without overcomplicating things.

1) The headline: does it describe a challenge or just a title?

Repels: “Backend Engineer (remote) – permanent contract.”
Hooks: “Scale EU B2B payments with Go + K8s (target: p95 <200ms).”

The title is assumed; the challenge isn’t. If your headline already says what you’re building, for whom and with what stack, you’ve earned 8 more seconds.

2) The first paragraph: story or fluff?

Out: “Leading company, dynamic environment, innovative project…”
In: “Our SME customers wait 30–60 days to get paid. We want to cut that to 24h with instant settlement and controlled risk.”

A short business story beats five adjectives. Seniors want context to judge technical impact.

3) Numbers that say “we actually engineer here”

Signals that convert:

• Average deploy time: 25 min
  
  

• P1 incidents: <1/month
  
  

• Test coverage or how you measure quality (no sugarcoating)
  
  

• Traffic/users as a round figure
  
  

No need for a report: two honest numbers convey more than any “we’re cutting-edge.”

4) Salary range: clarity saves everyone time

Posting a range isn’t “risky,” it’s efficient. If you can’t, explain how it’s defined (levels by seniority, variables, open band for remote/hybrid). Transparency filters better than any ATS.

5) Requirements: three true MUST-haves (not a shopping list)

If everything is “must,” nothing is. State three things you truly need—and why.
E.g.: “Go (2+ years) for the ecosystem; K8s to scale; gRPC for latency. If you come from Java/Scala and ramp fast, that works.”

This opens doors to strong talent who don’t tick every box but learn quickly.

6) A short, human process (more important than you think)

“Agile process” means nothing unless you say how. Three lines are enough:

• Screen 30’ (feedback in 48h)
  
  

• Technical 60–90’ (pair on a real case)
  
  

• Conversation with the hiring manager 45’
  Goal: decision in ≤21 days.
  
  

That already sounds real and respectful.

7) Culture without clichés: show scenes, not slogans

Cliché: “Great environment and teamwork.”
Scene: “Every two weeks we run a blameless incident review and publish the summary internally. Fridays: 30’ tech talks (recorded).”

One concrete scene paints culture better than a hundred slogans.

8) A low-friction gesture

Not everyone wants to apply now. Offer a 5-minute path:

• “DM us ‘more info’ on LinkedIn and we’ll send stack + architecture in 2–3 paragraphs.”
  
  

• “Questions? Book 10’ with the hiring manager.”
  
  

This multiplies qualified conversations.

9) What you do NOT need to convince

• An expensive corporate video
  
  

• A wall of values
  
  

• A 4-hour take-home test
  You need clarity, context, two numbers, and respect for time.