How To Write A Great Job Description

When it comes to attracting a top candidate to your organization, the job description is a crucial element. Write a great one and it will catch the eye of a much wider pool of potential hires. Write a boring one and watch ideal hires click right on by.

Whether you are looking for a candidate on your own or with the help of a staffing firm, taking a little time at the outset to craft a compelling job description can save so much time down the road. Not to mention make the process much more pleasant. Here’s how to do it:

1. Start with a great job title. Sometimes the title is fairly straightforward, but quite often responsibilities shift and change, and it turns out a better title is needed. Consider how long it’s been since this title has been used and whether it’s time for an update. So far, so good.
2. Now let’s set the stage with a little synopsis of what your company is like. You can include a little history but mainly talk about what it is that you actually do. If you have PR people they can help make this section engaging using real language instead of industry-speak.
3. Now it’s time to list the facts:
• List the tasks that you wish this person to complete,
• Include how you would like those tasks completed and what they would they be responsible for,
• Explain the hierarchy of the company, especially who this person would report to and who might report to them
• Add where the physical location of the job is, and whether flextime or working-from-home is possible
• List any key equipment or software the candidate would need to know, and any additional requirements, and of course,
• Give a salary range for the position.

These three steps will ensure a robust job description that will clearly communicate the type of person you’re looking for and will effortlessly exclude those who lack the experience needed.

Beyond this basic information, it can be helpful to write about the culture of your company. Be honest. If you want eager go-getters, then say so. If it’s the sort of place where everyone pitches in when needed, be upfront about it rather than feel stuck with someone who pulls only their own weight and no more.

Remember to talk about what results you expect, how this role fits into the company process, and what that ideal candidate would be like. Early riser? Detail oriented? Public speaking a plus? All of this is so important in order to vet people properly and eventually, hold them accountable when it comes time for their performance review.

Finally, double-check for grammar, spelling and that the entire job description has an overall upbeat feeling because no one wants to work for a gloomy place. If you can make it sound exciting, all the better. Congratulations, you are now ready to post your job description or hand it off to a recruiter. After a while a recruiter will get a better sense of the type of person who fits with your team and things can move even faster.