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How to Advertise a Hiring Event: A 4-Week Plan

Four weeks to a full room.

Hiring events fill up when every ad, post and flyer points to one page, and every flyer carries its own tracked QR code. Here's the plan we'd run, week by week, inside Meta's and Google's job-ad rules.

Short answer

Start four weeks out. Point every ad, post and flyer at one event page, each flyer with its own tracked QR code. List the jobs first, run paid ads for the last two weeks, and take it all down the day it ends.

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Last reviewed November 2026 · Sources linked below

Format

Pick the format first.

The format decides what you promote, so choose it before anything else. Three formats cover most hiring events.

  • Open interviews

    People walk in during set hours. Managers interview on the spot.

    You need

    Two or more interviewers, a check-in desk and a firm end time.

    Promote

    Date, hours and address. "No appointment needed."

  • Scheduled slots

    People pick a time before they come.

    You need

    A sign-up link with time slots, reminder messages and a few walk-in spots.

    Promote

    "Pick your time" as the main button, and the last day to sign up.

  • Job fair booth

    You share a hall with other employers. People stop at your table.

    You need

    A table sign, handouts and a tablet for sign-ups.

    Promote

    Your booth and your roles. Ask the organizer what promotion they run.

Open interviews suit hourly roles you hire in batches. Scheduled slots suit roles that need a skills test or a license check.

Hiring event ideas that are simple to run.

  • A site tour with interviews after it, for warehouse or plant roles.
  • An evening or Saturday session at the site, for people who work weekdays.
  • A booth at a community college or workforce center job fair.

Event page

One event page. Every link points to it.

Every ad, post, flyer and sign opens this one page. Put it on your careers site, where you control it. If the date moves, you fix one page, not a stack of flyers.

What the event page needs.

yourbrand.com/hiring-event
  • Where and when. The event name, date, start and end time, and full street address, with parking or transit notes.
  • The roles. Each one linked to its own live job page.
  • Pay. For each role, in the same range as its job posting.
  • How to take part. Walk in, pick a time or apply first. One main button.
  • What to bring. Such as an ID, and how to ask for an accommodation.

Keep job markup on the job pages.

Google's job search lists jobs, not events. Google says JobPosting markup belongs only on a page about a single job. It doesn't allow it on list pages, or on postings that advertise events, such as career fair invitations.1 So mark up each role's own job page, not the event page, and link to the job pages from it. Our guide on how to post jobs on Google covers the markup.

The plan

How to advertise a hiring event: the 4-week plan.

Count back from the event day. Four weeks gives listings time to show up and ads time to run.

  1. 4 weeks out

    Set up.

    Pick the format, date and roles. Confirm pay for each role. Build the event page. Make one tagged QR code for each placement.

    QR code generatorUTM builder
  2. 3 weeks out

    List it.

    Check that each role's job page has JobPosting markup for Google's job search. In the US, list each role as a Facebook job (see how to post a job on Facebook).2 Is the event at a location with a verified Business Profile? Add a Google event post that links to the event page.3 Ask community boards, libraries and workforce centers if you can put up a listing.

    Job posting schema generator
  3. 2 weeks out

    Go paid.

    Launch Meta ads in the Employment category, around the venue. Add Google Search ads on the role titles and the town. Set every ad to end when the event ends.

    Job ad targeting rules
  4. 1 week out

    Print and remind.

    Hang flyers and signs. Test every QR code on a printed copy. Remind everyone who signed up for a time, and ask staff to share the page.

    Now hiring flyer maker
  5. Event day

    Run it.

    Put signs at the door and on the way in. Keep a QR code at check-in for people who haven't applied yet.

    Your printed codes
  6. When it ends

    Close out.

    Mark the event page as past. Pause or end every ad. Take flyers down. Close the job pages for roles you've hired for.

    Ghost job laws

Short on time? Run weeks 4 and 3 together, but keep at least one week of paid ads, so you can fix a rejected ad. For a busy season, our guide on how to hire seasonal workers sets the lead times.

