How to Write Better Job Descriptions (Tips & Real Examples)

Updated November 2024

Job descriptions are critical of any hiring process. They provide potential candidates with a clear idea of the job, what is expected from them, and how they will be evaluated for success.

“If we’re thinking about a pyramid, the job description is really the foundation everything else is built on top of,” says Eloise DiMase-Nordling, a culture analyst at Insight Global.

The quality of your job description can predict the quality of your new hire. This post will give you some best practices on how to write a job description that communicates your expectations clearly and effectively.

What is a job description?

A job description is a written statement that details an organization’s expectations for a particular position. It should include information about what will be required from the candidate in their role, what their day-to-day responsibilities will be, and qualities a good applicant will have.

Writing a practical job description can be difficult because there is no single way to do it right. Every organization will have different expectations and goals, so you’ll need to tailor your job descriptions accordingly.

These statistics highlight the importance of effective job descriptions:

What to do before you write your job description

Before you start writing your job description, there steps you need to take as a company to compile all the information you need to write it well.

Assess your company’s needs

As you work on your job description, Eloise says it’s important to think through how the position itself will contribute to the team’s or company’s bigger picture.

Some questions she recommends asking yourself as you assess your needs include:

From the company perspective, what is the vision, purpose, and value—why does this company exist in the first place?
What does your team do, and how does that directly contribute to achieving the company’s purpose?
For the position itself, how will this person come in and add to the company and team’s success?

Once you have figured out the impact and the why behind the role, Eloise says it’s important to have clear and accurate day-to-day descriptions of the role.

Think about what responsibilities will fall to the new hire.

What is this person going to do on a day-to-day basis?
How can they contribute most effectively?
What are the hard and soft skills this person will need before starting?
What skills should be prepared to teach the new hire?
Are leadership skills essential in this position?
What type of personal qualities align with our company culture?

Talk to team members who will be working with the new hire

It’s also a good idea to chat with existing employees about what is (and isn’t) working well in your hiring process. From their perspective, what is needed out of this role?

This information can help you avoid common pitfalls and create a job description that’s fair, realistic, and effective. Does the position need technical skills? Are there specific required responsibilities? Has the role taken on new responsibilities that weren’t in the original job description?

If you’re backfilling the position, it’s especially helpful to work with the employee leaving the role (due to promotion or another reason) to see if the description you’re planning to write accurately fits the role’s responsibilities.

“It’s all too often that folks will join a team after interviewing and find their role and day-to-day doesn’t quite match what they were told they’d be doing,” Eloise says. You want to make sure that there are no surprises about the role on your new hire’s first day.

How to write a job description

Now that you have a better idea of what to include in your job description, it’s time to start creating an outline. Write down everything you want to cover without worrying too much about how long the description will be. You can always cut things out later if you need to.

You want applicants to feel excited—not overwhelmed or discouraged—by what they are reading. Be specific about the position you’re offering but avoid overloading candidates with details.

Remember that this is your chance to sell your company and job, so you can use this as an opportunity to highlight your company culture.

Ella Pe, a digital services manager at Insight Global, says, “The candidate is also evaluating the company and the team just as much as a hiring manager is evaluating a candidate.”

By keeping these considerations in mind, you’ll create a job description that effectively attracts qualified applicants suitable for the role.

It’s important to include these sections in your job description:

Job title
Job summary
Responsibilities and duties
Qualifications and skills
Pay and benefits
Remote or location-based
About us/why work for us section

Let’s look at each of these in more depth.

Job Title

Use this section to create a concise but descriptive title that accurately represents this role. Titles that are too wordy, confusing, or broad may turn potential candidates away.

A role as a “Manager” isn’t descriptive enough. “Manager of IT Solutions and Project Development” may be too confusing for what the job responsibilities entail. “IT Project Manger” could be the right landing space for a potential title. Think between two and five words.

Job Summary

A job summary is a brief, general overview of the position, and its main responsibilities. You should include:

Your company name and what position you’re hiring for (be specific)
What duties and responsibilities will this role have? What are some examples? For management positions, talk about how many people they’ll be managing.
What qualifications and skills are needed for this position? What experience is a plus but not necessary?

If it’s temporary or a contract role, mention how long someone would be expected to stay in this role, too.

In the summary, you don’t need to cover all the details about the role, but it should set clear expectations for the type of person the company is looking for, what the candidate will be doing at the job, an example of a skill needed for the position, and the name of the position.

