How to Write a Great Job Description That Attracts Top Talent

Overview

• The importance of a great job description and what one entails
• Simple steps to create your own quality job description
• Reference a sample job description

If you’re a business owner or part of a team of human resources professionals and you need to fill a role in your company, creating job postings that attract qualified candidates can be difficult. You may be tasked with analyzing a role that isn’t your own or one that you might not have experience with. If you want to find the best candidates for your business, you need to make sure your post is great.

One of the most important parts of the job post is the job description. It tells potential hires exactly what they’ll be doing if they become a part of your team. When it comes to writing job descriptions, the better you get, the easier your hiring process will be.

Whether hiring managers are looking for a new information technology (IT) worker, a skilled sales representative, or a certified educator, quality job descriptions help them get the job done. In this article, we’ll tell you how to create a great job description that appeals to professionals with the competencies you need.

Every position has key job duties and job functions. You need the person who you end up hiring to have all the skills necessary to be successful at their job. That’s why a good job description needs to clearly lay out the duties of the position you’re looking to fill.

A clear job description also helps weed out candidates who aren’t suited for the role. The fewer resumes you or your company’s recruiters have to sort through, the more attention you’ll be able to give each one to better help you find the right candidate.

Generally, a job description will appear after the job details and job qualifications sections in a job posting. The job details section briefly provides information like whether the job is part or full time. The job qualifications section is a short list of preferred or required experience, training, or abilities that your new hire should have.

Job seekers will likely have a lot of job postings to go through, and yours needs to be easy to skim to get noticed. Try to keep your description as brief as possible so applicants can view it quickly.

Still, it’s more important that your job description covers all the important information you want to get across to applicants. When you’re writing a job description, try to shoot for around 300 to 700 words.

Effective talent management can require a good deal of thought and research, but attracting the right type of candidates will be more than worth the effort. In the next few sections, we’ll go over some of the steps you can follow to create quality, effective job descriptions.

Chances are you’ll be filling a position that you haven’t worked in. It’s crucial for you to understand what the essential functions of the job are and how the new hire will interact with their co-workers. To get a feel for the position, you’ll have to do some research. You can start by researching job descriptions for similar roles on job sites.

Book meetings with people who will be working closely with the future hire. In addition to job skills, they may also have personality preferences for the person they’ll be working with. They may want someone with a laid-back attitude who won’t get flustered with a heavy workload or someone who’s willing to stay late and help get projects done.

If possible, meet with the person who formally held the role you’re trying to replace. They’ll be able to give valuable insight into what working for your particular company is like. There might be aspects of the job that are unique to your place of business.

When you’re creating a title for your job, don’t get creative. While there are places in your job description where you can showcase your company’s personality, the job title isn’t one of them. Confusing job titles make it harder for qualified applicants to find your job posting and make it less likely that potential applicants will take it seriously.

For example, applicants looking for an administrative job will usually type in something like “administrative assistant” in a search bar. If you label your job something like “admin rockstar,” your job post won’t even show up in their search.

Give job seekers a short summary of what it’s like working for your organization. This section is crucial because it grabs a reader’s attention and leads them to read the rest of your post. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the type of employee you’d like to hire.

Why would someone want to work for your company? Do you promote from within? Is there a company mission you’re passionate about? Do you have a fun company culture? These are all questions you can answer in your company overview.

You should also include the location of your company in this section for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. Let’s say your software company is located in Los Angeles, California. By including the city and state in your overview, your post could rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) if a job applicant did a search for “developer jobs in Los Angeles, California.”

Briefly note the key responsibilities of the position you’re trying to fill. Try to map out what a day in the position would look like for your potential hire. What will they be doing? Who will they be interacting with? What are they bringing to your business? This will give candidates an idea of whether they’d like to work for your company.

Be sure to include any particular tasks or skills that might be specific to your company. For instance, if you have a small company, your marketing specialist might be tasked with designing advertisements for your business. Be sure to let them know that they’ll need graphic design skills for the position.

