How to Write A Job Description- 5 Sure Fire Tips
When does the recruitment process actually begin? Does it start when you put out the ad about the ‘job posting’ on job search engines? Or does it start when you scan through candidate resumes?
Any professional recruiter will inform you that the recruitment process begins when they start building the “Job Description” for the said job vacancy. Lets see how to write a job description.
Job Description – The First Step of The Recruitment Process
Writing a precise and perfect Job Description is probably one of the most underrated steps in the recruitment process. And yet, considering today’s job markets it is a crucial step to attract the right type of candidates.
Find out more about “How To Attract The Right Candidate” with this blog from Tobu.
In this blog, we are going to define the traits of a perfect job description that will help recruitment agencies anywhere on the globe with just 5 simple tips:
- A clear job title
- Define the job profile
- Highlight The Company’s Brand Values & Culture
- Bullet points > paragraphs
- Edit and proofread
#1 A Clear Job Title
The Job Title is the first thing a potential candidate is going to notice in the job posting. Whether they go ahead and read the full description depends solely on how relatable and comprehensive they find the title.
A job title should be an industry-based nomenclature that is easy to understand and generally used across the board. Do not use specific in-house job titles that need further explanation or background to grasp. You might just end up losing potential candidates because they don’t believe they are fit for the job role.
For example – if your job posting is for a Sales Executive, then the job title cannot be ‘Sales Rockstar’, use the common industry-based term ‘Sales Executive’.
#2 Define The Job Profile
A job description should contain the following features –
- A summary of the job role
- Details of the responsibilities
- Reporting hierarchy
- Educational qualifications necessary
- Previous experience necessary
- Payscale range (optional)
These are the basic details that a candidate wants to know before applying for the role. Give them an overall understanding of what to expect from the job description. Keep them precise and simple.
#3 Highlight The Company’s Brand Values & Culture
A candidate is not just looking for a “job” they are looking for a professional association where their work will be valued. The current generation of employees wants to work in a conducive environment, have a good work-life balance, and be associated with a brand that they personally feel a connection with.
Use brand videos to showcase the company. Highlight the work culture and brand reputation for a candidate to see. Portray the critical values of the company that make it a success and a great place to work.
#4 Bullet Points > Paragraphs
Job Descriptions should be minimalist. You don’t need an exhaustive document that is too elaborate. Here’s a simple rule of thumb recruiters can follow when putting up job descriptions on job search sites – fit the description on one A4 page of a Word document.
To achieve this goal, we suggest you stick to bullet points over paragraphs wherever possible. Bullet points make the document readable and minimalistic.
Bullet points ensure that the correct details are highlighted and the interested candidate on the job portal gets a gist of the role without too much scrolling or losing interest.
#5 Edit and Proofread
Once your job description is ready, take a step back and reread it for fine-tuning. Editing a job description will make the final output sharper and catchier for job search engines. Ensure that you have used the correct keywords for search engine optimization on sites like ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, Indeed, and Monster.
Don’t forget to proofread the document to remove any grammatical errors or typos. Ensure that your final Job Description that will be uploaded on multiple job hunting platforms is 100% error-free.
Final Thoughts
While writing Job descriptions is slightly tricky, we hope our tips have helped you in building the perfect job description!
Tobu works extensively with recruitment firms and staffing agencies from all over the world since our software was built to simplify the lives of recruiters. Tobu’s email resume extractor is driven by AI and Machine Learning tech. It extracts resumes directly from the mailbox and processes them in the Tobu web application. It creates an easy-to-use candidate database along with analytics to assist recruiters. You can find out more about us with our video demo.