Now Hiring Banner Ideas (What to Write and Where to Hang It)

What to put on a hiring banner

The ready-made hiring designs print NOW HIRING, HELP WANTED or WE'RE HIRING across the top as a fixed headline. You only type the lines under it, so the words you add are the jobs and the way to apply. Every optional line can be switched off, so a banner with only the headline and a phone number is a valid choice.

Put the jobs on the first optional line, in capitals, such as LINE COOKS AND DISHWASHERS. Put the way to apply on the second line: APPLY INSIDE, a phone number or a short web address. Hours can go on either line when they fit, such as DAYS AND WEEKENDS.

On a Your words design the big line is yours too, so you can type NOW HIRING there. The restaurant banners page works this way, with a line for the restaurant's name under the big line.

• Headline: NOW HIRING, HELP WANTED or WE'RE HIRING.
• The jobs: SERVERS AND HOSTS, or LINE COOKS AND DISHWASHERS.
• Hours: DAYS, NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS, or FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME.
• How to apply: APPLY INSIDE, or CALL 555-123-4567.

Read it from a moving car

A passing driver reads only a few words, so the big line has to carry the message on its own. A long sentence is easy to skip. Keep the banner to three short lines at most: the headline, the jobs and one way to apply.

The rule of thumb is about 1 inch of letter height for every 10 feet of distance. A sign that should read easily from 30 feet away needs letters about 3 inches tall. A wide 8 x 4 ft banner has room for more letters than a 4 x 2 ft one, so pick the size first, then the wording.

Each ready-made design pairs its words with a contrasting background, such as white on red, black on yellow or white on green. The live preview shows the letter sizes on the banner itself, so check the smallest line there before you order.

Where it hangs

Pick the spot by who you want to reach. A window or a wall by the front door reaches people who are already walking in. A fence by the road or the edge of the lot reaches drivers, and a banner on a fence line near the entrance points people to the place to apply.

For a chain link fence, choose the mesh. Mesh has small open holes, so wind passes through it. The mesh fence banners page has sizes from 8 x 6 ft to 25 x 6 ft, and those fence sizes are also sold in solid vinyl at the same price.

For a wall, a window or a door, solid 13 oz vinyl is the usual choice. Both kinds print on one side, with hemmed edges and brass grommets around the edges. The custom vinyl banners page has a plain Your words design in six colors for a wall sign.

• A window or a wall by the door: a 6 x 3 ft or 8 x 4 ft solid banner, or a tall 3 x 6 ft upright.
• A chain link fence by the road: a mesh fence banner.
• The edge of the lot: a wide 8 x 3 ft or 8 x 4 ft banner that people can read while they park.

Word the job, not the person

US equal-opportunity rules say a job ad must not show a preference for age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or pregnancy. A banner is a job ad, so it should describe the work, the hours and how to apply, not who should apply.

Name the job, not the person. SERVERS names the job, while WAITRESS names a person, and LINE COOKS works where GUYS NEEDED does not. Leave out any word that points at an age group, a sex or a background, and any picture of the kind of person the job is for. A line such as ALL AGES 16+ WHERE THE LAW ALLOWS is fine.

If you are unsure about a word, ask an employment lawyer or your state labor office before you order. A banner can stay up for weeks, so it is worth checking the words first.

• Say SERVERS. Not WAITRESS.
• Say LINE COOKS. Not GUYS NEEDED.
• Say ALL AGES 16+ WHERE THE LAW ALLOWS. Not a word about the applicant.

Keep the pay and hours true

A pay figure on a banner has to stay correct for as long as the banner is up, and a banner can stay up for weeks. If the rate may change, use ASK ABOUT PAY on the banner and put the figure on the job post or the application instead.

When the pay does change, reorder before the old figure is wrong. A new banner ships in 1 to 2 business days, then ground shipping takes 2 to 5 business days. Plan for up to 7 business days in all, and do not count on a set arrival date.

Hours work the same way. DAYS AND WEEKENDS stays true for a long time, while a line such as OPENINGS THIS WEEK goes out of date as soon as the openings are filled.

Sizes, prices and orders for several sites

Text banners cost $25.95 at 4 x 2 ft, $38.95 at 6 x 2 ft, $57.95 at 6 x 3 ft, $76.95 at 8 x 3 ft and $101.95 at 8 x 4 ft. The upright sizes are $25.95 at 2 x 4 ft and $57.95 at 3 x 6 ft. Mesh fence banners are $152.95 at 8 x 6 ft, $190.95 at 10 x 6 ft, $380.95 at 20 x 6 ft and $475.95 at 25 x 6 ft, the same price in mesh or solid vinyl.

Shipping is $9.99, and free on orders of $99 or more. Five or more copies of the same banner save 10%, and ten or more save 15%. A chain with five stores that each need the same 6 x 3 ft banner orders five copies of one banner, so the saving applies. Five different banners do not add up to a saving.