Job Title
Consider turning the job title into more of an attention-grabbing headline but…
Use industry language that your job seekers will search for
Use standard industry terms for experience levels (senior, junior, etc.)
Be concise (ideally less than 80 characters)
Job Description
Note the {heading terms in brackets} below should be replaced with your data to improve SEO rankings. In future, these will be automatically populated in the Job Template.
{Job Title} at {Company} : {Location}
A paragraph or two to grab the candidate’s attention, and really sell the job.
Excite the right candidates by explaining what the organisation stands for...
How does the company fit in with, or challenge, the wider industry? - What makes it special? - What are you trying to achieve? - What are the growth aspirations? - What makes your brand unique? - What is it about your company culture that employees love?
Excite them further when describing the job by establishing purpose...
How does it fit into the bigger company picture, objectives, strategy? - How does it help solve business or social issues? - What’s the job’s major function? - What are the expectations for the position? - Why would someone love the job? Consider creating some urgency by adding start dates.
Recommendation… pack the above into a short video to really engage candidates.
{Job Title} Responsibilities
State who the job reports into (or which position)
List the core responsibilities (ideally less than 10 bullet points)
Emphasise anything specific to your organisation
Although highlighting day-to-day activities can help applicants understand the work environment, try to avoid mundane tasks that don’t really mean anything at this stage
Include potential for advancement
{Job Title} Requirements
Stick to the core requirements as long lists dissuade potential candidates (ideally less than ten)
Check if any requirements are dated (job descriptions tend to stay unchanged for many years)
Include specific qualifications, technical skills, and certifications that are a must
Add in relevant soft skills
Benefits
The salary or salary range (if flexibility is needed) is added directly into the job details page. But the benefits are added here in the job description. They say a lot about the sort of organisation you are.
The expected:- holidays, pension, health...
The unexpected:- flexible hours, monthly wellbeing allowance, office snacks, dog friendly office, etc…
General
Try and avoid jargon and over-the-top language (world-class, rockstars, etc.) which can put people off
Avoid gender-biased language which deters highly qualified talent from applying (research shows neutral wording results in more applicants)
Consider getting employees to help write the job descriptions (this will ensure they are more current and representative)
Cultural fit is important but can be misinterpreted as ‘hiring someone that thinks like me”. Focus on concrete values instead of a vague notion of culture.