This week, Jen and Paul dissect a "Safety Specialist" job ad that’s equal parts essential and exploitative. Tasked with handling everything from suicides to human trafficking, this role is adjacent to the dark underbelly of the gig economy—yet the ad offers zero clarity on training, team structure, or mental health support. With a lowball salary and a call centre vibe masquerading as a "specialist" role, is this a necessary function or a systemic failure with potentially real harms for real people?

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-015-behind-the-lockbox

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week, Jen and Paul are joined by Dr. Sam Illingworth to roast a "Lecturer in Law" job ad from a prestigious UK university. The ad demands "excellence" in teaching and scholarship, but what’s missing? Career support, clear metrics for success, and any real acknowledgment of the emotional labours required. Sam, an insider with two decades in academia, reveals why this role is both coveted and flawed, from the unpaid "service" work to the systemic undervaluing of teaching. Is this the future of higher education, or just another example of institutional gaslighting? Tune in to find out.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-014-last-lap-for-tenure-track

You can find Sam's excellent Substack, The Slow AI, here: https://theslowai.substack.com/

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

Special Bonus Episode:

Jen and Paul circle back on Episode 010, where they co-designed a job ad for a role that Jen was hiring for at her firm. Update: she sent out an offer letter this week. In this short bonus episode, they reflect on the human-centric hiring process used and how it connected to the job ad design.

Catch the original episode here:

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-010-jen-and-paul-write-a-job-ad

You can find the show notes and goodies from this bonus episode here:

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-010a-jen-and-paul-write-a-job-ad-updated

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at https://roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week, Paul and Jen dissect a Director of Compliance Operations job ad that’s equal parts fascinating and terrifying. With a dual reporting structure pitting the Chief Commercial Officer against the Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer, this role is a pressure cooker of conflicting priorities, ambiguous authority, and a salary that doesn’t match the stakes. Is this a career opportunity or a career-ending trap? Tune in to find out.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-013-between-a-rock-and-a-regulator

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week, Jen and Paul sink their teeth into a job ad so specific, it’s almost surreal: Dog Nanny & Household Coordinator for a private family office. The role promises “trust-based scheduling,” overnight stays, and a “competitive monthly salary” (unh-hunh), but delivers zero clarity on pay, hours, or how to balance this gig with, you know, having a life.

Is this the ultimate flex for dog lovers, or a masterclass in how not to design a job? Watch or listen to find out.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-012-trust-falls-dog-balls

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

Roast the Post gets its first listener-submitted job ad—and it’s a doozy. Ryan from Peterborough, Canada sends in a “Chief of Staff” role that reads less like a right-hand partner and more like a one-person corporate Swiss Army knife: recruiting, sales uplift, AI deployment, product launch, investor intelligence, and “unblocking the business” without permission. Jen calls it a crime against humanity (0/10). Paul splits the difference: the job sounds brutal, but the ad is unusually honest about the intensity (6/10). If you’ve ever wondered what a posting reveals about culture, power, and how much your life they’re expecting you to donate… this one’s a masterclass.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here :

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-011-the-junk-drawer-executive

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at https://roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week on Roast the Post, Paul and Jen flip the script. Instead of tearing down a job ad, they build one on the spot. What starts as an “Executive Assistant” role quickly morphs into something closer to an operations architect inside a small, impact-focused venture capital firm. They debate title coding, gender bias, Indigenous representation, autonomy vs. micromanagement, AI disclosures, PII ethics, compensation bands, rollover policies, and whether four pages is clarity… or chaos. If you hire, manage, or apply for jobs, this episode pulls back the curtain on how thoughtful design (or lack of it) shapes candidate pools, culture, and long-term success.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here :

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-010-jen-and-paul-write-a-job-ad

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at https://roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week, Jen and Paul head to Victoria, BC to “roast” a barista posting from a mega-brand that actually knows how to write: clear role fit, community vibe, and benefits that are almost suspiciously strong (yes, even for part-time). But then the real questions hit: what does “reasonable accommodation” mean in a physically demanding, high-chaos service job? Why don’t they spell out lifting/standing realities? And what happens when “no experience required” meets a menu built for maximum customization... and customers having a bad day? If you’re applying, you’ll learn what to look for between the lines. If you’re hiring, you’ll learn how to communicate values by showing your policies, not just reciting slogans.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here:

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-009-steam-that-sandwich

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at https://roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.