What are the specific qualifications and skills you’re looking for in a hire? Be sure to include education requirements, job experience requirements, and certification requirements. Also include any hard skills (like a particular programming language) or soft skills (like time management) someone might need to complete the job.

Don’t go overboard with listing requirements. If you make your list too stringent, you might scare off some great candidates. Instead, stick to the requirements you absolutely need out of a hire. Make these as clear and easy to read as possible. Using bullet points can help. If there’s a trait or qualification you’d like your potential hire to have but are willing to overlook for the right candidate, you can list it as a preferred qualification.

For example, you might want to hire a customer service representative who’s bilingual, even though knowing two languages isn’t absolutely essential for them to complete their workload. Be sure to label required and preferred qualifications so candidates don’t get them mixed up.

Some jobs can also have physical demands. For instance, administrative assistants may sometimes be tasked with helping transport equipment. One of their job requirements might be the ability to lift 25 pounds on a regular basis.

This section will be near the end of your job description because you don’t want it to be the main reason that someone applies to your company. Still, many job seekers have salary or schedule expectations and will need to receive certain benefits.

For example, the salary range for a software developer can vary from less than $65,000 to over $170,000 a year. Skilled applicants will usually know their worth and will want to be sure they’re getting compensated fairly for their work.

If you pay on the lower end of the spectrum, you might be able to make up for it by offering a great benefits package. Your company might offer an exceptional health care plan, a huge amount of paid time off (PTO), or the ability to work remotely after a training period.

Also, include the work schedule your new hire will be following. Will they be working eight-hour shifts Monday through Friday? Will they need to be free on the weekends? Maybe you offer a flexible schedule. If that’s the case, you can include this as a benefit.

Give job seekers one final push to get them to apply. If they’ve been job hunting for a while, they’ve likely run into hundreds of job postings. They can’t possibly apply for each one they’re interested in.

If you don’t create a sense of urgency for them to apply now, your post might end up forgotten in a pile of other jobs they meant to apply to. One way you can build a sense of urgency is by including the start date for the position or the particular date when you’ll stop accepting applications.

Job descriptions for companies in the United States also need to have an equal opportunity employer (EEO) disclaimer that recognizes that the company complies with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The law is upheld by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Your statement must include the name of your company and the phrase “is an equal opportunity employer.” You can use the rest of your statement to emphasize some of the company’s values.

Here’s an example of a job description for a content writer for a fictitious environmental nonprofit called “Ocean Share.”

Content Writer

Overview

At Ocean Share, it’s our mission to educate communities in California about how they can protect our oceans. As an Ocean Share employee, you can make a difference while being part of a fun and passionate company culture that rewards its team members for all their hard work with parties, bonuses, and trips.

We care deeply about underwater ecosystems and are committed to helping them thrive. Although we’re located in San Diego, California, we’ve held educational and fundraising events all over the Golden State. Last year, we raised over $500,000 for ocean wildlife research and conservation.

As a content writer, you’ll work with an environmentally conscious team led by a content manager to create articles that have a positive impact on undersea environments. The right candidate for this position will be someone with great communication and organization skills who loves being creative and working with others to make impactful content.

Job Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teammates to come up with content strategies
• Complete four SEO articles each week
• Craft emails, case studies, blogs, and other content types for multiple platforms

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain email lists of supporters
• Attend and document environmental functions
• Create frequently asked questions (FAQs) for members

Qualifications

• At least two years of experience with content creation (required)
• Working knowledge of SEO best practices (required)
• Communication skills (required)
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines (required)
• At least two years of experience marketing using social media (preferred)

• A bachelor’s degree in English or a related field (preferred)
• At least one year working or volunteering with marine life (preferred)

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Vision and dental insurance
• Unlimited PTO
• 401(k) matching
• Remote work available
• Bonuses

Schedule

• Monday through Friday
• 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Salary

• $35,000 per year

All applications must be submitted by Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, to be considered.

Ocean Share is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in a work environment as diverse as our oceans.

If you’re looking for qualified applicants to join your company, try posting your open position on Joblist. We offer job seekers curated job openings that fit their work history, aptitudes, and interests. See how Joblist can help you attract the most enthusiastic and capable talent today!