The job description is one of the most important parts of your company’s recruiting process. It’s critical for you to clearly communicate what you want in an employee and what skills and experience you’re looking for. The better the job description you write, the more likely it is that you’ll attract candidates who are a good fit for your company.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Clearly define the job title and role |
| Provide a concise summary of the company |
| Outline the key responsibilities and tasks |
| Specify the required qualifications and skills |
| Mention any preferred qualifications or certifications |
| Highlight the company culture and values |
| Include information about compensation and benefits |
| Clearly communicate the reporting structure |
| Emphasize career growth opportunities |
| Describe the work environment and team dynamics |
| Use clear and concise language |
| Optimize the job description for search engines |
| Make the job description visually appealing |
| Ensure accuracy and consistency throughout |
| Proofread and edit for clarity and professionalism |
What’s The Job Title?
You’ve defined the job’s responsibilities and qualifications, but what about the title? What is it, exactly? The title of a job can be tricky. You want a name that’s descriptive without being overly long or hard to remember. If you’re not sure what your company’s current titles mean (or even if they’re accurate), it might be time to update them!
It’s time to take some time and give this section some thought before moving on to your next item. Referring back to our SEO example from earlier in this article, let’s say that we had decided on “SEO Specialist” for our role but then realized it sounded too generic and didn’t properly describe what we do day-to-day as an SEO specialist at our company.
A quick look through recent job postings would reveal similar titles such as “Content Strategist/Marketer/Writer” or “Digital Marketing Specialist.”
This may seem like a small detail now (and it is!), but when someone searches for jobs online, she’ll notice right away if your company uses outdated terminology in their descriptions and she’ll likely pass over those openings altogether!
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What’s Your Company Name?
The first thing you should do is make sure that your company name is in the job description. This might seem obvious, but I’ve seen a number of companies whose job descriptions don’t mention their own names! If you’re reading this as a hiring manager, please check your own job descriptions for this mistake and fix it if necessary.
It’s also important to make sure that your company name and logo are easy for candidates to find on your website (and social media accounts). You want them to be able to recognize the brand when they visit and feel confident about applying for positions at your company.
How Would You Describe Your Company?
In the description, you should be sure to express the company’s mission, vision, and values. You may also want to add a brief history of how your company came to be.
The best way to write this section is by using an “about us” or “company profile” page on your website as a reference. This way, you can quickly and easily copy and paste text from it into the job description template.
What’s The Job Description?
Your job description should be a paragraph or two long, and it should describe the job in detail. It may seem straightforward, but a lot of employers get this wrong. A few things to keep in mind:
- Describe the job’s responsibilities. This is what your employees will spend most of their time doing at work. It’s important that they know exactly what they’re getting into before they start applying for jobs at your company so make sure your descriptions are thorough and accurate!
- Describe the requirements for working in this position. This section is where you can go over any minimum qualifications or experience needed for each role on your team (for example, “a bachelor’s degree,” “at least five years’ experience”). It also helps establish what makes someone qualified for an assignment and sets expectations accordingly. You’ll want these expectations communicated clearly so there aren’t surprises down the road when someone doesn’t meet them!
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Be Concrete In Describing What You Want
- Be concrete in describing what you want. While you are likely to get a lot of applications, they won’t be very useful if they don’t meet the criteria that you put in your job description.
- Don’t list everything under the sun as a required skill or experience, but do make sure that applicants can explain how their background meets each job duty. For example, if an applicant has no experience working with people on an individual basis, but has worked as part of an interdisciplinary team to develop new products for clients, then this would be considered relevant experience for their application.
- Be specific about what education is required and what skills and experiences are needed from candidates who don’t have formal degrees or certifications yet—but still want to apply for your open position!
What Are The Benefits Of This Job?
The benefits of a job should be listed in the job description. In fact, they should be listed as early as possible in the description right after you’ve introduced yourself and your company.
