How to Create Unforgettable Job Descriptions: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Create Unforgettable Job Descriptions: A Step-by-Step Guide

Job descriptions are a vital part of the hiring process, and they often make or break your chances of attracting talented candidates. When you’re crafting your job description, it’s important to remember that good writing goes beyond making sure it follows all the right grammar rules.

Your goal is to attract applicants passionate about what they do – more important than finding someone who simply does the work. And, hiring people who share your company’s values is far more important than hiring people who are just the best at what they do.

Step-by-Step Guide To Writing An Unforgettable Job Descriptions For Any Opportunities

These tips will help you craft a job description that stands out from all the others, and attracts candidates committed to your company’s mission:

  • Use energizing language in order to show how applicants can contribute to their company’s collective goal; make sure this line is not normative or limiting for anyone, including women or individuals of color.
  • Avoid using buzzwords like “self-starter” because it often turns off good candidates with an introverted personality type. You want someone who’ll step up when needed instead of waiting around for direction before taking action.
  • Include skills and qualifications in your job descriptions so recruiters know what they’re looking for upfront.
  • Empower applicants with the opportunity to work remotely, even if this isn’t a requirement. You want people who are open and flexible when it comes to how they get their job done.
  • When listing what you’re looking for in an applicant, don’t be afraid of being specific — that way, candidates know exactly what your company is looking for in them.
  • Be mindful of how someone’s personality may affect workplace dynamics; if there is anything about the role that conflicts with their values or strengths, let them know upfront so they can decide whether it’s worth pursuing the position at all.

In this post we’ll show you how to create an unforgettable job description by following these steps:

  • Craft a clear, concise job description. Good writing is the key to crafting an unforgettable job description that will attract top talent. One way of showing how good you are at what you do is by sharing your work with us and we’ll post it on our blog if we like it!
  • Give candidates everything they need to apply. Include how to contact you, what the benefits are, and what’s expected of them if they’re hired.
  • Show that your company is a good place for people by highlighting its values or mission statement on your job descriptions.

What is a Job Description?

A job description outlines the main responsibilities, qualifications, and level of the position they are seeking to fill in order to hire new employees. The text must be concise yet also provide enough detail about employment expectations so there is no confusion.

Why Should You Care?

The purpose of a job description is to attract and retain top talent. They are often the first point of contact people have with your company, so it’s important that they represent what you’re all about! Attracting good candidates means attracting talented employees who will help grow and improve your business in many ways.

Your organization can end up losing out on some great potential hires if you don’t create an accurate representation – even if your intention was just to save time or money by recycling an old one. Remember, we live in the information age where people usually know more than you do! It is imperative that new hiring managers write their own descriptions when they come on board because chances are high that at least ONE of their descriptions will be seen by a job seeker.

People want to feel energized and passionate about what they do, so show them that the job offers an opportunity to contribute to your company’s collective mission.

The Job Title

Job titles should convey the responsibilities, qualifications, and level of the position they are seeking to fill. Job titles that contain creative or ambiguous wording can be confusing to candidates and are often ineffective.

Here Is Our 5 Steps Guide To Writing The Best Job Title

  1. Be direct and straightforward with the job title. Avoid flowery or vague titles like “Customer Service Representative” when you are seeking a customer service rep to answer phones. This should be: “Customer Service Representative with Strong Phone Presentation Skills
  2. The title should reflect the level of work they are seeking to fill. A good rule of thumb is that more senior positions will have a higher title like “Senior Marketing Manager” or “Director of Customer Service”
  3. Do not overinflate qualifications: It may discourage candidates from applying if the requirements seem unrealistic for them to be matched against
  4. Avoid language that might seem normative, such as using only male terms in your job titles. We recommend you avoid phrases such as “Finance Manager” and instead use “Financial Analyst or “Money Person”
  5. Be mindful about how females are addressed by writing female-specific content for things like HR roles where someone would want female representation on staff (examples include IT director vs Director of Technology). This also includes showing images of women in your jobs listings
    • Avoid gender assumptions, words that may seem normative or limiting to women or candidates of color (e.g., Chief Operating Officer versus Assistant Director).

