7 Tips to Write Perfect Job Description
Knowing how to write a Good job description is an art that very few recruiters know. The fact is, productive employees are the essence and lifeblood of a company. They invest their time, talents, and skill sets to help and keep the company’s success graph up. So, hiring ideal and great employees is basically the fuel that keeps a company going and so that makes the hiring process one of the most important parts of owning a business.
Before you start hiring, it is critical to have a written job description in place for each position. And as a matter of fact, first impressions always are extremely crucial. In the case of hiring, job descriptions are the very first exposure and impression that eligible and potential future candidates get for your company.
1. Choose a Clear and Simple Job Title:
Writing a job description starts with a captivating job title. Creative, witty, or fun job titles may seem cool and you may think that they represent the company’s personality. But in reality, they just make job seekers’ eyes roll. You sure need a job title that will have its reader’s attention immediately but using dramatic and unrealistic words just doesn’t work.
The title of your job description must be extremely specific about the job and its responsibilities and should be crystal clear in the most simple way possible. Creativity indeed should be incorporated but keeping simplicity and clarity as a priority.
2. Keep it Short:
When potential candidates visit the world of the internet for a job hunt, they tend to just skim through the job description. So if a job description includes jargon and confusing phrases, it can definitely turn them off. Lengthy, overly complicated, and difficult-to-read job descriptions simply push great candidates away. This is not at all desirable and we always want candidates to pay close attention to what they’re going through.
So, to grab the attention of candidates, the job description needs to be short and simple. Using short paragraphs, preferably bullet points, and headers help candidates brush through the entire description quickly and have conclusions. This improves the quality of your candidates. Some Applicant Tracking Systems provide quality job templates for almost every job.
3. Use of Strategic Keywords:
Everyone is aware that the world we have made for ourselves is majorly dependent upon the internet for almost each of its aspects. So make a job description more searchable, to survive amidst the ocean of various other job descriptions. To do this, using strategic keywords is extremely important while writing a job description.
If keywords are not used, the candidates will probably end up landing on the job description of other companies that may be your rival. And hence may end up losing a great hire to your competitors. So to avoid this disaster, take a good look at your competitor’s job description and make yours better. Or use various online tools to get a bunch of keywords to decorate your description.
4. Think About the Candidate’s Point of View:
The person you are about to hire is eventually going to become a part of your team. They are about to invest their time and skill set to build a better and more productive working environment.
Considering this, it becomes important for recruiters to decide on the profile of the potential candidate before designing job descriptions. That does not mean that one has to be rigid while doing so, but having a rough idea is great. This can be done effectively by visualizing the candidate you would like to recruit and accordingly building the job description as you would want to read it. It’s among the best tips to write a job description.
5. Be Specific and Concise with the Duties and Responsibilities:
With choosing the specific keywords and a well-designed structure, now we come to the main part of the job description, which is describing the job. With a good job title, it’s possible to reduce half of the burden of effectively describing the job. But this practice is still not enough.
Usually, job seekers expect a long boring list of job duties and they tend to read halfway and move on from such descriptions. And that’s how your best candidates may even leave the page already. To avoid this, you need to make your job description short, yet fun and exciting to read.
Ideally, the length of your job description should be about four to five sentences, explaining the job duties in as fewer words as possible. In this way, many people would want to work with such an efficient and resourceful organization.
6. Sell Your Company’s Open Position:
No matter if your candidates are employed or not, they need a strong reason to join you in the first place. That’s why you need to sell your job to your potential employees.
The brand personality of your company should appear in each and everything you do, including your job description. You should infuse the job description with your brand’s tone of voice to stand out from your competitors.
Also, to attract great talents your company’s career page plays a crucial role. Career pages are simply a gateway to the world of potential candidates. Tweak your career page and make it look professional to get more qualified candidates and build a powerful employer brand.
7. Speak Through Your Job Description:
Last but not least, give a human touch to your job description. Nobody wants to work for robots and that’s exactly the message you should give to your potential candidates. Check and make changes if the job description is over formal or rude in some way.
Make sure the job description has a pinch of the voice and personality of your company. Also, the tone in which the JD is designed is compatible with the culture, morals, and ethics of your company.
So now you know how to write a job description effectively that will surely attract great talent and let you make them part of your company.
Job Description Sample
Here’s a sample job description template for a Human Resources Administrator:
Job Title:
Human Resources Administrator
Department:
Human Resources
Reports to:
HR Manager
Job Summary:
As a Human Resources Administrator, you’ll play a pivotal role in supporting our HR department’s operations. From maintaining employee records to handling administrative tasks and contributing to employee engagement initiatives, your efficiency will ensure the smooth functioning of our HR functions.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain accurate employee records, including personal and professional data.
- Assist in the recruitment process by posting job openings and coordinating interviews.
- Process payroll and benefits administration efficiently.
- Handle administrative tasks like drafting correspondence and managing HR documents.
- Support employee relations by addressing inquiries and concerns.
- Assist in organizing training and development programs.
- Coordinate employee engagement initiatives.
- Participate in HR projects, such as policy updates and process improvements.
- While not primary, these additional responsibilities contribute to the HR Administrator’s value within the organization.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Proven experience in HR administration or a related role.
- Knowledge of HR software and tools.
- HR certification is a plus.
- Strong organizational skills for efficient task and record management.
- Effective communication skills for employee interactions.
- Attention to detail to ensure accuracy in administrative tasks.
- Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
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Frequently asked questions
A clear and concise job description is crucial for attracting qualified candidates, setting expectations, and guiding the hiring process. It serves as a communication tool between the employer and potential employees, outlining the role’s responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations.
A job description should include the job title, a brief company overview, key responsibilities, qualifications and requirements, compensation details, and information on how to apply. Clear language and formatting make the information easily digestible for candidates.
Tailor the job description by using language that reflects the company culture, emphasizing the unique aspects of the role, and clearly stating the opportunities for growth and development. Highlighting the company’s values and mission can also attract like-minded candidates.
Inclusive language helps attract a diverse pool of candidates by avoiding biased or exclusive terminology. It promotes a more welcoming and equitable hiring process, aligning with the principles of diversity and inclusion.