Four weeks of work. Off your plate.

Hiring event coming up? We're a recruitment marketing agency. We promote it on Facebook, Instagram and Google, make the flyers and QR codes, and get people through the door. You run the interviews.

Promoted.

On social and Google, inside the job-ad rules.

Print-ready.

Flyers, plus a tracked QR code for every placement.

Paused.

Every ad off the day the event ends.

Get my free hiring-event planHiring event marketing

Your free hiring plan: where your job ads run now and what to fix, a channel and budget plan for your hardest role, and a sample ad in your brand. In your inbox within 3 business days. No call needed.

Month-to-month, no long-term contracts, procurement-friendly.

Flyers and QR codes

Hiring event flyers, signs and QR codes.

A flyer has to work at walking pace. People glance, then decide.

What to put on a job fair flyer.

Use the same facts as the event page, in bigger type: roles, pay, date, times and address. Add a headline that reads across a room, such as "Hiring event." Name roles the way people search: "Cashier" beats "guest experience associate." Add one QR code to the event page, plus a short printed link for people who can't scan.

  1. A headline that reads across a room. Your brand and "Hiring event," big.
  2. Date and times. The same as the event page, to the minute.
  3. Roles, named the way people search. "Cashier," not "guest experience associate."
  4. Pay. The same range as each job posting.
  5. The address. So nobody has to scan to find you.
  6. One QR code and a short link. Both open the event page.

Our free now hiring flyer maker builds this layout in your browser, QR code included.

Should the flyer show pay?

Short answer

Often, yes. Some pay transparency laws reach printed flyers. Print the same range as the job posting the QR code opens.

Each law defines a job ad in its own words.

  • Maine10+ employees
    "a solicitation that is intended to recruit employment applicants for a specific available position"

    Its word is "posting," and printed copies count. In effect since July 29, 2026.4

  • Vermont5+ employees
    "written notice, in any format, of a specific job opening"

    Its word is "advertisement." General notices that name no specific job don't count.5

  • New York CityJob fairs named
    "include a good faith pay range in all job advertisements"

    The city's examples include "printed flyers distributed at job fairs."6

Last reviewed November 2026. Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

So a flyer that names a role may need its pay range, the same one its job posting shows. Check each state in our pay transparency lookup, and see our guide to pay transparency in job ads.

One tracked QR code per placement.

Make a separate hiring event QR code for each place a flyer or sign goes. All of them open the same event page with different tags, so you can see which placement people scanned.

Example · the flyer on a library board

utm_source=flyerutm_medium=qrutm_campaign=hiring-dayutm_content=library-board

Only utm_content changes from flyer to flyer.

Our hiring event QR code generator makes these codes. Type the placement into its utm_content field (library-board), download, and repeat for each spot. Its batch mode makes up to six at once, one per placement type, each with its own utm_source.

Print size and the quiet zone.

Every QR code needs a blank border called the quiet zone. DENSO WAVE, which created the QR Code, says it must be four modules wide on all sides.7 A module is one small square of the code. Don't crop the border or put text in it.

Print dark on light. DENSO WAVE advises black on white, and warns that a red code on white can't be read.7

Rule of thumb, not a standard

Make the code about 1 inch wide for every 10 inches between the phone and the code.

FlyerRead from 2 feetAbout 2.5 in
Window signRead from 5 feetAbout 6 in

Before you print the batch, print one copy at full size. Scan it with two phones from where people will stand, on mobile data.

QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

After the event

After the hiring event: take it down the same day.

An event page left up sends people to a day that's gone, and ads that keep running pay for those visits.

  1. Step 1

    Mark the page as past.

    Change the top line to "This event has ended." Or redirect the page to your careers page.

  2. Step 2

    Pause every ad.

    End the Meta and Google ads and any boosted posts. Remove the Business Profile post.

  3. Step 3

    Update the links.

