6 Steps to Write a Job Description that Attracts Top Talent

A well-written job description goes a long way in finding your next stellar employee. You want to make sure that your company’s job description not only outlines the expectations of your ideal employee, but also helps identify the imperative skills needed for the job. Follow the 6 steps below to follow when writing a job description that attracts top talent! 

Job descriptions provide continuous value to both the employer and the job seeker. The basis of a job description outlines the necessary skills, experience, and education needed by a prospective applicant. After a job description is prepared, it can serve as a basis for conducting interviews with candidates, orienting new hires, and evaluating employee work performance. 

Step 1: Understand your Ideal Candidate 

Before writing your job description, think about your organization in both the short and long term. What will best serve your company? You may realize you need some extra hands for a short period of time and contract roles may solve your problem best. On the other hand, you may envision a long-term placement with your prospective candidate. In that case, think about your current employees and what they can accomplish at work. How can your new hire strengthen your current team? This is crucial in understanding how to write a job description that attracts the best candidate for your business. You want to write a description that corresponds with your company’s needs while also ensuring your prospective candidate would be a good fit long-term. 

Step 2: Utilize Keywords for Job Titles

Ensuring that you have a strong, clear, and relevant job title is one step that can’t be overlooked. You want your job posting to receive as many views and applicants as possible. So, relevance is key when deciding on a title, not creativity. Shortening or abbreviating terms for the sake of convenience is not a good practice to follow either. For example, writing out “Administrative Assistant” will reach more applicants than just putting “Admin Assistant.” Every day, there are job seekers using millions of keyword searches to find their next opportunity. You don’t want to miss out on a top candidate because of a simple word!

Step 3: Company and Position Summary 

After the job title is decided upon, the next step would be to write your company summary. One tidbit to keep in mind is to never just “copy and paste” it onto the job description. You want to make sure that your applicants have specific details about the team they will be joining or anything else that might help them gain a stronger understanding of your organization. 

Successfully highlighting your company’s values and ensuring they align with your job summary will help you get more passionate and serious applicants. You want to ensure your summary puts the role for which you are hiring for into context for the job seeker. More recently, graduates want to work for an organization that clearly states its company culture, mission, and values. Graduates want to feel passionate about the field of work they are stepping into, which all starts in your company’s job summary! 

Step 4: Clear Job Responsibilities

Of course, every job has responsibilities, but your company can present these duties in a way that generates excitement for the applicant. Try using unique verbs in bullet point form when starting to describe the aspects of the position. Certain verbs sound more inspiring than others. For example, if you were hiring for a role that involved supervising team members, the term “shaping team members” would sound better than “supervising team members” since it has more of a positive connotation. A strong verb can give a completely fresh perspective to an applicant. 

Step 5: Realistic Job Qualifications

Listing your company’s position qualifications is going to be the most sterile section in your job description. You want to add enough requirements to give the applicant a strong understanding, but not too much where the applicant would get discouraged when reading through them. With recent graduates, you do not scare them away with trivial prerequisites. On the other hand, you also do not want to inspire unqualified applicants, so finding a balance is imperative. 

When it comes to entry-level or associate positions, you might need to shift your focus from looking for previous work experience to looking for coursework completed, certifications received, or the soft skills of the applicants. Most recent graduates are trainable and hungry to learn. Sandwiching your job qualifications in the middle of your posting is a best practice to follow, so the first and last sections can highlight your company’s opportunities and perks!

Step 6: Compensation and Benefits Expectations

The final step in writing a concise, yet compelling job description would be to complement it with your company’s big-picture benefits. With entry-level talent, salary tends to be one of the strongest motivators when applying for jobs. Making sure that your description clearly states a realistic salary expectation, especially for entry-level positions, will help target the right level of experience in your applicants. Job seekers look for transparency and a clear understanding of what your company can offer once brought on board. 

In addition to salary expectations, you want to highlight any other perks your company offers. This will leave your applicants with a positive impression of your company and get them excited to apply! Whether you offer a casual dress code, flexible scheduling, PTO, tuition reimbursement, or strong insurance benefits, you will want to showcase what your company can bring to the table. It can even be as simple as highlighting additional volunteering or community service opportunities that your company regularly attends. Job seekers look for a good company culture in hopes of staying for the long term. Helping job seekers envision your benefits will get them to click that “Apply Now” button faster!