How to Write a Job Description to Attract Candidates
By News & Articles

Do you ever wonder about the stress job seekers go through in the quest for job hunting? I must say it’s quite a challenge ,or you are a company that wants to generate specific Job description swiftly? Whatever your needs are, this Ultimate Guide will assist you.

In this Ultimate Guide for writing the perfect job description to find your talent in the UK, we’ll cover everything from what a job description is, job roles, job content, salary range/Benefits and Perks, job advertisement, things to avoid when writing your job description.

For a Startup company recruiting for new positions, you need to be sure to identify and hire the right candidates for the job. Your job description is your feasibility to connect with dormant candidates/applicants.

Table of Contents

What is A Job Description?

A Job description is a document that states essential information like

requirements, duties, responsibilities and skills required to perform specific duties. Writing a job description should describe the outcome of roles that are ravishing for Applicants.

When writing a Job description, it is very important that it gives an opportunity for attracting and eventually hiring talented professionals. Whenever you put out a Job description, make sure it is very clear and precise so it doesn’t have a negative turn out for candidates interested in applying . As a company or an organisation that lets out constant recruitment, make sure your description meets the criteria of candidates that are interested in submitting Applications. It’s an opportunity for you to tell prospective employees the advantages of working for your brand or company. Do not forget to provide precise points as an employer to distinguish your job description from the crowd.

Content of a Job Description

The Key importance of marketing a Job description is the job title, a brief narrative of the role, and a list of expectations, responsibilities, benefits and perks. The job title should be precise and concise with the description of the role giving dormant applicants an overview of what the position necessitates. As for benefits, expectation lists, responsibilities and salary inclusive should be specific enough to avoid any sort of confusion about what an applicant should expect.

A good job description should include information like;

  • The name of the company, brand, business or organisation offering the positions.
  • The location of the Job role
  • The duration of the job or type of employment you offering (part-time/permanent)
  • The salary / hourly rate for the role
  • The type of hiring arrangements you are offering (Hybrid, Onsite or Remote)
  • Important skills (personality traits, technical skills, soft
  • interpersonal skills), Certifications/Licence (If applicable).
  • Desired Level of Education.

By providing all these criteria, you help potential candidates/applicants to determine if they are ideal for the role before you invite them to the interview process. Always remember when writing a job description, your audience should be targeted, and speak directly to your candidates. Who are your targets for your job? Are you in need of fresh graduates, experienced professionals, and entry-level talents with no experience wanting to give them the opportunity to grow and develop their skills?

Moulding your job description to your targeted audience will help you attract the ideal candidate for the role. It is also important to make the title in your job description very peculiar, Avoid using generic words or languages that would confuse job seekers, use precise keywords to describe the accurate roles and ensure the level of each title depicts the responsibilities within the job market.

Location

The location of a job is a very important factor in a job description. If you’re looking for a candidate in Startups of London to work in your company, you need to provide the information upfront so that any interested candidate would see that in the hiring process. If you offer remote, onsite, hybrid work arrangements, state that as well. These are attractive options for many job seekers. Location plays a vital role in retaining and attracting the best candidates for a job. The location of the job should be boldly displayed in the centre and the end of the job description so a job seeker can decide whether to apply or not. For any business either startups , retail, large scale, finding the right location is a very important key factor . It can dictate the long term success goal of your business.

Salary, Benefits and Perks

For companies, organisations that want to attract professional candidates, it’s also advisable you include a salary range in your job description. It mustn’t be an exact figure but giving a salary bracket will give job seekers an idea of their expectations. Always be prepared to set a salary standard for the skills, experience along with location or industry. It’s also very good to get a solicitor to view your hiring forms, policies and procedures to make sure your requirements do not violate employment laws and regulations.