How to Create Unforgettable Job Descriptions: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Job Description

Job descriptions should be detailed enough for someone not familiar with your company but concise enough so they don’t need an advanced degree in astrophysics to figure out what you want them to do!

Good job descriptions represent what it’s like to work there accurately so that a candidate can decide if they want the position for themselves or not. This leads to less turnover from people who don’t know how bad their jobs are until after they start working at your organization.

A good way of thinking about how you might change your own positions is by answering these questions: What would be different? How would I make this opportunity better for someone else? What do we currently have in place that isn’t necessarily perfect but could use some adjusting here and there?

Open with an engaging intro that reflects the goals of your company, culture, and its values. Include a summary of what you expect from potential employees as well as why candidates might want to join.

Your job description is an introduction to the uniqueness of your company and the branding behind it. Don’t be afraid to list all your best features with compelling prose that makes people want to work here. 72% of people on Indeed, a global job site, say it’s important for them to see details about company culture when analyzing a position post.

Here Is Our 10 Steps Guide To Writing The Best Job Description

Share information about the role without just telling applicants to send their resumes in. Give them a sense of who it’s going to be working with by discussing the team members currently on staff that would work well with new hires like themselves!

  1. Your opening paragraph should tell why this position exists at all and what problem it solves. Be clear if hours, location, skills required, and other important details are needed.
  2. Keep it positive — no “musts” or negatives that could feel discouraging; avoid words like “won’t be successful at this role if…”
  3. Describe key skills required objectively (e.g., computer programming languages) rather than using subjective language (e.g., good public speaker).
    • Provide details of the daily responsibilities and typical workflow. This will help your candidates understand the type of environment they’ll be working in on a daily basis and will significantly increase the chances that they’ll want to work for you.
    • Include a detailed overview of the position and how it relates to others in the organization. Using this information, candidates can more easily see how their qualifications and experience will help them thrive in this role.
  4. Outline how the person will help solve this problem: what does your company do, how can a new hire contribute to that mission?
  5. Show how you would measure success in the role — what are some of your company’s core values?
  6. If there are any benefits offered (such as family leave), mention these right away so people aren’t deterred from applying because of the lack of such perks. Stating upfront what it takes to get started is important too: When should I submit my application? What do I need to write on the application in order to be eligible?
  7. Should you provide a list of your company’s values? Yes, but don’t overwhelm the reader with too many. The first or two should suffice to get them interested in learning more about who you are as an organization and what it is like working for your team.
  8. Highlighting an appropriate salary range in your job descriptions attracts a greater number of candidates than other employers. In the past year, almost 70% of people said they either never or rarely saw a job description with compensation information. Stand out from others by adding salary details to help attract the best fit candidate for your company.
  9. End with a line or two about who you’re looking for so they know whether it’s worth applying. Include any skills, experience, or qualifications required as well as salary expectations (if applicable).
  10. And, remember to provide contact information so interested candidates can easily get in touch with more questions or apply for the job without any hassle!

Always involve current employees in writing job descriptions. They have a clear picture of what the role entails and can offer insight into how to make it more attractive for potential candidates.

BONUS: Create a sense of urgency for the position so the candidate knows they are wanted and needed.

Some good examples:

  1. “… We’re looking for someone who’s a quick learner, has excellent communication skills, and is passionate about the power of food to bring people together.”
  2. “… You’ll work closely with our engineering team to help design features that will make preparing beautiful images easy — no matter how you take them! You should be excited by challenges, detail-oriented, patient when explaining things (to both teammates as well as customers), confident in your abilities, and comfortable working independently or collaboratively on projects from start to finish.”

In closing …

Attracting the right applicant starts with writing a descriptive, concise job advertisement that is appealing. Your goal is not only finding someone qualified for this position but also making sure you are attracting applicants who will be happy in their role for years on end. With these tips in mind, hopefully, you can create more than one unforgettable description!

 

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