What makes the perfect job description?

After making the decision to recruit the process should start with the job description. Not only will this provide a clear understanding internally for what you’re after but it lets candidates know exactly what you want.

Begin with a clear job title. This is going to be what grabs potential candidate’s attention. Job hunters should be able to know straight away from the job title whether the job could be suited to them and ultimately will be the decision maker as to whether they click through to read the full job description. A clear job title should be short but descriptive and clearly outline the job level for example Customer Service Executive or Sales Team Leader.

Structure is important. Job descriptions that appear in list or bulleted pointed format are better received and get higher application rates. It’s easy to get carried away with buzzwords and phrases such as “team player”, but this isn’t going to get you the talent you’re after. Keep it clear, concise and to the point. Think of it as a shopping list, start with the must-haves such as experience and skills and then follow on with the nice-to-haves. Listing to many must-haves can put candidates off and deter them from applying if they don’t meet every requirement.

After listing the requirements of the candidate, it’s good to follow with a short description of the job role and highlight responsibilities. It’s good to work with members of the team that you’re trying to fill a vacancy for so that you gain a realistic view of daily duties and what is expected of them. With this in mind though, this doesn’t mean you need to list every single task that will be involved in the role as with everything, businesses and job roles can adapt and evolve.

If by this point you’ve still got the attention of the candidate, it’s likely they’re thinking of applying. Now is the time to make your business shine. Include a brief ‘About the company’ section to give applicants some facts about the company, the team they will be working in and who they will directly report to. It’s also a good idea to list some contextual information about what as a company you can provide them, for example additional training, equipment provided and any additional perks or benefits.

A job description is as much about your business as it is about a potential employee. Just like you, applicants will have a list of requirements or nice-to-haves that they are looking for in their next role and a clear and concise job description will be what makes your job description stand out from the crowd.

From the moment, you contact us we work to understand your recruitment needs as we know that finding the right people is key to keeping your business moving. Contact us today to discuss your recruitment requirements.