05 Winning Tips for Writing an Effective Job Description
Are you on the lookout for a new employee? If you don’t have any guidelines in place, you could be tempted to hire any person who applies, which could be a major mistake. So, setting some criteria with a clear job description on who you want to fill the vacancy with is a critical move. Because a good job description is important for getting the right person to apply because it is the first thing a job seeker can engage with when learning about your brand or role. It’s impossible for an employee to know what’s expected of him without a good job specification. Job descriptions that are poorly written or non-existent can cause a variety of issues, including legal issues.
Important to have a proper job description
Job descriptions can be important communication tools for informing employees about the activities they are expected to do. Job descriptions may also include information about the quality and quantity of performance criteria, as well as work rules that apply to a certain job. A job description is a starting point for what the employer considers to be the most important employment responsibilities. The applicant or employee must then determine whether job specifications are appropriate communication tools for informing employees about the duties they are expected to complete. Job descriptions may also include information about the quality and quantity of performance criteria, as well as work rules that apply to a certain job. Employees may not perform to your expectations if you do not communicate clearly with them which of the mentioned responsibilities, he or she is unable to do.
A good job description assists you to streamline the recruiting process and reach the most promising candidates by initially removing unqualified candidates and concentrating on those that best suit the role.
Things to avoid when writing a Job Description
- Avoid using an unclear title: When it comes to assessing whether or not an applicant will read the entire job description, the job title is crucial. Your Job Title should be clear and on point. We are discussing about this further in our article.
- Avoid a long job description with a lot of words: A large word-cluster job description that fails to adequately represent the company’s brand will not be able to attract top candidates.
- Avoid using wrong terminology: Much of the jargon included in today’s job specifications is confusing. Make sure to use the terminology used in your industry.
- Avoid your job descriptions being not in compliance with the law: Make sure that your job descriptions don’t sound biased, sexist, racist or ageist, etc. If not, there may be situations where some labour parties can take legal action. In a lawsuit against a firm, such as a wrongful termination claim, detailed job descriptions can also aid an employee.
- Avoid using unrealistic expectations: You might scare your candidates before even they apply. If you want to filter out candidates who don’t meet the job requirements, use descriptive words in bullets to build the most accurate job description.
- Avoid Spelling and Grammar Mistakes: Check spelling and adhere to current style guidelines. Make careful to proofread your article for accuracy if you want to recruit smart, capable employees.
Tips for Writing an Effective Job Description
Be clear with the job title
With the identification of your recruiting need, you’ll need to decide for which position you’ll need to hire. Then, you must select a clear, straightforward, and concise title for the vacant role. A creative job title is a perfect way to express the personality of your company and it will express your hiring needs directly. While being creative can help your job title stand out, don’t be so obscure that you exclude people who are looking for the same job under a different name. When looking at open jobs, a candidate may search for job titles that they feel they are eligible for. It’s possible that your candidates would be confused if the job title you’re posting is vague, non-descriptive.
It needs to be adjusted appropriately if it gives a wrong idea or is unclear what it means after hearing it. Make sure that the job title you selected is fitting for your business and culture. After you’ve developed the title, you’ll need to choose the level (senior, associate, intern) that best represents the employee’s responsibilities.
You should find similar work titles corresponding with responsibilities ensuring that they are tailored for job seekers’ job searches. And, candidates should be able to get a good idea of what they’re applying for based on the job title.
Be specific with the job role & responsibilities
Once you’ve identified the open job role, you’ll need to explain the new hire’s actual job roles and duties. This will assist an applicant in forming an impression of what a typical day at work could entail. Make a list of all the basic responsibilities of the job role clearly. This may usually include 05-10 responsibilities and you can use short paragraphs or bullet points to let candidates know whether or not they are eligible for the role quickly and easily but avoid a long, bulleted list of responsibilities or qualifications, and don’t just list a bunch of mundane everyday tasks.
