A well built job description provides candidates with an overview of the position, its responsibilities, the qualifications and experience you’re looking for in the best person for the role. A description that lacks any of these elements will leave job seekers with a lot of questions, which could turn off potential candidates.
1. ROLE TITLE
The correct role title will get candidates to click on your posting, it is first thing potential candidates will read, be to the point, don’t overcomplicate it.
Don’t abbreviate titles – you don’t want an applicant to miss your opportunity because you wrote ‘PM’ but they searched ‘Program Manager’
Note clearly if the opportunity is part-time, contract, temporary, or anything that isn’t a full-time salaried position.
Avoid using some job titles such as “Marketing Master” or “Wordpress Wizard”, finding a new job is a serious thing and your readers want to know, from the job title if it might be an opportunity for them.
Aim to keep your title keywords or phrases between 50-60 characters.
2. SELL YOUR COMPANY
Showcase your business in the best light. Online job descriptions are a main resource for job seekers. In fact, job boards and corporate career sites account for 35.5 percent of all jobs filled in the U.S.
Just like an interview, an online job posting is a two-way street. Job seekers are evaluating your business, just as you are assessing your potential employee. Adding company perks, benefits and other differentiators help companies stand out.
Instead of using the same old company standard issue boiler plate mix it up for all potential candidates. For example, “MyCompany creates the future of digital lead generation marketing” might sound clear to Marketing professionals but if you use “At MyCompany, we develop an extensive range of innovative tools allowing companies to collect and manage data from potential customers” anyone can understand it.
3. USE KEYWORDS
For the entire job description length, aim for between 2,000 to 10,000 characters.
Make sure your listing includes terms people are actively searching for relating to the role, organization, or industry. What phrases are relevant to your job description? What terms might a job seeker search for in order to find a job like yours?
In addition to your job title, using similar terms in the listing copy will increase relevance to search engines. Avoid overusing one single keyword or “keyword stuffing”. Google can tell when keywords are being overused and it will have the inverse effect on search engine rankings.
4. USE ONLY THE NECESSARY AMOUNT OF MUST-HAVE SKILLS
When it comes to hiring committee’s perspective, it’s normal to start with a list of ideal experience and qualifications you’d like to see in the role you’re hiring for. But this can lead you to develop job descriptions that are too aspirational.
Spend some time prioritizing must-have skills over nice-to-have skills. Include both in your job description to give candidates as much information as possible about what you’re looking for, but make it as clear as possible which qualifications are truly required verses which might indicate good candidate alignment with the role.
Avoid using filler skills like "self starter" or "results driven". This can put-off qualified candidates. In fact, not only do they find jargon irritating, 57 percent say it deters them from applying to jobs, per a Muse survey.
5. MAKE SURE TO STATE WHAT YOU OFFER
If there are benefits, list them! Now, more than ever, people are looking to work for companies that offer them more than just a paycheck. They want a 401k, health insurance, a signing bonus, etc. If you provide any benefits, list them. Doing this is especially important
Let’s be frank – people want to know what they’re getting into when applying for new roles. If employers aren’t listing salary, candidates are searching Glassdoor for wage records and market averages. Deliver an exceptional user experience and don’t frustrate your visitors with inadequate information. Including a salary ensures applicants are remaining on your website, instead of searching elsewhere.
Including salary details also benefits employers. It might even raise your resume submittals by 30 percent, according to Payscale!
You want employees to envision themselves climbing the company ladder, not staying in the same role for years. Make sure to include perks like training and growth development.
Pay and lack of career progression are the top two reasons why an employee quits, Harvard Business Review states. If an employee doesn’t see room to grow, they will look for opportunities outside your organization.
As finding the right talent continues to be a top priority for organizations, so will writing effective job descriptions to attract qualified job seekers. Need help writing a job description for a new role? Contact us now
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