A job description (JD) is the first impression you’re creating on a potential candidate.
The key to writing a perfect job description includes— inclusivity, defeating explicit and implicit bias, and engaging and prompting the candidate to take immediate action.
You’ll only be able to build an exceptional talent pipeline if you know the art of writing the best JDs.
Here are three core pointers of a good job description:
- Explains the reality of the role
- Showcases the organization’s culture, and
- A bit of marketing for the company
In short, a job description is used for a variety of reasons— starting from the most obvious, which is recruiting, determining salary ranges, creating job goals, job titles, and more.
How to Write a Job Description in 7 Easy Steps?
Before posting a job for your client, it’s really significant to write a job description that reflects a candidate’s duties and responsibilities.
1. Dump Ninja & Guru for Better Job Titles
Yes, we agree, ninja, wizard, and rockstar sounds incredible but don’t include them in your job title.
Your client’s company might have a chilled startup culture, but trust us, crafting job titles around these uber cool words will not let your job advert perform well at all. A job seeker would be looking for jobs that match their qualifications and skills.
Therefore an SEO Guru might not work well when compared to simply an SEO Specialist.
The basic thumb rule you can apply here is that you need potential candidates to find your open position and apply.
Creativity is great, but again, that shouldn’t be the sole reason why you’re missing out on candidates.
Create keyword-rich job titles and stay away from anything that might mislead a job seeker.
For example, this job post from 2nd Swing Golf uses straightforward job titles and such as Business Analyst and Sales Associate to make sure the candidate understands exactly what the position entails.
The accompanying descriptions are also entirely focused on the responsibilities that serve as keywords, which helps the candidate define their expectations and decide if the job is a good match for their skills.
2. Type out an Engaging But Short Job Overview
Next, your job advert requires an overview. We’ve seen overviews being two to three paragraphs long and also as short as two lines.
The key to writing a good job overview lies particularly not in its length but content. The job overview needs to be relatable, professional, clarifying, and accurate.
As per Built In’s research, 68.57% of their job description sample included a company description, whereas 31.43% did not. The solution to this is quite simple.
Take a few extra minutes and write about your company, how this open position might benefit your business or society in general?
How will this role contribute to making lives better? Is it a temporary role or on a contract basis? You should clearly point out everything. No dilly-dallying at all.
3. Be Jargon-Free
Before publishing your JD, it’s essential to double-check if you’ve included any jargon that candidates might not understand or find intimidating at first.
Short and jargon-free job descriptions are what sell the most. For instance, consider the following example:
We are looking for a Content Guru who will help us out of the content disaster we are currently in– craft well-researched, keyword-optimised articles, maintain our official blogs and work extensively with our SEO Wizard.
Instead of writing the above, here’s something short and sweet:
We are looking for a Content Specialist who will write well-researched articles related to our niche, maintain our blogs and work closely with our SEO Specialist.
4. Sell Your Company & the Job
A great way to insist someone on leaving their current job to joining another company is no easy task. Recruiters literally work day and night to make this happen.
However, the first step towards this would be having job description templates that describe the benefits and perks that come with the salary package. You need to explain how this role will contribute to the company’s growth, affect its culture, aid in the employer’s career graph, and so on.
Don’t just add a massive list of daily responsibilities and qualifications you’re looking for. Make it interesting.
Explain how his/her role will add to the company’s business objective. In the end, you would want the candidates to be excited about the company they’re applying to.
5. Don’t Ask Too Much
You’ll turn off the candidate immediately if you ask too much. Unrealistic expectations, over-the-top qualifications, listing criteria that are not needed for the job can be a few reasons why your job advert is not performing well.
We are a firm believer in distinguishing between good-to-have skills and must-have skills. Being positive and focusing on your candidate experience and employer brand will take you a long way in attracting quality candidates.
6. Don’t Miss out on the Perks & Benefits
It’s okay to be mysterious, but focusing too much on mystery and missing out on mentioning the company’s main perks and benefits can be a disaster.
Apart from describing the tasks, talk about the leave policy, workplace bonuses, yearly paid leaves, vacation plans, health insurance, employee stock options etc.
Fine-tune your job description by writing in brief about your inclusive company culture because, at the end of the day, it’s essential to know that most candidates just skim through the description.
The faster you catch their attention, the better.