    A printed code can't change, but the page it opens can. Point the event page at the roles still open, so old codes and ads still land somewhere useful.

  4. Step 4

    Expire closed jobs.

    Expire each role you've hired for the way Google asks: a past validThrough date, a 404 or 410 status, or no markup.1

  5. Step 5

    Take flyers down.

    Remove them from boards, windows and counters.

When we run your event, the event ads pause when it ends. Roles still open stay live.

For a full close-out list, see our guide to ghost job laws and expired postings.

Measuring

How to track which flyer worked.

Measure each placement, not the event as one total. Three systems each see part of it.

  • Visits

    Your web analytics

    What it can count

    Visits to the event page, by source, medium, campaign and content.

    How

    UTM tags on every link and QR code.

  • Clicks

    Ad platforms

    What it can count

    Clicks on each ad, the way each platform counts them.

    How

    Each platform's own reports.

  • Applications

    Your applicant tracking system (ATS)

    What it can count

    Applications, interviews and hires.

    How

    Its source field, if it keeps the UTM tags.

Use the same tag names everywhere. Google Analytics says to always set utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign. Values are case sensitive, so "Flyer" and "flyer" count as two sources.11 Our job link UTM builder lowercases every tag, for many links at once.

Test one tagged link through your ATS before the event. If its source field drops the tags, analytics still shows visits by placement, but your ATS can't tie applications back to a flyer.

Budget

A sample budget for one event.

Hypothetical

One open interview day at one location, with $2,000 to promote it.

Round numbers, for illustration only. Not a price or a forecast.

  • Meta ads, Employment category$900 · 45%The last 2 weeks
  • Google Search ads$500 · 25%The last 2 weeks
  • Print: flyers, posters, a door sign$400 · 20%The last week
  • Held back$200 · 10%Only if the plan changes

Pace the paid ads evenly. Here, $1,400 over 14 days is $100 a day. If day 7 shows $1,000 spent against a $700 plan, the ads are $300 ahead, so slow them down. Our budget pacing calculator does the math.

Checklist

Hiring event checklist.

Run it four weeks out, and again the day before.

Hiring event · 10 checks

Copy the checklist
  • Format: open interviews, time slots or a job fair booth.
  • Event page: date, times, address, roles, pay, how to take part and one main button.
  • Job pages: JobPosting markup on each role's own page, none on the event page.
  • QR codes: one per placement, tagged, with a 4-module quiet zone, test-scanned on two phones.
  • Listings: Facebook jobs, a Business Profile event post, community boards.
  • Meta ads: Employment category, 15-mile radius or more, an end date.
  • Google ads: no age, gender, parental, marital or ZIP-code targeting, an end date.
  • Pay: flyers and ads show the posting's range, where the law requires it.
  • Tags: the same lowercase UTM names on every link.
  • After: page marked as past, ads paused, flyers down, closed jobs expired.

Email me this checklist.

All 10 checks in one email, ready to forward or print. The copy button above works without it.

A person emails it within one business day. Then nothing else unless you ask. By sending this you agree to our privacy notice.

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Hiring event questions.

Anything else? A person replies within one business day.

Ask us anything

  • Start about four weeks out. That's one week to build the page and QR codes. Then one week for job listings and posts, and two for paid ads and flyers. Keep at least one week of paid ads, so there's time to fix a rejected ad.

  • Often, yes. Some pay transparency laws reach printed flyers. New York City lists printed flyers at job fairs as job ads, and Maine's law covers printed postings. Print the same range as the job posting the QR code opens. Rules differ by state and employer size, so your counsel decides.

  • Give each flyer and sign its own QR code. Every code opens the same event page with different UTM tags, such as utm_content=library-board. Your web analytics then shows visits by placement. Keep tags lowercase, because values are case sensitive.

  • Change it the same day. Mark the event as ended and link to the roles still open, or redirect it to your careers page. Pause every ad. Then expire the jobs you've hired for: a past validThrough date, a 404 or 410 status, or no markup.

