How to Write an Effective Job Description

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2017

Writing a job description starts with speaking directly to your desired audience, and ends with getting it in front of that audience. On paper, writing a job description seems like a simple task. But this can lead to over-thinking such a simple task, and ultimately confusing candidates. Today we will discuss a few tips for getting the best results.

Appeal to Their Ambition

By touching on the potential for upward mobility within your company, your job description will allow you to separate the pretenders from the contenders. Many candidates skimming the job postings are just looking for a 9 to 5 and a paycheck. The motivated candidates will be looking beyond the list of job requirements. That’s because they want to see more than just a job with your company. They want to see their future.

How You Describe the Position is Crucial

Sure, you can put a vanilla job description out there, one filled with standard-issue jargon. But candidates will sniff that out and move on to the next listing—or just ignore it altogether. While we’re not preaching that you should be overly creative, we are preaching to be mindful of the language you use. Words and phrases like “self-motivated” and “high attention to detail” are used by every potential employer, so do something different to stand out.

Make It Easy for Candidates to Find

The beauty of the information Age is that you could easily kill a day trying to post a job description on every applicable corner of the Internet. However, only you know which channels work best for your business. Whether you use traditional job boards, online stalwarts like Indeed, or your social media channels, the best way to fish for ideal candidates is to drop a line where you know they’re reading.

Always Keep Your Specific Audience in Mind

Utilizing a generic job description is never the way to go – Tailoring it toward your ideal candidate is. Though it’s a balancing act, you need to be able to attract them without embellishing. Remember, the entire goal of the job description is to get the perfect candidate through the door, so when it comes to your company’s advantages, don’t be afraid to put them out there. If you offer above market pay, or strong benefits, don’t hold that kind of info back.

There’s a definitive art to job descriptions. You don’t want to over-think them, and you don’t want to under-think them, either. With compelling and clear-cut language, you can speak honestly to craft the perfect job description. And by explaining the differentiating factors between your company and your competitors, you can look far more attractive to the candidates you’re seeking.