Finding a vetted tradesperson is easy with Rated People. All you need to do is post your job listing and wait for the quotes to come in! So that the best tradesperson can find you, it’s important that you include all the information they’ll need in your post. To help you do just that, we’ve explained how the job listing process works in the video below.
Looking for help with a specific part of the job listing process? Click on the timestamp below to skip to the relevant part of the video. Otherwise, watch the entire video to discover our top tips for each part of the process.
Scroll further down to find a transcript of the video that you can refer back to if you’d like.
Skip to:
- 0:59 – Choosing your job type.
- 1:20 – The details you’ll need to include.
- 1:39 – Job title and description.
- 2:04 – Relevant timelines (if applicable).
- 2:18 – Photos, plans, drawings and other images.
- 3:06 – Budget.
- 3:58 – Filling in your contact details.
- 4:46 – What happens after you’ve posted your job.
- 5:34 – How to update your job if you don’t get any quotes.
- 6:35 – Closing your job.
Posting an effective job listing: video transcript
Hi, I’m Hannah from Rated People. In this video I’m going to talk you through how to post a simple but effective job listing, because the more accurately you describe your job, the more likely you are to find the best tradesperson for you.
Remember, our tradespeople pay for the opportunity to quote, so please only post jobs that you intend to complete. If you’re looking for information or design ideas, you can ask our tradespeople for help in our Ask an expert section.
To get started, visit our homepage at www.ratedpeople.com on your computer or smartphone, and tell us the type of tradesperson you need.
Or, you can use our HOMES mobile app. Just select ‘Create Your Job’ on the home screen.
This video shows the process on a desktop computer, so if you’re using your phone or tablet, it will look a little different, but the options are much the same.
1. Choose a job type
Firstly, choose a job type. If, for example, you’d like to have a room painted, you can just start typing the word ‘painting’ and choose the appropriate option that appears. In this case, internal painting and decorating.
If you’re using our app, you can select the trade you need from the dropdown menu.
2. Details of your job
Now give us some information about your job. Like, in our room painting example, how many rooms you would like to be painted.
Then, add a little more detail about what you need help with, and answer a few questions that will help our tradesperson get an idea of the size of the job.
Now give your job a short title. Let our tradespeople know what you want to do, in more than 8 characters.
Next up, write a concise but informative job description. Give as much information as you can, such as:
- The size of the rooms or affected areas, including measurements.
- A description of features in the space to be worked on.
- And the work that you suspect will be needed.
If you want the job to start on a specific date or you have other time constraints, include this in your job description too. You don’t want to find out that the tradesperson you’ve set your heart on is not able to work your timelines.
It’s a very good idea to attach photos to your job listing. It helps tradespeople to better understand your needs and provide a more accurate quote.
If you have any plans, drawings or other appropriate images to show what needs fixing or the space you’ll be working with, include those too. Tradespeople are more likely to respond to a job that includes photos.
It’s best to upload your photos immediately, but you can add photos to your job description at any time, by going to “My jobs” under ‘My account’ and selecting your job. Your account will be created automatically when you’re posting a job.
At the bottom of your job description, click ‘Add photo’. Then you can upload a jpg, gif or png file, one at a time.
Now select your approximate budget. Don’t assume a high budget will encourage lots of responses. Our tradespeople pay a small fee to give you a quote. Several factors, including budget, go into calculating this fee. So don’t go too high; try and be as accurate as possible.
For help finding that budget “sweet spot”, check out our cost guides, which you can get to from the main navigation on our homepage. You can say in your description that you’re unsure of how much the work will cost, which will let a tradesperson know that you’re willing to pay them the fair amount for the work, and that the price is negotiable once they’ve bought the lead.
It’s a tradesperson’s job to help you with the quote – and they’re aware that you may get contacted by up to two other companies, so they know to keep the costs competitive.
3. Your contact details
Next step is to fill in your contact details. Don’t worry, they will never be made public on the site, only to tradespeople who pay to see them – a maximum of 3.
Make sure you provide the right phone number so they can get in touch as soon as possible.
Filling in your postcode will help us to show your job to local tradespeople. Don’t worry, they won’t see your full postcode.
On the last screen, you can find some useful information, so make sure you read it carefully. You can also sign up to our newsletters to get inspirational articles, useful home improvement tips and information about competitions and special offers.
Once you’ve clicked the ‘Post your job’ button, that’s it! Your job post will go live for all relevant tradespeople to see.
To keep the market competitive and protect your personal information, a maximum of 3 tradespeople can contact you, but on average, it can be 1 or 2. Sometimes, it’s surprisingly quick – you can get a call for a quote in a couple of minutes after you posted a job. But if tradespeople are really busy in your area, it may take longer. Just keep an eye on your phone and make sure you answer your calls or texts.
As well as emailing or calling, you’ll also be able to use the Chat feature within the app and website, to send messages to a tradesperson.
When a tradesperson wants to give you a quote, we’ll send you their details and their unique profile page, containing ratings from other homeowners and other useful info like photos of their past work.
If you haven’t been contacted by at least 1 tradesperson within 24 hours, there are a few things you can do to improve your job listing. Like adding photos, revising your budget or adding more details to your description.
It’s best to get your job description right before you post it. But, if you receive an email prompting you to update your job, you can click the ‘Update my job’ link to go directly to it.
You can also change or update a job by logging into your account. Select ‘My jobs’ from the main navigation and click the job you’d like to update. Add any details you like to improve to your job listing, then submit your changes.
You can’t update your job if a tradesperson has already expressed interest in quoting, or if you have already updated it once before.
Your job will be live in our system for 3 working days before becoming inactive, which means it cannot be purchased any more. Jobs become inactive before this if 3 tradespeople have purchased it.
4. Closing your job
If you’ve already selected a tradesperson or you don’t need any more quotes, please remove your job posting.
You can remove your job at any time by logging in and selecting ‘My jobs’ from the main navigation. Withdrawing a job won’t affect any arrangement you have made with a tradesperson.
If you’ve followed the advice in this video and you’re struggling to find a tradesperson, you can get in touch with our Customer Care Team by heading to www.ratedpeople.com/contact-us.
Thanks for watching! We’re sure you’ll find the right tradesperson for you in no time.
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