The job description is where the relationship between employee and employer starts. In addition to the job posting, this is what will draw job seekers to your position. 

Be sure to adequately portray your employer brand, responsibilities of the position, and required qualifications. It is essential to get the job description right to fuel your hiring process and entice potential candidates. 

Here are a few tips and tricks to build a good job description:

1. Keep it short. We recommend keeping it to under 700 words and less than a dozen bullet points across all sections. If it’s too long, you might intimidate your applicants. Length can make candidates feel like there are too many requirements for them to keep up with. 
2. Be specific. Make sure you know the role and the industry so that you can cut through the noise of the part right to its key components.
3. Write it from the perspective of “what’s in it for the candidate.” What does the candidate care about in your case? Is it a career path? Job perks? Pay rate? Make sure to lead with this.
4. Leave out minor details. Leave out any insignificant or superfluous information and keep it to the only pertinent. Focus on the deliverables you are trying to obtain. Then, explain how these will contribute to the success of the business.
5. Offer value. Outline what differentiates your company from others that are hiring for similar roles. Tell a candidate your story, and help them see themselves in the position at your company.
6. Proofread and spell check!
7. Make it easy to apply. We’ve all come across fillable forms that require patience given requests for fields with personal details or, even worse, rewriting of an entire resume with individual form fields. 

We at JCSI typically follow a format such as the below:

Section 1: What is in it for the candidate? 

Use this section to bring your candidate in by highlighting benefits and why they want to work for your company. 

Section 2: Job Description

Describe the job here by telling the candidate who they would be working under, above, or together with. Give an example of a day to day experience for the role. 

Section 3: Job Requirements

This is where you will portray the duties and responsibilities for the position, don’t hesitate to use a bulleted list here.  

Section 4: Experience Requirements

This section should explain all requirements as it pertains to the education needed, years of experience, and industry experience. 

Section 5: Any Further Hiring Language 

End the job description with EEOC compliance, legal requirements, etc. 

Now you are ready to create a high converting job description!