Human Resources
Hiring Success: 6 Steps to Writing Successful Job Descriptions
Mar 31, 2017
Have you ever read through a job description that left you feeling like you didn’t really understand what the position consisted of or what the job responsibilities were? If you are like most professionals or business owners – the answer is YES! If your job descriptions are lacking, you may be missing your mark on attracting top talent. Job descriptions should be clear and concise with specific responsibilities, requirements, and objectives. Still unsure if your company is hitting your job descriptions out of the park? Don’t worry – that’s why workforce management companies like ourselves exist, and we are here to give a little advice and explain how we can help you take your business to a HireLevel.
1. Presenting an Effective Job Title
The first thing your candidate is going to see as they are browsing through positions via the web is going to be the job title. You want your job title to both make sense to the job role itself and to be appealing as an exciting move for your candidate’s career. Make sure your job title also appeals to the correct level of candidate. For entry level or even standard job titles, use terms like “associate” or “specialist”. For senior level jobs like management, you should include terms like “senior” or “director”. Being specific in your job titles is also important. A good example of being specific would be “Senior .NET Developer” instead of “Software Engineer.” Finally, if you are going to use acronyms make sure they are easily recognizable to your industry.
2. Company Information
Why would someone want to work for you? What makes your company stand out? Why should a candidate be interested in working with your company specifically? Include information like growth, awards, and other snippets of information that makes your company attractive. Include details like cutting edge technology you’re using and your location(s). What kind of benefits do you offer your employees? If you offer perks such as bring your pet to work day or paid volunteer time, you should brag about it. Give employees a general idea of what it is like to work for your company. This section should also be brief as you do not want it to take away from the position being discussed. Just remember, when it comes to company benefits and perks, one size does(n’t) fit all applicants.
3. Responsibilities
Whether you are writing a description for an entry level position in the manufacturing industry, or for a world renowned technology company; make the job responsibilities clear. Generally, it is good practice to include five (5) to ten (10) responsibilities in the description. Make sure you clearly define the tasks involved with the job and be sure to use action verbs! Include day-to-day tasks and try to give your candidates an idea of what their day may be like working in that specific role.
4. Skills and Qualifications
Be sure to include all required skills and qualifications in a section on your job descriptions such as years’ experience needed and specific education requirements or licenses. If something is preferred, be sure to make that clear in the description. Emphasize any specific technology that may be used in the role, as well. While it is important to list specific requirements, don’t pursue too many requirements that you severely limit your candidate pool. If you list too many requirements, the position may become hard to fill or be a turn off to some great candidates.
5. Location, Location, Location
Be sure to include where your job is located. It is especially important to emphasize this if you have multiple locations. If you are offering a perk of working from home or telecommuting, be sure to list those details. A lot of candidates see this as an attractive opportunity. For some higher level positions, travel may be necessary. Include a percentage of how much travel will be required along with the types of travel necessary. Travel and location can easily be a deal breaker for some candidates, so including these specifics can save both you and the candidate time in finding the right fit.
6. Compensation
Many entry level positions or those set with certain pay rates can be listed in your job description. While it may not work to list pay rates involved with other positions, it is still a great idea to give candidates an idea of other compensation they may receive. Many positions are also listed with a range or something defining that pay will be based on experience. Again listing perks like insurance, paid vacation time, and retirement plans will help you attract talent.
With any job description, you want to be sure to check them for grammatical errors, formatting issues, and other simple fixes before releasing it online. You should also make sure that this job sounds enticing to you? It is important to still use attractive language to draw in your talent, and if you wouldn’t apply for it yourself neither will anyone else.
In addition, working with a specialized staffing firm can give you a better sense of the candidate marketplace in your industry and demographic area and can effectively evaluate candidates’ experience and skills. These are important features when trying to hire and recruit top talent. With HireLevel, you will have a partner that will represent you and your company when it comes to filling those specific (and sometimes hard to fill) positions as well as make adjustments to your job descriptions before ever putting it on one of our many recruiting platforms. From advertising the position, to screening and placing the candidate; we’ll take care of the nuts and bolts involved with finding the right person for your business.
Let us be your partner in finding a good match the first time! Get expert help with your temporary and professional staffing needs.
Contact Lindsey for more information on how we can take your hiring and talent to a HireLevel!