Responsibilities & duties

You can get more into detail about the day-to-day aspects of the role in the responsibilities section of your job description. You should be as specific as possible about the day-to-day work without giving specific project information away (mainly to competitors). This description can include bullet points that touch on:

Who the role reports to and communicates with daily
What types of projects the role handles
What type of reports and reviews the role needs to create
Who the role supports and what departments the role works with

Try to include at least seven or eight bullet points (no more than a dozen or so) on what responsibilities the job has. You want to be descriptive but not overwhelm a candidate.

Qualifications & skills

These can also be listed out in bullet form fashion, like the responsibilities and duties.

Qualifications and skills can come in two forms:

Required skills: Skills that are absolutely necessary to complete the job.
Desired skills: Nice-to-have skills that would complement a candidate’s ability to do the job. These are also skills that may be included in the training of the position or skills candidates should be expected to gain competency within the first couple months of the job.

These can hard or soft skills or any sort of certifications applicable for the position.

Be sure to not disregard candidates who don’t have all of the desired skills you wish for. You’ll lose plenty of highly qualified candidates if you only look for candidates who have all the required and desired skills.

Pay & benefits

This section is as important to the prospective employee as the rest of the sections.

Highlight these in your job description. Setting the pay (or pay range) up front gives the candidate clear expectations for what the role pays annually or hourly.

Note: Some states require employers to include pay in a job description by law, so make sure you are up to date with your local and state employment laws.

Including both the pay and benefits can also attract a wider range of candidates. Many say it’s the most important aspect of a job posting when considering whether to apply or not.

Being up front about benefits may attract candidates based on the quality of your benefits, too. These benefits can range from simple things like healthcare and dental insurance to unlimited paid time off and tuition reimbursement.

Location of the job

Is the job fully remote? Do you expect employees to go into an office a couple times a week or a couple times a month? Is travel required beyond a basic daily commute? Is the job full-time in an office or on-location? Define where the job is conducted.

About us/why work for us section

This is another section to expand on what’s special about your company and this specific role. Why should someone want to work for you over the other options in their job search? Your “About us” section can include basic company history and talk about what industry the company serves, but it can also dig deeper into company culture and what the company believes in.

Our Executive Director of HR, Courtney Palmer, says, “It’s important not to hire someone that just ‘fits in’ with the team. Rather, I prioritize hiring someone who fills gaps on the team by adding expertise or perspective that the team currently lacks. This allows for business impact and improves team culture.”

You really want to highlight your company culture here to help you find candidates who will be culture drivers, or someone who brings in fresh perspectives while also living your values and supporting your organization’s purpose.

5 Bonus tips for writing effective job descriptions

While everything in the previous section is vital for a job description, there are some other tips and tricks you can do to optimize your job description to reach the widest audience and attract the best candidates.

Here are five tips:

Be clear and concise: Avoid cliches, use simple formatting, and don’t contradict yourself.
Optimize for SEO: What keywords would someone type into Google to find this kind of position? Use those SEO keywords in your job description to maximize the number of people who see your job description.
Keep DEIB in mind: Job descriptions can unintentionally have bias. Triple-check your job descriptions to make sure they’re inclusive. Also, you can tout your commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in your About Us section.
Define the career growth opportunities: How can the applicant expect to grow at your company?
Make it easy to apply: A vast majority of job applications never get finished. Make it easy for yours to be completed.

Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how to write a job description, let’s practice! In our next section, we’ll show you a template to help you get started.

Job Description Template

Title of Role: Their formal position title.

Job Summary: Provide a clear, concise 4 to 5 sentence description about how this role fits into the team and the company overall. Also, answer what success looks like in this position and who this role reports to.

Responsibilities & Duties:

List all the essential duties of the position
Use present tense verbs and shorter sentences
Use gender-neutral language

Qualifications & Skills:

Skills needed to succeed in the job
Experience in years
Education level needed (Associate’s, Bachelor’s, etc)
Physical abilities
Professional certifications or licenses
Personal characteristics

Pay & Benefits: annual or hourly pay, list of primary benefits (including ones that may help you stand out among other competition)

Location & Type of Job: Both the physical location of the company and if there are any remote aspects; whether it’s full-time, part-time, or contract.

About Us: Give the who, what, when, where, and why of your company in a concise 4-5 sentences. You can also share the future goals of where your company is headed and certain values your company cares most about.

Use Effective Job Descriptions to Source Talent

Writing effective job descriptions is crucial for attracting top talent. They’re often the first point of contact candidates have with your company. How well are you representing your company in that initial interaction? By following the tips outlined in this post, you’ll be well on your way to attracting exceptional employees.

Or skip doing it all yourself and get a helping hand from the experts. Insight Global has been in the staffing business for more than 20 years; we know how to write job descriptions for our clients, interview candidates for them, and so much more. Get started today by filling out the form below.