Hiring · Recruiting
How to Write a Job Description That Attracts the Right People
A job description is a filter. Written well, it brings in people who can do the work and puts off those who can't. Here is a structure that works for small companies.
- (Author)
- Esther Mwangi
- (Published)
- (Reading)
- 2 min
- (Section)
- Hiring
In this guide 5 sections
Small companies often reuse a job description from a larger company or write a long list of everything they would like. Both put off good candidates. A short, honest description that explains the work does more of the filtering for you.
Step 1: Describe the work, not the ideal person
Write down what this person will do week to week and what they should have achieved after three and six months. This is the most useful part of the description for candidates, and it keeps you honest about whether you need a contractor or an employee; see our guide on contractor or employee.
Step 2: Keep the requirements short
List no more than five must-haves, each tied to the work. Move everything else to a separate nice-to-have list. Long requirement lists tend to discourage capable people who don't tick every box.
Step 3: Include the practical details
State the pay range, hours, location or remote arrangement, and the start date. Candidates decide quickly, and these details are often what they look for first.
Check the rules
Recruitment is covered by anti-discrimination law in most countries. Avoid requirements that aren't genuinely needed for the job, and check the guidance where you hire.
In the UK, GOV.UK's guidance on preventing discrimination in recruitment is a good checklist; in the US, the EEOC sets out prohibited employment practices.
Step 4: Say how hiring works
Describe the steps and rough timing: an application, a short call, a practical task, a final conversation. Candidates appreciate knowing what is coming, and it commits you to a process.
Step 5: Read it as a candidate would
Ask someone outside the hiring process to read it and tell you what the job is in one sentence. If they can't, rewrite the opening.
The best job descriptions read like a description of a job, not a wish list.
Once someone accepts, the work moves to onboarding. The tasks list you wrote in step 1 doubles as the first draft of their first-week plan.
A clear role also makes training easier; a few written standard procedures give a new hire something to learn from.
