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14 Secrets Behind Writing a Compelling Job Description

By Conner Martin - Dec. 21, 2022
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More jobs are being created giving job seekers more opportunities to choose from. However what this means for employers is potentially a lot more effort in order to lure the best talent into their organization.

One of the most important decision making factors for any job seeker is the job description.

It’s not uncommon for an employer to know that they definitely need to bring somebody new into their business, but to not have carefully thought out exactly what it is that the new team member would be doing.

This is a dangerous way to start.

There is no question that every candidate expects to see a job description if they are even going to consider a career move. If you are planning to recruit yourself, what sort of impression are you creating if you can’t even provide a potential new employee with a description of the job you are hoping they will do for you?

Here’s our list of dos and don’ts that you need to keep in mind if you want to write a compelling job description.

Key Takeaways:

  • Make sure you are using an impersonal tone and avoid using any gender specific words when writing your description.

  • Use action verbs whenever possible to make the job description sound more appealing.

  • Include any benefits of the position and mention the company culture to help create a picture of what it’s like to work there.

14 Secrets Behind Writing a Compelling Job Description

Free Guide: This article outlines how to write a job description that is clear, concise and accurately defines the role – in 5 simple steps. Download Now!

14 Secrets to Writing a Compelling Job Description

  1. Include an introduction. Try to accurately describe the job in a few sentences. You don’t want to be discrete here or use overly fancy terms just to lure potential candidates. The more accurate the description, the stronger the impact and the likelihood that the position will resonate with the right candidates.

  2. Highlight “must haves”. These are going to be the most important requirements for the job at hand. If your ideal candidate must possess a certain qualification or have a specific number of years of experience in a certain field, make that clear. It is also important to keep the ‘must haves’ separate from ‘favorable’ or ‘preferred’ skills, competencies or experience.

  3. Use an impersonal tone. Focus on facts, not opinions. When crafting a job description you want to sound impersonal and indifferent towards the position. Any biases present will seem unprofessional and are going to repel prospective candidates from even considering the position.

  4. Use action words. Try to use as many verbs as possible when outlining the duties and responsibilities the successful candidate will be expected to take on. For example:

    • Co-ordinate

    • Facilitate

    • Reconcile

    • Produce

    • Advocate

    These are all effective action words. Also try to include phrases that explain when, where, and how the duties will be expected to be performed.

  5. Include employment terms. Make sure you clearly mention the terms of employment including whether or not it is a full-time position or a part-time role. Also mention whether the successful candidate will be expected to commence in a temporary capacity before moving into the permanent role, or if there is a fixed salary or an hourly rate.

  6. Include specific benefits of joining the organization. Apart from the job title and description, don’t hesitate to include why the potential candidate should join your company. You can include a few sentences on the company history, culture, and environment. You can try to create a picture by demonstrating to your candidates what it is really like to work in your organization.

  7. Mention location or potential relocation. Location and travel is an extremely important contributing factor for any prospective candidate deciding on whether they will consider a new opportunity. Be clear and succinct about the location, any relocation package that would be offered to the ideal candidate, or any tele-commuting opportunity.

  8. Don’t refer to people by name. Never include anybody’s name in a position description. For instance, instead of writing “reporting to John Monaghan in Ops”, you should write, “Reporting to the Assistant Manager of Operations”.

  9. Avoid using company jargon. Company jargon should always remain within the company. Even if the jargon is considered to be ‘industry’ jargon, try not to include it just to be very clear. Also avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, or other vague terms.

  10. Never inflate the requirements of the job. The minimum requirements of the role should be clearly stated without any exaggeration. You may want to attract superior candidates by including a set of preferred qualifications and skills. Just make sure these are clearly labeled under preferred skills as opposed to required skills or qualifications. You never want to mislead your candidates.

  11. Remember any employment legislation. Every country, state, or province has certain anti-discrimination legislation around age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, physical impairment etc. Ensure you adhere to this in any job description. You must also state whether or not reasonable accommodation will be provided to people with disabilities in order to perform the basic functions required in the role.

  12. Try not to make it overly complex. Try to keep the language and sentence structure as clean and simple as possible. Don’t go overboard with technical terms which perhaps not every applicant would be familiar with.

  13. Don’t include too many must-haves. Avoid overwhelming potential candidates with a long list of “must-haves” all of which are not completely  necessary to perform the job. It’s OK to include the most essential requirements, but don’t get carried away with these or you might end up driving talent away rather than attracting them. For example, a long list of 10 different requirements is not advisable. Instead, try to include only 5 or 6 critical qualifications or skills needed for to perform the job.

  14. There’s no need to include minor tasks. It’s best to avoid including minor tasks that may only be performed occasionally. If they are not specific to the job at hand, they needn’t form part of the job description.

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Job Description FAQs

  1. How do I make my job description more appealing?

    To make your job description more appealing is to make it personal and on brand for your company. To help you do this, try getting insight from your current employees and have them provide feedback on the tone, language used, and if there needs to be anything added or excluded in the description.

    Another way to make it more appealing is to highlight the cool and fun parts about the job. People want to know of any benefits that the job has to offer or anything that will make the position unique so include those.

  2. What is the most important section of a job description?

    The most important part of a job description is the heading information. This will include information on the job title, salary range, hours or shifts, and reporting relationship. After this you should put the summary objective of the job which will include the general responsibilities and the description of the position.

  3. What is the first section of a job description?

    The first section of a job description is the job title. This should be the first thing that an applicant will see. This will give them an idea of whether the job is a good fit for them or not. Avoid trying to make the job description sound trendy and cool. Make sure it is exactly what the job is.

  4. What are the five components of a job description?

    The five component you should include into your job description should be the job title, job duties, required qualifications, preferred qualifications, and working conditions. Other things that you can include are the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to do the job. When writing the description, make sure you are writing in a concise and direct style and avoid any technical or company terms that applicants might find confusing.

Author

Conner Martin

Conner is a professional writer and editor who has worked in a variety of different industries and media. He is passionate about communication and about making even complex topics accessible to wide audiences. Conner holds a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Oklahoma.

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