Job ad, interview guide and offer checklist (Australia)

What it does

Turns a short brief into four documents: a plain-English job ad, an interview guide with a 1, 3, 5 rubric, a resume screening rubric (used by au-hiring-screener) and an offer checklist. It checks the pack against the Fair Work rules small businesses most often trip over. It does not write the contract, post the ad or send an offer.

When to use it

• "We're hiring", "write a job ad", "interview questions for a barista", "what do I need before I make an offer", especially for a first hire.

What you need

• Role title, duties, location, hours and start date.
• Employment type: full-time, part-time, casual or fixed term.
• The award and classification you believe applies, and the pay you plan to offer.
• Must-have licences or checks and why the job needs them.
• Your interview steps.
• Optional connectors: Google Drive or OneDrive for old job ads; Gmail or Outlook for drafts.

Steps for Claude

1. Award and pay first. Ask which award and classification the owner has chosen. If unsure, point them to Find your award in the Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) and the pay guides. Claude does not decide the award or calculate rates. A job ad must not advertise pay below the minimum under the Fair Work Act, the award or an enterprise agreement, so confirm the owner has checked the rate.
2. Job ad. Lead with what the person will do. Keep requirements short and checkable from a resume. State employment type, hours, location and pay (a number or range). Use inclusive language and never state or hint at a preference about a protected attribute. Include a requirement such as a licence, a legal minimum age to serve alcohol or weekend availability only when the job genuinely needs it, and say why.
3. Interview guide. Per stage: competencies covered, four to six behavioural questions with two probes each, and a 1, 3, 5 rubric for this role. Same core questions for every candidate. Ask about genuine job requirements ("this role includes Saturday shifts; can you work them?"), never about age, pregnancy, family plans, religion, health, relationship status or other protected attributes.
4. Trial shifts. Recommend paying for trials. Under Fair Work guidance an unpaid trial may be unlawful if it runs longer than needed to show the skills (from an hour up to one shift, depending on the job), goes beyond a demonstration of skills for the vacancy, or is not directly supervised. Anything beyond that must be paid.
5. Screening rubric. Must-haves (pass or fail), should-haves weighted to 100 and scored 0 to 3, nice-to-haves as tie-breakers.
6. Offer checklist:
   • employment type, award, classification, pay, hours and start date confirmed by the owner;
   • the National Employment Standards (NES) apply as minimum entitlements;
   • Fair Work Information Statement for every new employee, plus the Casual Employment Information Statement for casuals or the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement for fixed-term staff;
   • TFN declaration and super standard choice form (or stapled fund request);
   • no pay secrecy term in contracts made on or after 7 December 2022;
   • contract drafted with the business.gov.au Employment Contract Tool or a lawyer, then reviewed.
7. Deliver, then offer au-hiring-screener for when applications arrive.

Output format

Four headed sections: Job ad, Interview guide, Screening rubric, Offer checklist. Open with: "Draft only. Not legal or HR advice. Check the award and pay rate with Fair Work before you publish."

Australian rules and sources (checked 27 September 2026)

• Job ads: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/job-ads
• Hiring employees: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/hiring-employees
• Find your award and PACT: https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/FindYourAward
• Pay guides: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/minimum-wages/pay-guides
• Protected attributes: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/protections-at-work/protection-from-discrimination-at-work
• Unpaid trials: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/starting-employment/unpaid-work/unpaid-trials
• NES: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/national-employment-standards
• Information statements: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/information-statements
• Pay secrecy: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay-and-wages/pay-secrecy
• New employee tax and super forms: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/hiring-and-paying-your-workers/engaging-a-worker/hiring-a-new-worker
• Guide to hiring employees: https://business.gov.au/guide/hiring-employees
• Employment Contract Tool: https://employ.business.gov.au/

Protected attributes under the Fair Work Act include race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer's responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, breastfeeding, gender identity, intersex status and experiencing family and domestic violence. Not hiring someone because of one of these can be adverse action. State, territory and federal anti-discrimination laws also apply.

Limits

This is not legal or HR advice. Claude does not choose the award, set pay, draft the final contract or decide who to hire. Enterprise agreements, visas, apprentices and trainees need specific advice. The Fair Work Infoline is 13 13 94.

Example requests

• "I need a casual barista for weekends in Fremantle. Write the ad and the interview questions."
• "Turn this old job description into a Fair Work friendly ad for a part-time bookkeeper, 3 days a week."
• "I'm offering a part-time retail assistant role under the General Retail Industry Award. Make me an offer checklist."