Sometimes your HR team may not have a clear idea of the responsibilities and tasks of specific technical job roles. Then, as the HR team, you must involve your recruiting team and technical staff to accurately define the job role and responsibilities and include them in the description.
So, outlining job tasks and responsibilities aids applicants in understanding how contributes to the company’s success. Candidates will know which tasks they should expect to perform on a daily basis and the company’s expectations for their employees if they have a specific responsibilities list.
Define required skills and qualifications
It is critical to correctly identify and clearly define all of the skills and qualifications that are mandatory to fulfill the job role when writing a job description. Required educational qualifications, technical skills, years of experience, certifications, and all top skills should be included. But consider these conditions very carefully. Also, stick to industry terminology.
So, there, you can make it clear to potential hires what standards they would be required to follow if they join your team. And make sure that the level of qualifications and skills you list in your job specification is a “must-have” for the job role. You may use this to filter whether or not your potential candidates are eligible. The time you spend reviewing unqualified CVs will be cut in half.
Provide a required overview of the company
By giving your candidates the information, they need to evaluate the opportunity and being open about what you have to offer, you will help them make an informed decision. It is true that most of the information is now available on the company website, but having a brief and the appropriate overview of the company can be recommended for a good job description. You should be able to customize your job descriptions. Through platforms such as HireTrace, you can customize your job descriptions depending on your company and the position,
For instance, you can convey your company’s culture by saying something like “we are looking for the best team player.” That implies you have a team-oriented community. You want the candidate to be enthusiastic about your company. You also want to hire people who will “fit in” with your team. So, you should make sure the job specification represents the company’s identity and add some personality to it. You want candidates to be enthusiastic about your company and the industry’s development. Begin by describing what the company does in relation to the bigger industry, how technology facilitates it, and how the company, the role, and their skills and knowledge may help them grow and develop.
Remember to provide the location, be specific about the employee’s nature (full-time, Contract basis or part-time) and provide your contact details so that prospective applicants may contact you if there are any inquiries. You should talk about the rewards of working for a startup company. If it’s a desirable feature of the organization, mention competitive salary, career progression, equity, benefits, and work-from-home policies. These specifics should be included in a good job specification so that applicants are aware of whether the position is a good fit for them. If your organization is willing to make the salary range and benefits of the position public, provide those facts in the job description.
Consider the appearance of a good job description
Although the job description should include key details that will help a prospective employee understand what to expect from the role, it should not be overly detailed or lengthy. When writing a job specification, you should keep in mind that the length, structure, word count, and language all have an effect on the results. Sometimes it can vary depending on the industry. But, in general, when writing a job description, there are a few best practices to follow for a good job description;
- A job description’s average sentence length has an impact on its effectiveness. People may get lost in long sentences. You can use shorter and direct sentences to get right to the point faster and keep the reader interested.
- When writing a job specification, you should be given more consideration on colors, fonts, and images you use. Because the job posting would be the first thing for candidates to impress you.
- When writing a job specification, keep readability in mind. That way, you can make all of your major points stand out without losing your candidates’ attention. So, as required, you can break down the paragraphs into bullet points such as listing out requirements and a few of your best benefits.
- To be more effective, you can use terms like “you” and “we” instead of using the third person. Make sure the applicant feels like you’re speaking directly to him or her by being honest and intimate.
- It’s not enough to simply finish your job specification. At the bottom of your job description, you can have an acceptable prompt. Encourage the applicant to contact you and inform them of the application process. You should inspire high-quality applicants to apply by including a strong call to action.
- If you’ve finished writing your job description, go through it again and make sure it’s free of omissions and mistakes. It is beneficial for writing a job description to measure that a good job description and the position’s responsibilities are in sync. So, remember to keep up to date, good job description templates. (business.linkedin.com)
Therefore, every job role in your company should have a structured and good job description. Writing a job description is the first step in the hiring process. As a result, always try to write a good job description that can aid to optimize your hiring process.
So, win your job description!