Let's fill your interview seats.

Tell us who you're hiring and where. We'll email you:

  • A sample ad for your hardest role, in your brand
  • Where we'd run it, and the budget we'd use
  • What to fix in the job ads you run now

In your inbox within 3 business days.

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Sources

Last reviewed November 2026. Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

Rules were read on the platforms' and lawmakers' pages that month, plus the dated third-party sources noted. Budget figures are hypothetical.

  1. 1Google Search Central, "Job posting (JobPosting) structured data". Checked November 2026. Markup only on pages about a single job, never on list pages; postings that advertise events, such as career fair invitations, aren't allowed; expired jobs need a past validThrough date, a 404 or 410 status, or no markup. developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/job-posting
  2. 2Meta Newsroom, "Introducing Local Jobs on Facebook", October 13, 2025: job listings from Marketplace, a Page or Meta Business Suite, for people in the US. about.fb.com/news/2025/10/introducing-local-jobs-facebook
  3. 3Google Business Profile Help, "Create & manage posts on your Business Profile" (event posts take a title and start and end dates; pending posts don't show while a profile is unverified) and "Prohibited & restricted content" (links in posts must relate to your business). Checked November 2026. support.google.com/business/answer/7342169 · support.google.com/business/answer/7400114
  4. 4Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, § 622-A (PL 2025, c. 771), subsections 1 and 2: the "posting" definition, printed hard copies included, employers with 10 or more employees. Checked November 2026. Effective date: Ogletree Deakins, "Virginia and Maine Enact Pay Transparency Laws to Take Effect in July 2026", via JD Supra, May 7, 2026. legislature.maine.gov · 26 M.R.S. § 622-A · jdsupra.com/legalnews/virginia-and-maine-enact-pay-6832918
  5. 5Vermont Statutes, Title 21, § 495p (added 2023, No. 155 (Adj. Sess.), effective July 1, 2025), subsections (a) and (c). Checked November 2026. legislature.vermont.gov · 21 V.S.A. § 495p
  6. 6NYC Commission on Human Rights, "Pay Transparency", live page. Checked November 2026. nyc.gov/site/cchr/media/pay-transparency.page
  7. 7DENSO WAVE, QRcode.com, "Point for determining the code area" ("a four-module wide margin at all sides") and FAQ (print black on white; a red code on white can't be read; the trademark line). Checked November 2026. The standard itself is ISO/IEC 18004:2024, edition 4. qrcode.com/en/howto/code.html · qrcode.com/en/faq.html · ISO/IEC 18004:2024
  8. 8Meta Transparency Center, Advertising Standards, "Discriminatory practices": employment ads "must self identify as a Special Ad Category." Meta's own page on the category is "About Ads for Employment" in the Business Help Center. Jon Loomer, "Special Ad Categories: A Guide for Meta Ads", updated March 1, 2025, lists job fairs under Employment. Checked November 2026. transparency.meta.com · Discriminatory practices · facebook.com/business/help/1537759006681893 · jonloomer.com/special-ad-categories-meta-ads
  9. 9Google Ads policy, "Employment in personalized advertising": covers "employment opportunities or hiring a person for a job"; in the US and Canada, no targeting by gender, age, parental status, marital status or ZIP code (in Canada, the first three characters of a postal code are allowed); radius targeting needs at least 1 km. Checked November 2026. support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/16700442
  10. 10Meta for Developers, Marketing API, "Special Ad Categories": ages 18 through 65+, no gender choice, no ZIP codes, no location exclusion, no lookalike audiences, and at least a 15-mile (25 km) radius in the US and Canada. Checked November 2026. developers.facebook.com · Marketing API, Special Ad Category
  11. 11Google Analytics Help, "URL builders: Collect campaign data with custom URLs": always use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign; values are case sensitive; missing tags show as "(not set)". Checked November 2026. support.google.com/analytics/answer/10917952