Writing an effective job description that you can use as a job posting sounds simple enough. However, there is more to writing job descriptions that creating a list of duties and tasks. In this blog post, we provides 10 tips on what to include in a job description and most crucially, how to write a job description that results in qualified candidates knocking down your door.

So, download a job description template (Word) and follow our top tips for transforming a good job description into a highly-effective job advert:

1. Choose The Right Job Title

Hiring the best candidates starts with choosing the right job titles for your job listings. Job titles should be free from industry jargon and abbreviations. The top talent might not speak your internal terminology, and confusing job titles can mean the right candidate skips by your job ad.

Job titles should be industry-specific and describe the seniority of the position. These two metrics help job seekers recognise if they are qualified candidates for the open position with relevant experience and matching expectations.

2. Include A Job Overview

A job overview is one or two paragraphs consisting of approximately three or four sentences. The job description summary should give potential hires a realistic preview and a better understanding of how the open position contributes to business objectives and serves customers.

3. Focus Job Duties On Development And Growth

The job duties and key job responsibilities are typically added as a bullet point list and should attract candidates by focusing on growth and development. How does the position help the company grow its sales, revenue, reporting accuracy, or customer satisfaction? And how can candidates grow their career or expertise?

By concentrating on growth and development, your job posting will attract candidates who are action and goal-oriented.

4. Talk About Culture And Values

More than ever, employees want to work for a company where they are happy and feel they have a cultural fit and similar values and beliefs. For example, research shows prospective new employees seek employers who can offer flexible schedules and remote or hybrid working opportunities.

Your company’s mission may be to find a new employee with the right technical skills, while the ideal candidate is looking for the right employer brand or who will look after their well-being. So, your job descriptions need to balance saying what it wants with a sales pitch describing the company’s culture and why it is a great place to be.

5. Use Your Current Employees

Involving your current employees in your hiring process will help you craft job descriptions that are relevant today. Many job descriptions have been held in a Human Resources file for years. The traditional overly-comprehensive job description hiring managers wrote a decade ago are unlikely to describe the same job today.

Talk to your team about the challenges faced today and remove unnecessary requirements, such as a proven track record using a particular piece of software, when training can be given on the job. Your current team will help you fine-tune your job description with key information on necessary skills, which will help you get applications from more candidates.

Furthermore, encourage your staff to share their success stories and past projects on social media and employer review sites, such as Glassdoor, creating a testimony to your company culture.

6. Don’t Turn Job Seekers Off

Being too creative with your language makes it easy to turn potential candidates off. Terms such as ‘ninjas,’ ‘rockstars,’ and ‘perfectionist’ can deter anyone who doesn’t blow their own trumpet, which can include people from whole cultures, which can mean your applicant pool has few diverse candidates.

Read: How To Choose The Best Words When Writing A Job Description.

7. Avoid Gendered Language And Bias

Male or female-skewed words can be considered discriminatory and even when they are inadvertently used they will certainly hit your applicant numbers, as many candidates will feel like they wouldn’t fit in. A great job description with neutral language will fill your open positions much more quickly and research suggests by up to weeks.

Some of the feminine and masculine words to consider avoiding in your job descriptions include; considerate, fearless, headstrong, independent, interdependent, kind, loyal, self-confident, sharing, and superior.

8. Use A Job Description Template

Writing job descriptions and job ads don’t have to be excruciatingly painful. To get the right candidates applying and heading towards your interview process, use a job description template to get down the core responsibilities, tasks, and skills, adding in company-unique duties or role intricacies. Make a great first impression by telling candidates why your company is a great place to work (values/benefits), and you are ready for tip nine.

9. Proofread And Spellcheck Your Job Description

Tip nine for writing job descriptions is straightforward but often overlooked. You can use an application such as Grammarly to proofread and spellcheck your job descriptions while also giving you suggestions on word choice, which can increase engagement.

10. Get Your Job Description In Front Of Prospective Candidates

Once your job description is completed, you must get it in front of a suitable audience. A job board reseller can help you find the best candidate by giving your job descriptions visibility on general and niche job boards, LinkedIn, and Google for Jobs.

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Are your ready to write a job description and post a job advert that fills a position quickly? Let’s recap our job description writing tips.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR WRITING A JOB DESCRIPTION

1. Choose The Right Job Title
2. Include A Job Overview
3. Focus Job Duties On Development And Growth
4. Talk About Culture And Values
5. Use Your Current Employees
6. Don’t Turn Job Seekers Off
7. Avoid Gendered Language And Bias
8. Use A Job Description Template or sample job descriptions
9. Proofread And Spellcheck Your Job Description
10. Get Your Job Description In Front Of Prospective Candidates