The reason for this is simple: people want to know what makes your company special. They want to know what makes you different from other companies out there, and how their skills will help them grow professionally. They also want to know about the benefits that come with working for your company (and maybe even those that don’t).
To ensure that these things are communicated effectively, list them in order from most important or relevant (for example stock options) down to least important or relevant (for example gym membership). This way candidates will see right away how much value they’ll get out of working at your organization and whether they’re interested enough in applying!
Give A Sense Of How Tough The Work Will Be
Be honest about the work. The best way to get people excited about a job is to talk about its challenges of it. Tell them how hard you’ll push them, and what they can expect in terms of growth opportunities. Will they learn something new every single day? Is there room for advancement?
Talk about rewards, too. If your company has a generous benefits package or gives out cash bonuses for good performance, mention those things here! Don’t forget to mention how much fun some jobs can be and if yours isn’t one of them (hey there, data entry), don’t be afraid to throw in something like
“This job will bring you closer with others around you as they struggle through their own monotony.” Your employees will appreciate knowing that not everyone has an easy time at work!
How Much Authority Does The Position Have?
How much authority does the position have? How much responsibility does it have? How much freedom does it have? This is about control, autonomy, and influence.
These are all things that you should be thinking about when writing a job description. You need to know what kind of person you want in this position so that you can describe the job accurately and attract candidates who would fit well into the culture of your company.
Share Your Vision For This Role
You want to attract the right people. You can do that by sharing your vision for this role, and for the company as a whole. What is it you’re looking for in an employee? How do you see yourself growing? What do you want to accomplish? And how does all of that apply to this particular job description?
When someone says something like, “I’m looking for someone who wants to grow with me and take on more responsibilities in the future,” they’re being descriptive about what their personal goals are and those goals should be reflected in the tasks and duties laid out by their job description.
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Who Will This Person Report To?
It’s important to know who will be in charge of this position. The person who will be in charge of the position is the one who will ultimately make decisions about it, so it’s important that this person have experience and knowledge about what they’re doing.
- Who will this person report to?
What are you looking for in a manager of your position? When hiring a manager, look for someone with:
- A clear vision and strategy for success.
- A desire to lead others through difficult times as well as good ones.
- A deep understanding of their employees’ strengths, weaknesses and needs as people (not just workers).
Be Straightforward About Who You’re Looking For
In the world of job descriptions, the more specific you are about who you’re looking for, the better. It’s easy to get lazy and keep your description vague, but this can lead to confusion among candidates and ultimately cause a bad hire.
There are two main ways to go about doing this: be too specific or not specific enough.
If you’re too specific in your requirements or qualifications (i.e., “must have ten years of experience at companies with names that rhyme with ‘fudge’”), then it will be hard for candidates who don’t meet those requirements to apply—and even harder for them if they do manage to make it through the application process!
If you’re not very clear about what exactly makes someone qualified (i.e., “a minimum of eight years experience in marketing and communications”), then there’s room for interpretation on both ends: does working at a company whose name rhymes with fudge count as marketing? Do six years really count as eight? Determining whether someone fits these vague descriptions will take time from HR staff members and hiring managers alike and probably won’t endear either party to either candidate if things aren’t working out later down the road when an employee leaves due to lack of opportunity or success within their role (or both).
Where Is This Position Located?
Location is a big part of the job description. You should let your applicants know whether or not they’ll be required to relocate, and if so, where. If it’s remote-only, say that upfront. If you expect them to work from home, but have an office too (or vice versa), make sure that’s clear. The same goes for virtual positions be specific about what kind of location is expected for this role.
If your company is local and you want someone who lives nearby, mention that in the job description as well! If you’re looking for someone with a commute already set up and willing to maintain it during their employment with your company
(for example, someone who works at home but has recently moved somewhere new), mention this proximity requirement in the posting as well so applicants know what kind of commute they’d need to maintain once hired on with you.
