How to write a job description
A job description is a filter and an invitation. It tells a stranger what the role owns, what “good” looks like, and how to apply. Most of them fail because they list every skill the team has ever admired.
Start with the work of the next year
Write five sentences about what this person will have done a year from now. Those sentences are the description. Tools, degrees, and years of experience come after, and only if you will reject someone for lacking them.
Name the team, the location or the time-zone overlap, and whether the role manages anyone. Candidates use those facts to opt out, which saves both sides a screen.
Separate requirements from preferences
A requirement is something you will score in the interview. A preference is something that would be nice. Put requirements in a short list. Move preferences into the body, or delete them. “Familiarity with our stack” is a preference unless the person must be productive in week one without help.
Years of experience are a weak requirement. “Has run a service in production” is a strong one. Say the work.
Inclusive wording is specific wording
Phrases like “rockstar,” “native English,” and “cultural fit” tell applicants to guess what you mean. Replace them with the behavior you will score. “Writes design docs the team can follow” is inclusive because it is checkable. It also keeps the description shorter.
Avoid stacking requirements that describe a team rather than a person. If you need someone who has led, sold, and built the product, you are hiring three roles.
Close with how to apply
Say where the application goes and what happens next. A single paragraph is enough: apply on this page, a recruiter or Ava reviews every application, and you will hear back if you match the requirements. Silence after a careful application is how good people drop out.
Common questions
- How long should a job description be?
- Long enough to explain the work, the level, and how to apply. A page is plenty. Lists of twenty tools are not read.
- What belongs in a job description?
- The outcomes of the role, a short list of real requirements, location or time-zone needs, and the application step.
- Should I include salary?
- Include a range when you can defend it. Candidates use it to decide whether to spend time on the application, and it keeps later conversations shorter.