7. Close the Lid on Biases
The United Nation’s gender study report revealed that there’s no such country with gender equality. Close to 50% of men had revealed how they had more right to a job than women.
You must be wondering how do job descriptions play a part here? Well, let’s just get straight to the takeaway—
Any form of gender discrimination originates via a mix of social forces and is expressed consciously and unconsciously while recruiting.
Recruiters must avoid using gender-biased words in job descriptions like— ninja, superhero, hacker etc., double-check the pronouns used, avoid aggressive language like ‘go get it, crush it, smash it,’ and stay away from superlatives.
Use tools such as Textio, an augmented
writing platform that identifies gender-biased words and helps you craft an inclusive job description.
Read more: Can recruiters avoid gender discrimination in the workplace with these 4 easy steps?
Once you’ve finished writing, get it checked by your hiring manager to see if there are any significant changes to be made.
5 Free Job Description Templates for Recruiters
1. Marketing Manager Job Description
We are looking for an experienced and versatile Marketing Manager to engage with our company. The person will be in charge of overseeing the promotion of our company’s brands. You should have hands-on experience with web analytics and have imaginative ideas for effective advertising projects, also to develop and manage marketing programs in specific channels. You will be in charge of developing and commanding our company’s advertising campaigns.
Marketing Manager’s Key Responsibilities:
- Expanding a strategy that will maximize the profits and market share but also considers customer satisfaction.
- Working along with the creative team.
- Developing guide briefs and creative direction to connect the aim for all the advertising and public communications, including print, digital, and video assets.
- Try your hands on various experiments with a variety of organic and paid acquisition channels. This includes content formation, content curation, pay-per-click campaigns, event management, publicity, social media, lead generation campaigns, copywriting, and performance analysis.
- Construct marketing programs to hold up specific marketing objectives across different channels and segments in support of our overall strategic marketing plan.
- Brief information to interested and attentive clients, and acts as a representative for the marketing department in important buyer meetings.
- Communicate with legal staff to solve any problems, such as copyright neglect and royalty sharing with outside producers and distributors.
- Establish market research studies and analyze their findings.
- Examine consumer behaviour and modify email and advertising campaigns accordingly.
Marketing Manager Requirements and Skills:
- A bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in marketing, business administration.
- Expertise in online marketing and social media strategy.
- Strong and effective project management skills.
- Ability to quickly adapt to changes and activities.
- Ability to travel as necessary.
2. Social Media Manager Job Description
We are searching for an experienced and passionate Social media manager to represent our brand on our various social media handles. You will be required to run advertisement campaigns and drive traffic and engagement by creating high-quality original content. Responsibilities will include developing and implementing social media strategy in order to increase online presence and improve marketing and sales. You will manage the company’s image in a cohesive way to achieve our marketing goals.
Social Media Manager’s Key Responsibilities:
- Running social media advertisement campaigns online.
- Build, implement and manage social media strategy.
- Maintaining online relationship with the customer by organising and developing specific customer relation program.
- Generate, edit, publish and share engaging and original content daily like small texts, photos, videos and news.
- Use analytical tools such as Google Analytics and others to ensure progress on various platforms.
- Analyse and make reports for the long-term needs of the company’s social media strategy.
- Measure and analyze to establish KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
- Educate other junior staff on the use and how to work on social media and promote its use.
- Responding to customer reviews, queries and comment.
- Work with content writers and designers to ensure the content is informative as well as attractive.
- Monitor SEO and engagement and suggest content optimisation.
- Maintain reports and assemble marketing information.
Social Media Manager Requirements and Skills:
- Experience in Social media.
- Proven working experience in digital marketing.
- Excellent knowledge of different social media handles like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and other social media platforms.
- Ability to deliver original and creative content.
- Strong understanding of marketing strategy and to effortlessly utilise the concepts throughout various forms of outreach.
- Should have excellent multitasking, team work and networking skills.
- The ability to work under pressure and meet the deadlines.
3. Accounting Clerk Job Description
An accounting clerk is a member of an organisation’s accounting department, accountable for supporting both clerical and administrative duties. You will be responsible for data entry and managing ledgers, assuring payments and receivables are current, or coding documents according to an organisation’s schemes. You should be professional and polite with strong computer abilities and a thorough knowledge of accounting and financial principles.
Accounting Clerk’s Key Responsibilities:
- Completing basic office tasks, including replying to phone calls, acknowledging emails, processing mail, filing, etc.
