10 Job Description Statistics to Keep in Mind for 2024

Attracting the right candidate for the job starts with crafting high-quality job descriptions. You want to attract applications from qualified candidates, so it’s worth the investment.

By understanding what job seekers look for when they’re browsing job boards, you can tailor your job descriptions to meet their expectations—and encourage them to apply.

Let’s take a look at some job description statistics to give you valuable insights and help maximize the impact of your job postings:

1. Quality Matters

The job description is the first impression a candidate gets of the role and your company. If the posting has confusing phrasing or awkward formatting (or worse, spelling errors or poor grammar), the right candidates may click away. In fact, more than half of job seekers indicate that the quality of a job description influences their decision to apply.

Spending some extra time proofreading your application for readability can help capture more applications from qualified candidates and let your company shine.

2. Frontload the Details

When job seekers look through job boards, they quickly determine their interest in the position—or continue to scroll. Candidates spend an average of 49.7 seconds skimming applications before they decide a position is or isn’t a good match. As a result, candidates may miss key details like qualifications and duties if they are buried deep in the job post.

You may want to avoid lengthy introductions and jump right into the details that summarize the position to ensure that your job description captures as many qualified candidates as possible.

3. Keep it Concise

Job seekers only dedicate an average of 14.6 seconds to reading the requirements or qualifications section of a job description. This makes it especially important to use bullet points that make descriptions easy to read, even if they’re only scanning through.

4. Focus on the Basics

Because candidates spend limited time reading job descriptions, shorter job postings tend to be more successful in capturing candidates’ attention. Job descriptions that are under 300 words get 8.4% more responses than average, showing that brevity may be the key for hiring managers. When writing your job descriptions, being succinct may be the secret, so focus on the basics of each role. Remember that you can share more details and context during the screening and interview process.

5. Be Specific

Statistics show that forty-two percent of employers have had to revise or rewrite their job descriptions because they were attracting unqualified candidates. Why? If you need an iOS app developer rather than a web developer, the skills and experience are different. Save them headaches and your time by asking for what you really need and spelling out the must-have skills.

Having to sort through unqualified applicants can delay the time it takes to find the right hire. Spending some time reviewing your job descriptions to ensure you’re specific about your requirements can help to avoid delays later. Or ask someone who’s not on your team if it’s clear to them what you’re looking for.

6. Salary Transparency

Compensation is a core aspect of why people apply for jobs, and candidates want to make sure that they’re applying for positions that meet their compensation expectations. Although many other elements can lead someone to apply, 61% of applicants consider salary range to be the most important element of a job description. Listing a transparent, accurate salary range can be an easy way to attract qualified candidates and encourage them to apply.

7. Tone Boosts Interest

Seventy-six percent of job seekers report having positive impressions of companies that have job descriptions written in a neutral tone. This compares to 60% for companies that use a casual tone and 68% for companies that use a formal tone. Remaining neutral could make for better first impressions—if that’s a true reflection of your culture and business approach.

8. Clarity is Key

Seventy-two percent of hiring managers believe they’re posting clear job postings, but only 36% of candidates agree. As a hiring manager, you have an inside perspective on each role and its requirements. Because you know it backwards and forwards, you may unintentionally leave out key details that candidates need when reading over job descriptions. Try having a second pair of eyes review your job posting to ensure the information is clear and informative.

9. Timeliness

Application submissions peak on Mondays and Tuesdays according to LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter, then slowly decrease throughout the week. The timing of your job posting may have a significant impact on the number of responses you receive, since statistics state the majority of applicants apply for jobs earlier in the week.

If you’re experiencing some roadblocks with applications, try having job listings ready to post early Monday morning. That approach could help boost your posting to the top of job board search results and get you a few more candidates, helping you leverage this trend.

10. Inclusive Phrasing

We mentioned that neutral tones can help application results but so could inclusive wording. Using words that are typically deemed either masculine or feminine could unknowingly dissuade candidates from applying. Job descriptions that only use neutral words ended up netting 42% more responses than those that used more “gendered” terms. By editing your job descriptions to be more neutral and inclusive, you can ensure that the role appeals to a wider audience.

Narrow Your Options with Ease

Keeping these stats in mind when writing your job descriptions can help you find the best candidate for the role. By fully optimizing your job postings, you can both boost overall application rates and ensure that the right talent applies.

If you’re ready for a helping hand to make this all easier, Insight Global can help. Not only can we help craft the perfect job description, we can also source and vet candidates so you can get right down to hiring and building your team. Connect with our expert recruiting teams today!