Sell your job to candidates that need compelling reasons to leave their current jobs or pick your job over other offers. Describe also the benefits and perks that come with the job. Benefits are non-wage compensation that supplements salary, it is just meant to enhance a person’s salary . Health insurance, training, unlimited pto, pension, pre-tax transit assistance, stock options, and 401(k)s are some of the benefits you can consider for your team, and you can check this advice about how to figure out which benefits are best for your company and when your company should offer them. Perks on the other hand are a number of reasons to choose one job over another. Factors such as running length and growth opportunities may factor into a person’s decision to accept a position. Many people consider these circumstantial opportunities to be perks, but don’t be deceived; they’re not.

Benefits are far more reliable than perks, and cover more basic needs. Perks are like bonuses that companies offer to make their offer seem better than oppositions, and can give a richer picture of the company culture, and what they value for their employees. The difference between Benefits and Perks is that Benefits are part of an employee’s salary while perks are just complementaries, for instance : rewards/bonus given for exceptional work on a particular project. Benefits are more substantial than perks because they are what people need and perks are what people want. Studies have shown that the percentage of UK job seekers consider employee benefits important.

Your Job description is an opportunity to offer job applicants the glimpse to know about the core value of a company. Don’t forget to explain how this job role would add to the company’s development. Remember also when completing the process of your job description, the final stage is the application process. In this stage, you should include information on how to apply for the role either online or in person, company’s website , via email or an online form. You can also include a link to redirect applicants on websites they can apply for the job. Have in mind that this process has to be easy so you don’t daunt people from applying for the jobs.

Job Advertisement

What is a Job advertisement?

Job advertisement is a pronouncement that informs people that specific jobs are available.it should be written in a professional and a charismatic tone that gives detailed information about the job, the benefits and also about the company. The difference between a Job ad and a Job description is that a job description is an internal document used by human resources teams, hiring managers, recruitment agencies and employees as an overview of a role while a job advertisement is an external document used by recruiters to inform candidates about job availability.

When the job description and criterias entailed for the job has been revealed by the company team, it’s good to promote the job to your target market. This can be done via billboards, job boards, social media, company website or any memorandum via employee referrals or using an agency for recruitment. Another way of advertising jobs is through SEO (search engine optimization) which is a method of inbound marketing that makes your page trackable by search engines or a way to drive traffic to your website.

Things to Avoid when writing Job Descriptions

  • Avoid using generic common keywords, set yourself out by using keywords that are not rampant ,use words that would stand out in your job description so that when applicants come across them, they wouldn’t be in a state of confusion.
  • Stick to an HR or a recruitment manager when handling the hiring process, do not give other departments in the company to handle the application of candidates.
  • Avoid using discriminatory wordings that would involuntary implicit discrimation. For instance, Asking for a Web content creator with 15 years of experience when younger talents can fill in that gap. Avoid being too biassed so others can have the opportunity to become a talent in your company.
  • Avoid being negative in your job description. From researches observed , Some companies do not give a positive tone towards unqualified candidates, they are always meticulous in their description which would make job seekers see them as being unfriendly. Putting out a statement like candidates with less than 10 years experience would be unconsidered or candidates from a particular region are not allowed to apply for the job. With this Act, it makes candidates from other regions look at your company as being racist or tribalistic.
  • When writing your job description, Always remember structure. A good job description is both clear and attractive. Job seekers might wish to open roles from their devices like laptops or phones. Try to make your description very easy to read, bullet point the important lists, seperate the duties, requirements, skills.
  • Avoid deal breakers in your job description. A well detailed job description should open doors for successful hires. Do not be upfront about unrealistic demands from job applicants like outrageous working hours, licences required to tweak the job role or even driving licence.
  • Avoid making your job description too long or too short. It should contain key accountabilities , important facts and data of the job.
  • Avoid using one template for job descriptions within your organisation, different jobs should have different templates and standards.
  • Avoid creating false expectations while creating your job description.A detailed job description should reflect what a job requires.
  • Avoid copying and pasting job descriptions. This is one of the gravest mistakes some recruiters make by copying the job description of other companies, with this act, you can jeopardise your opportunities for getting the right candidates for your job.