Have you noticed a drop-off in the number and/or quality of applicants from your recent job postings? It might be related to the job description.
A good job description will be enticing and exciting to potential candidates and future employees. It’ll create a buzz and get people thinking about how much it will help their career to join your team while giving them reasons to want to work there.
If it’s been a while — or a few years — since you updated your job descriptions, it’s time to freshen them up!
Here are a few tips for writing a great job description.
Start with the job title.
The title needs to be the hook that gets people to click on the link and keep reading. Make it concise, make it accurate, make it understandable — this is not a place for terminology that a person outside your company will not be able to understand, nor is it a place to be cutesy. Call the job what it is: Manager or clerk or administrative assistant, etc. Candidates need to know right away if it’s a position that fits their experience.
Summarize the responsibilities.
Now that you’ve given the position an easy-to-understand name, set out what the job actually entails. Outline the responsibilities of the position and some details about whether the person will be a manager or supervisor, if they’ll be leading a team or who the position reports to. Use inclusive language — “We’re looking for someone who can join our team” and “You’ll be responsible for” — to help the candidate feel welcomed from the start while also developing an idea of workplace dynamics and structure. Talk up your company’s culture a little as well. Try to sell the idea of the job and get candidates invested in the idea of working there.
Share information about the company.
Here’s where you turn on the charm and start selling what makes your company the place where these candidates want to be. Offer a little history of the company, highlighting any big moments and achievements, before adding in some recent victories or developments. How are you building on your success? Discuss the role your company plays in the community and how your employees can give back. Make things sound exciting!
List the real requirements of the position.
What will make a candidate successful? What skills, experience, knowledge and training are needed, truly, to make someone qualified to win this position? List them simply and in understandable language. If there are other qualifications that would be nice to have, or could help differentiate a candidate, make it clear which skills are “needs” and which are “nice to have.” Explain how each required skill or training directly relates to the position to help the candidate get a better sense of whether they’ll measure up.
Include the important details.
What are your business hours? Is overtime an option, a requirement, something that doesn’t really apply? Where will the person be working? What’s the salary — if it’s a range, what would distinguish someone at the upper end of that range from someone on the lower end? Talk about the perks as well, from benefits to special things that your company offers that your competitors might not. Are there policies in place that might be viewed as benefits — is your workplace dog-friendly, for example, or do you keep snacks on hand? Is there a retirement program employees can participate in and, if so, how long do they have to be part of the team before they’re eligible to join?
Before posting the job description, make sure someone else gives it a read to ensure no unconscious bias has crept in that might dissuade some people from applying. And then ask yourself: If I didn’t already work here, would this ad make me want to work here? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to go!
For more advice on writing a winning job description, or to get candidates more quickly, call Debbie’s Staffing today. Our recruiters are great at understanding exactly what you need and helping to find the right candidates quickly so you can start the hiring process faster. When you’re ready to add to your team, call Debbie’s Staffing!
