How to Write the Location Line of a Remote Job Post

The location line of a remote job post should say three things in one sentence: which countries the person can live in, which hours they need to overlap with your team, and what kind of contract you offer. The line to copy, for a US company hiring in Europe, is: "Remote. You live in the EU, the UK, Serbia or Ukraine and work from there, with at least 4 hours of overlap with New York (15:00 to 19:00 CET). Contractor or employee through an employer of record." Replace the countries, the city and the contract type with your own and the line is done.

Why it matters: the location line is the first thing a candidate reads and the one filter they apply before anything else. Get it vague and you get hundreds of applicants you cannot hire and silence from the ones you could. Here are the five versions employers actually write, who each one attracts, and the wording that fixes it.

Key takeaways

• "Remote" alone is a worldwide ad. Name countries or a time zone band, and name any country you cannot hire in.
• Write overlap as a number and a city ("4 hours with New York"), never as "US hours" or a time zone abbreviation.
• State the contract type in the same line, because it changes who applies and what the pay number means.
• Write it as a sentence about the candidate ("You live in...") rather than a tag, so it cannot be misread.
• Put it in the first 100 words. More than half of job views on LinkedIn are on a phone, and the location line has to be visible before the scroll.

What do the five common location lines attract?

The fourth line wins for most US and UK companies because it names the pool without listing 30 countries, and candidates read it correctly. The quick answer on what EMEA means shows how candidates decode each label, which is useful to read from the employer's side.

How do you write the location line of a remote job posting?

1. Countries: where you can pay people

Before the location line there is a decision: how you will pay the person. A contractor can live almost anywhere; an employee through an employer of record can live where your EOR has coverage; an employee of your own entity can live where the entity is. The contractor or employer of record guide walks through the choice. Once it is made, the country list writes itself. Say it as a sentence about the candidate: "You live in the EU, the UK, Serbia or Ukraine and work from there." Add the exclusion if there is a common one: "We cannot hire in Russia or Belarus at the moment."

2. Hours: a number and a city

"US hours", "EST" and "PST" all fail the same test: the candidate has to guess what you mean, and the guide to what "US hours" means from Europe shows how differently they guess. Write the number of overlap hours you need and the city they are measured against, and translate once: "At least 4 hours of overlap with New York each working day (so 15:00 to 19:00 CET)". If the rest of the day is flexible, say so; it is a selling point.

3. Contract type, in plain words

One line: "Contractor (B2B), invoiced monthly in USD" or "Employee through an employer of record in your country, with local benefits" or "Employee of our Polish entity". The contract type changes the candidate's net pay, tax, notice and whether they need to register as self-employed, so it belongs next to the countries, not in paragraph nine. If you are converting a US budget into a European rate, the salary calculator shows what a US employee costs against a European contractor at the same number.

4. Put it in the first 100 words

LinkedIn's analysis of about 4.5 million job posts found that more than half of views are on a phone, and that posts of 1 to 300 words had an apply rate 8.4% above average against 3.4% below average for 301 to 600 words. The data is from 2016 and 2017 and from the US and the UK, so take the direction rather than the decimals: short, with the deciding lines first. On a phone, the first 100 words are what shows before the scroll, and the location line belongs there.

Ready to post? A listing on Euro Remote Talent's job board is $299, goes live within 24 hours, stays up for 60 days and reaches candidates already based in Europe, so the location line does part of its work before anyone applies.

The line to copy: remote job post wording for Europe

Replace the brackets. Delete a part you cannot fill in truthfully rather than leaving it vague.

Where you work: Remote. You live in [the EU, the UK, Serbia or Ukraine] and work from there. [We cannot hire in X at the moment.]

Hours: At least [4] hours of overlap with [New York] each working day (so [15:00 to 19:00 CET]). The rest of your day is flexible.

Contract: [Contractor (B2B), invoiced monthly in USD] or [employee through an employer of record in your country].

Three short lines, under 60 words, and every candidate knows within ten seconds whether the role is for them. The rest of the post follows the structure in the guide to writing a remote job post for European candidates.

What goes wrong when the line is vague?

• Volume without fit. "Remote" draws applicants from every continent; your shortlist is buried under people you cannot hire.
• Silent loss of the right people. Experienced European candidates have learned that "Remote" with no region usually means US-only, and they skip it.
• A negotiation nobody can win. Without a contract type, a candidate reads your number as a salary and you meant a contractor rate, or the reverse.
• Interviews at the wrong hour. Without a stated overlap, you schedule 10:00 Pacific and the candidate joins at 19:00, and both of you start to wonder.

Each of these is a one-line fix, and all four are among the seven mistakes US founders make on a first European hire.

FAQ

Should I write "EMEA" or "Europe"?

Write what you can actually hire. EMEA covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which is wider than most hiring companies mean. If you want European candidates, write "Europe" and add the time zone band or the countries. If you can hire across the whole region through an employer of record, EMEA is accurate.

Can I just list the countries where my EOR has coverage?

Yes, and it is the clearest option when the list is short. When the list runs past six or seven countries, a time zone band with an exclusion line reads better on a phone. Either way, say it as a sentence about the candidate so it cannot be misread as a preference.

Do I have to say the contract type in the location line?

Not strictly, but it belongs in the first 100 words, and the location line is where candidates look for it. A post that names countries but not the contract type gets the second-most-common question in the first interview: "Is this B2B or employment?" Answer it in the post and the interview starts further along.

What if I am not sure where I can hire yet?

Decide before you post. "Location flexible" or "to be discussed" reads as "we have not thought about this", and the candidates with options will not wait. An employer of record can tell you its country coverage in a day; a contractor policy is a decision you can make this afternoon.

The short version

A remote job post's location line names the countries the person can live in, the overlap hours as a number and a city, and the contract type, in one sentence about the candidate, in the first 100 words. "Remote, Europe (CET plus or minus 2)" with a contract line is the best default for a US or UK company hiring in Europe. When the line is written, post the role on Euro Remote Talent for $299: live within 24 hours, up for 60 days, in front of candidates already based in Europe. If you would rather have three vetted candidates in 21 days for a flat $6,500, see Hiring Done For You; the $299 is credited toward it.