Write an Effective Job Description

For an employer, writing a job description is just as important as crafting a cover letter is for a job seeker. To grab that seeker's attention and ultimately be convincing enough that your job is the one, you'll have to be concise, functional, practical, and current. Learn how to make sure your description includes the basic information and contains enough flair to be attractive to job seekers.

Steps

Sample Job Ad and Template

Doc:Help Wanted Ad Template,Help Wanted Ad

Presenting Basic Information

  1. Define the position. Start your job description by stating the title and key responsibilities of the position you wish to fill. That way potential employees will know right away whether they're qualified for the job, and people who aren't qualified will be weeded out before they have to read the entire description.[1]
    • It helps if the job title is recognizable. An incredibly vague title, like "Associate Customer Officer" or the like may not get job seekers excited about the role. If you have control over the title, make it straightforward and interesting enough that people will actually want a job with that title.
    • List between 5 and 10 key responsibilities, erring on the side of being concise. The responsibilities should be clear and have an obvious purpose. For example, write "Research competitor trends and present reports on your findings," rather than "Stay on top of our competitors."[2]
    • Include information on how often certain responsibilities will be performed and what percentage of the entire job they encompass.
  2. List the required skills and qualifications. Being up front about exactly what skills, educational background, training, equipment proficiency and other qualifications job candidates should have is extremely important in a job description. The candidate should be able to skim through the list and immediately know whether he or she should apply.
    • Think through the position, then write down all the skills and qualifications you think the candidate should have. Did you include everything that is required? Make sure your list is inclusive, or you may be in for some awkward conversations during the interview phase.
    • On the other hand, don't go overboard with skills and qualifications. You can list a few that are "preferred, but not required," but this could deter potentially great candidates from applying. Remember that a person's work ethic and personality can be as integral to their success as his or her skills and qualifications.
  3. Include contact information. Make sure your description has an email address or phone number for the applicant to contact if he or she decides to apply. Consider using the contact information of the person who will be the new employee's supervisor, and stating his or her title and position within the company.

Describing Your Company

  1. Encapsulate the company's mission. Employees want to work for a company that is interesting and exciting in some way. Even if the job description seems like a perfect fit, potential applicants might pass the job over if the company doesn't seem to have a strong mission or goal. To describe your company effectively, ponder the following questions:
    • What does your company do? What makes it special and sets it apart from competitors?
    • What is the goal of the company? Is it working toward social justice, striving to be at the top of its field, or aiming to provide an excellent service of some kind?
    • Why do you enjoy working at your company? Try to think through your reasons for being a part of it as you write up your description.
  2. Convey a sense of the company's personality.[2] Every company has a different feel, and potential employees will pay close attention to your job description's tone and style to determine what they can expect from your company. Your company's personality should be apparent in the language you use to write the description, whether it's formal or casual.
    • If the company and the job opening are both on the serious, prestigious side, convey that by writing in well-wrought, complete sentences and using formal language.
    • If you want to show that your company has a fun culture and personality, feel free to use slang, exclamation points, and company jokes to appeal to job applicants' lighter side.
  3. Include important company details. Your job description should list the location of the company and whether telecommuting is an option for the job applicant. You may also want to include the size of the office, and how many people are part of the company.

Including Optional Details

  1. List the salary and benefits. In many cases you might want to save this information for the interview stage, but if the salary and benefits are set in stone, you can go ahead and list them. Beware that if the salary and benefits seem insufficient to potential job seekers they may pass over the job without giving the position a closer look.
  2. Include instructions for resume and cover letter formatting. If you anticipate getting hundreds of cover letters and resumes, you may want to specify how you want the documents formatted so you'll have an easier time keeping track of everything. Some employers ask applicants to include all information in the body of an email, while others prefer an old-fashioned letter in the mail.
  3. Give an application deadline. Listing a deadline may encourage applications to apply quickly, which could potentially help you find the right position for the job a lot faster. However, if people see the description a few days after the deadline has passed, they may not bother applying, and you could miss out on some excellent candidates this way.

Tips

  • Proofread the job description and make sure the writing is grammatically correct. Job applicants won't look well upon your company if the job description isn't well written.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.sba.gov/content/writing-effective-job-descriptions
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://mashable.com/2011/06/03/how-to-write-job-description/
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