- Posting financial transactions in databases. Maintain a thorough account of business transactions and insert data from daily work logs into the company’s general ledger system.
- Protects organisation’s value by keeping information confidential.
- Help manage and prepare information for reports in a timely manner.
- Assemble data and prepare a variety of reports.
- Operate with adding machines, calculators, databases, and bank statements.
- Secure customers accept payments or refunds.
- Look after customer accounts for non-payment and delayed payment.
- Provides routine records and posts financial transactions; regulates entries and internal ledgers to financial reporting system reports.
Accounting Clerk Requirements and Skills:
- A High School diploma is required, more knowledge and experience are generally favoured.
- Requires 3 years experience.
- Efficient verbal and written expression skills.
- Outstanding analytical, computational, and mathematical techniques.
- General knowledge and understanding of accounting procedures.
- MS Office and knowledge of accounting software.
- Ability to prepare financial reports. Knowledge of university invoicing and accounts payable p
rocedures and practices.
4. Sales Associate Job Description
Our company is looking for a Sales Associate to effectively generate leads and reach sales goals. Your work will revolve around the ability to network, build relationships with clients, and persuade others to acquire products.
Sales Associate’s Key Responsibilities:
- Generating leads.
- Services existing accounts, secured orders, and accepted new accounts by planning and coordinating a daily work schedule.
- Organize, produce, and manage positive business and customer connections.
- Maintain the features of products to highlight how they solve customer problems.
- Reach customers and prospect outcome pain points to appropriate departments.
- Harmonise with other sales reps to secure company quotas and standards are being met, performing market research, and regular competitor monitoring.
- Maintaining monthly minimum goals.
- Promoting strong relationships with key accounts to sustain a high level of service and client commitment. Receiving deposits and balance of payment from clients.
Sales Associate Requirements and Skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in economics, business, marketing, or relevant field.
- Three to five years of industry sales background.
- High-grade time-management skills.
- Outstanding knowledge of MS Office, sales management software, CRM, and BRM tools.
- Physical suffering, as Sales Representatives may need to be on their feet for long hours, contribute a lot of time travelling within locations, and carry heavy products.
- Learning with the sales administration software and CRM.
- Further certifications and other professional development experience.
5. Real Estate Agent Job Description
We are looking for an adequate Real Estate Agent who will be responsible for buying and selling property for our real estate business. This comprises marketing listings, presenting guidance to buyers and sellers, delivering exceptional customer service and examining everything one needs to succeed in this industry.
Real Estate Agent’s Key Responsibilities:
- Generate/give rise to client leads to buy, sell, and rent properties
- Work out with prices or other sales terms
- Execute comparative market analysis to estimate properties’ value
- Go along with the buyers during visits and inspections of the property
- Advise your clients regarding the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting
- Draft and combine all the offers and do the paperwork for the same
- Assemble the lists of properties with particular specifications, and market through open houses, advertisements, networking, and relationships
- Preside over settlement and advise clients on suitable courses of action
- Answer questions or queries about contracts and terms of sale
- Mediate settlement between the buyer and the seller
- Maintain your real estate license and knowledge
Real Estate Agent Requirements & Skills:
- High school diploma, or equivalent required
- Must be a licensed real estate agent
- Ability to work independently with excellent interpersonal skills
- Strong sales, negotiation, and communication skills
- Ability to understand the needs of clients in terms of what they are looking for and what is practical within their price range
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. Who writes a job description?
Generally the immediate supervisor of a recruiter writes a job description or the Human Resources team. As mentioned earlier, if a recruiter completes a JD, it needs to be validated by the hiring manager before the job advertisement is posted.
2. How to make job descriptions more inclusive?
The type of talent you’re attracting with your JD depends on how you’re writing it. To make job descriptions more inclusive, it’s essential to first identify gender-biased words. Use tools like Textio, Gender Decoder, Applied etc. to make sure you’re on the right path.
3. How often should job descriptions be updated?
You can update your JD as and when you’re looking for new talent. Make sure you are informing your hiring manager about it and the changes made are double-checked by your client. Generally, these updates come from the client’s end.
4. Can you plagiarise job descriptions?
Plagiarism of any kind is not accepted. No, you cannot simply plagiarise because your client needs will differ. An XYZ company might want a marketing manager who knows web analytics whereas this might not be a prime necessity for an ABC company hiring for the same role.
