Job Description Writing 101: The Art of Intriguing Your Audience
Let’s face it: we’re all guilty of dusting off the old job description write up we had stored in our files and posting it as if it were brand new. After all, if a job is the same years later, nothing needs to change, right? I myself am guilty of using previously existing job descriptions and maybe changing a word or two to update it. While your job descriptions should change with every iteration of the position, writing for a new position is an entirely different ball game.
And maybe you haven’t hashed out all the details yet, and that’s completely fine. But what you do need to know is what you’ll be asking from your future employee, and what’s in it for them. After all, the art of job description writing is all about getting the right people excited about working for you. Show them all you’ve got, and hopefully they’ll do the same!
Our Top 5 Tips on Writing an Effective Job Description for a New Position
1. Make the Job Description Clear, Concise, and Inclusive
Many job postings scare off potential candidates due to the technical jargon and specific wording used. This includes using overly flowery language that offers an ambiguous role that the candidate may not feel qualified for. Even worse, a job description could use biased language that unintentionally assumes a candidate’s gender, for example. (“We’re hiring a new Front-end Developer. He must have x number of years of practice, and he must have graduated from a top ivy league school.”) This can be avoided by using unbiased and neutral language that avoids pronouns and other biased assumptions entirely.
For example: “We’re hiring a Front-end Developer who is creative, driven, and enjoys working in team-oriented environments.”
As well, to make sure your candidates know exactly what they’re applying for, always include:
- Everyday tasks and responsibilities
- Weekly, monthly, and yearly goals and expectations
- The job’s position in relation to others in their department or their direct supervisor
- Weekly hours or time commitment
2. Make Postings Transparent
One of our most recent polls on our LinkedIn page revealed that 58% of workers would prefer to ask an employer about their salary compensation on the first interview. Many times, employers refuse to provide the salary rate unless a candidate is being seriously considered for a position, at which point, the candidate may have to refuse for financial security. All of their work—and yours as the employer—then goes down the drain.
Skip this step entirely and provide transparent details, not only about the position’s pay rate, but also the hours worked, the benefits and options for work environment. If you’re all for working from home, include it! If you offer flexible hours, include it! These items may seem small, but it could be the make or break decision for a job seeker to apply.
3. Ask for Specific Hard and Soft Skills
To find the right candidates, you’ll surely have some sort of official qualification in mind. Maybe it’s a Bachelor of Arts in Business, or a Master of Science degree in computer engineering. Maybe it’s an online certification, or a certain number of years of experience working in the field. Whatever your markers are for hiring for this position, make sure these include soft skills, too. Soft skills, unlike hard skills, involve personality traits or behaviors that candidates may have regardless of their abilities to obtain a degree or work in a certain field for x number of years. Instead, they focus on how they function in the workplace. This may be how they interact with teams, who they work best with, how they approach conflict, or what kind of settings they need to thrive. And while these things are often overlooked, they can really make or break a candidate’s potential.
4. Provide Next Steps
One of the biggest and most upsetting concerns that arise from applying to job postings online—and I say this from experience—is never hearing back from the employer. So, even if you have thousands of applicants, you should be replying to every single one whose applicant did not make the first or proceeding rounds of cuts. Sure, rejections aren’t the best emails or phone calls to receive, but they certainly beat radio silence.
If an applicant does pique your interest, move them onto the next step: measure their soft skills and see if they would be a good match for your position in their environmental and personality fit. Packfinder is our number one tool for determining candidate success and potential in a position. It’s free to use and once completed, a candidate’s results are viewable in real-time. And while not everyone is best suited for every position, even if a candidate is rejected, they still walk away with a free soft skills assessment free of charge.
After reviewing the top matched candidates and their soft skills assessment results, make sure to provide each candidate a reasonable and fair time-frame to hear back from you. Make sure to communicate clearly and honestly what your hiring process will look like, and follow-through with your plans so they know exactly where they stand in the running.
5. Rethink the Traditional Process Entirely
Some recruiters and employers are in fact moving away from traditional job descriptions and turning instead to technology to find candidates for them. Workwolf does exactly that. Our platform was designed by employers and recruiters for employers and recruiters to ease the entire hiring process from start to finish. Relying on blockchain technology to maintain verified candidate credentials and personal, secure information, Workwolf is your one-stop-shop for all your applicant information. From Packfinder, to candidate Digital Work Passports, to benchmarking tools for automated filtration, Workwolf has it all.
Not only does this make your job easier, it makes candidates more likely to find you. Or rather, for you to find them!
Prepare Yourself for the Workwolf Platform
If you’re ready for writing a job description, even with the above tips, to be the hardest part of your day, sign up for Workwolf! Workwolf makes filtration and background verification easy, so you can redirect your energy elsewhere. It’s all about making your job easier so you can help someone else find their job easily. Get access to your complimentary Workwolf business account today, and send your next job applicants’ soft skills assessments for free.
