An AI job ad generator can turn a few notes into a tidy trade, warehouse or production ad quickly, but it cannot know your pay basis, your site's tickets or your shift pattern. It fills those gaps with plausible guesses, and a guess printed in a public ad reads as your promise. Check six things before you post: pay, hours, tickets and licences, physical demands, discriminatory wording and invented perks.
This guide is for owners and managers who write a job ad with ChatGPT or a similar tool. It is general information only, so check the linked government sources, or get advice, for your own situation.
Why does an AI-drafted job ad need checking?
An AI-drafted job ad needs checking because the tool writes what sounds right for a typical employer, not what is true at your site. It does not know which award covers your workers, which tickets your equipment needs or whether you run a night shift. When your notes are thin, it fills the space with stock phrases and common perks.
The cost shows up later: applicants for a role that does not exist as written, or a supervisor explaining why the ad promised an allowance. Our posts on job descriptions that attract blue-collar workers and crafting job descriptions for manufacturing roles cover ad craft without AI.
How do you check pay, award and hours in an AI draft?
Work out the award or agreement that covers the role first, then compare every pay and hours line in the draft with it. The Fair Work Ombudsman says job ads can't include pay rates that breach the Fair Work Act or a fair work instrument, and that employers must make sure the advertised rate is at least the minimum in the applicable award, agreement or National Minimum Wage order.
Do not accept a rate the tool offers. The Fair Work Commission reviews the National Minimum Wage and award rates each year, with most changes starting on or after 1 July, so a figure from a general tool may be out of date. Take the rate from your award pay guide.
- Pay basis - state the rate only after you have checked it against the award or agreement; otherwise leave it out of the draft.
- Employment type - casual, part-time or full time, written to match the contract you will offer.
- Shifts - days, start and finish times, and whether the roster rotates or includes weekends.
If penalty rates or overtime apply, say so in plain words. Do not let the tool quote a loading percentage you have not checked in the award.
Which job ad tickets and licences should the draft name?
The draft should name only the tickets and licences the work requires, and it should separate what is required from what is preferred. The tool cannot see your equipment, so it may add a ticket you do not need or leave out one you do.
WorkSafe Victoria's page on high risk work licences lists 30 licence classes by type of plant and equipment, and says you don't need one to operate earthmoving equipment such as an excavator, or a scissor lift. An ad that demands a licence for that work asks for more than the regulator does.
- Required - the licence class the person must hold on day one, named as the regulator names it, for example forklift truck operation (LF) or order-picking forklift truck operation (LO) on WorkSafe Victoria's list.
- Preferred - tickets that help but can be gained on the job.
How does discrimination in job ads show up in AI wording?
Wording that points to a preferred age, sex or race can make an ad unlawful, so remove it unless it is a genuine requirement of the job. The Australian Human Rights Commission says discriminatory advertising is against the law, with fines for organisations and individuals, and that an ad should focus on the skills and abilities the job needs. Its own examples of wording that suggests a preferred age are "join a dynamic team" and "seeking mature, experienced professional".
Scan the draft for phrases like these. They are illustrative, not a legal list:
- Age - "young and energetic", "mature", "fresh-faced".
- Sex - "strong lads", "guys wanted", or "he" for the successful applicant.
- Origin - "Australian-born", "native speaker", or any reference to an accent.
- Health and family - "must be fit and healthy", "no family commitments".
Replace each one with the task or skill behind it, such as "able to work a rotating roster" or "able to read pick sheets and safety signs". Federal and state laws can both apply, as the Commission's quick guide to discrimination laws explains, so check the rules where you operate.
How do you spot perks and promises the AI invented?
Treat every benefit, bonus, allowance and career promise in the draft as invented until someone in your business confirms it. Examples are free parking, team lunches, paid training, a path to supervisor and above-award pay. Each one is a promise applicants will quote back to you.
Check company claims too, such as "family-owned" or "market leader".
Is it safe to put candidate details into a public AI tool?
No. The OAIC recommends that organisations do not enter personal information, and particularly sensitive information, into publicly available generative AI tools. Privacy obligations also apply to the output if it contains personal information.
Writing an ad needs no personal details, so leave out the name of the person who left, a current worker's pay and any CV. Whether the Privacy Act covers your business is a separate question. Software that ranks applicants rather than writes ads is a different tool, covered in our post on AI for candidate matching in logistics.
What prompt gives an AI job ad generator the facts first?
A prompt that supplies the facts first and forbids invention gives the tool less room to guess. Fill in each field from your own records, then paste the fields together:
- Role and site - job title, suburb, and casual, part-time or full time.
- Pay basis - the award or agreement and classification, plus the rate you have checked, or "do not mention pay".
- Hours - days, start and finish times, fixed or rotating.
- Duties - five to seven real tasks, in your words.
- Tickets and licences - exact names, each marked required or preferred.
- Physical demands - what the job involves, as you would tell a new starter.
- Benefits - only those you have confirmed, or "none".
- Rules for the tool - "Use only the facts above. Do not add pay, perks, tickets or company claims I have not given. Use neutral wording with no reference to age, sex, race or other personal characteristics. Mark anything missing as [CONFIRM]."
Read the result against your facts line by line, search for every [CONFIRM] marker, and ask a second person to read it as an applicant would. An AI draft also cannot tell you whether candidates exist at your pay.
Related Resources
- Victorian guidance on avoiding discrimination in recruitment
- Quick guide to Australian discrimination laws
- Trades and services recruitment
- Warehousing and logistics hiring
- Job ad mistakes when hiring maintenance electricians
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ChatGPT to write a job ad?
Yes, as a drafting aid. The rules on pay and discrimination apply to the ad itself, however it was written, so the checks in this guide still apply. Supply the facts first and read every line before posting.
Can an AI-written job ad list a pay rate below the award?
No. The Fair Work Ombudsman says job ads can't include pay rates that breach the Fair Work Act or an award or enterprise agreement. If no award or agreement applies, the National Minimum Wage order is the floor for the advertised rate.
Can a job ad ask for a young person or a man?
Generally not. The Australian Human Rights Commission says an ad may mention a characteristic such as age, sex or race only if it is part of the genuine requirements of the job. Describe the skill or task instead, and get advice if you think a requirement is genuine.
Should every warehouse or trade ad list a licence?
Only if the role uses equipment that needs one. WorkSafe Victoria lists 30 high risk work licence classes and says some equipment, such as excavators and scissor lifts, does not need one. Name the class exactly and mark it required or preferred.
An AI Job Ad Generator Needs Your Facts
An AI job ad generator saves typing, not checking. The pay, hours, tickets and wording still have to come from you, and the draft is only as accurate as the notes you give it. If the role is hard to fill even with a clean ad, Chandler Personnel offers permanent recruitment as another route. Before the next ad goes up, fill in the fact sheet above, check the draft against it and have a second person read it as an applicant.