Lastly, we come back around again: if this position isn’t going to require any travel just yet—because maybe there aren’t any other offices within driving distance yet explain why not! Maybe because it’s brand new or maybe because everyone else does most travel by plane anyway;
whatever the case may be having some sort of reasoning behind why employees won’t need access outside their own homes makes sense both from an internal standpoint (if team members are away from home all day long most likely something will go wrong) as well as an external one (if potential candidates see how much freedom moving away might give them).
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What’s Your Contact Information?
Give your job seeker a way to contact you. This means including your full name, email address, and phone number (or even better yet, a link to your LinkedIn profile). If you have a company website or blog, provide those links as well.
If you think that the job description is too long at this point in the process, consider what information is crucial for someone considering applying for the position. If the person wants to work with you but can’t reach out to let them know they’re interested because of lack of contact info—or if they would like an opportunity to follow up on something—they’ll be more likely to move on from considering working with you than if all this vital information were readily available somewhere else online.
Who Will see This Job Description?
A job description is a document that describes the duties, responsibilities and requirements of a job. It should be detailed and specific so that you know what you need to do. Job descriptions are used by recruiters when they’re looking for new members of staff, by managers when they’re training their employees and by employees themselves when they want to make sure they understand what’s expected of them.
Make sure your job description is clear and concise so it can be read easily by everyone who needs to read it!
What do you want people to know about your company?
Write about your company’s mission, vision, culture, and values. The hiring team should have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve as a company and why you are doing it.
- Why are you here? What is the purpose of your company?
- What do people in your industry do that frustrate or impresses you? If there was one thing that could be changed, what would it be?
- Describe the qualities that make up “the right person” for this job (or team). If this described 100% of their personality then they’d be perfect!
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Your Job Description Should Clearly Communicate What You’re Looking For In An Employee
A job description should be written by the hiring manager and reviewed regularly. It is not a static document the very nature of work changes and evolves over time, so it’s important that your company’s job descriptions reflect that reality.
A great way to keep them up-to-date is to invite employees on the team who have been doing their jobs for a while (a few years at least) to participate in brainstorming sessions about how their role has changed since they started.
This process will help ensure that your company’s values are reflected in each job posting, which helps attract candidates with similar interests and motivations as yours from across the globe!
Conclusion
This is the most important part of your job description. If you’re hiring someone new, they should know what their job will look like. If you’re trying to fill a position but haven’t had any luck, then your job description needs work. Good luck with finding the right person!
Further Reading
Job Description Examples by Recruitee: Explore a collection of job description examples to gain inspiration and guidance for crafting effective job descriptions.
How to Write a Good Job Description by Workable: Learn the essential elements and best practices for writing a compelling job description that attracts top talent.
Job Description Example: A Guide to Writing Effective Job Descriptions by Forbes: Discover tips and insights on creating impactful job descriptions that accurately communicate job requirements and expectations.
These resources provide additional insights and guidance on writing job descriptions effectively.
And here’s the FAQs section in markdown language:
FAQs
How important is a well-written job description?
A well-written job description is crucial as it serves as the first point of contact between an employer and potential candidates. It helps attract qualified applicants, set clear expectations, and ensure a better fit for the role.
What should a job description include?
A comprehensive job description should include essential details such as job title, responsibilities, qualifications, skills, experience required, and any specific requirements or preferences set by the employer.
How can I make my job description stand out?
To make your job description stand out, focus on highlighting the unique aspects of the role and company culture. Use clear language, emphasize key responsibilities and opportunities, and showcase the benefits and perks of working with your organization.
Can I use a template for writing job descriptions?
Yes, using a job description template can be helpful as it provides a structured framework and ensures you cover all the necessary elements. However, make sure to customize the template according to your specific needs and requirements.
How often should job descriptions be updated?
Job descriptions should be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in job requirements, organizational goals, or industry trends. It’s important to keep them accurate and up to date to attract the right candidates and align with the evolving needs of the role.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
