Write a compelling job description
What makes a good job description and how can it help me attract people?
Unfortunately, people often have to contend with faceless job adverts lacking in detail and useful insight. The very best people don't apply to roles with little information - they want to know what will be required in their day-to-day activities and the interesting technologies they can work with.
Your position is split into different sections each with its own purpose, let's run through what you should be communicating in each part.
Core skills:
Let people know what the main required skills for the job are or the types of background you are open to.
- When people sign up they are presented with the most relevant positions matching their core skills.
- They also have the ability to search for positions. Our data shows that they mainly search using their core skills as key terms.
- People create job alerts notifying them of new positions matching their skills.
In short, if you do not accurately list the Core Skills for your position, you are less likely to be put in front of relevant people and you will receive a lower volume of incoming messages.
Salary:
A common frustration for people is not having a transparent salary range on job descriptions.
- A salary range lets a person know whether they fall within your budget. If they are uncertain, they may not wish to spend time writing a message to you and applying for a position that might not be suitable.
- People also filter roles using their expected salary. Without setting a salary range you are making it harder for people to find your position.
Remote working:
Working preferences are becoming increasingly important for people searching for a new job.
- People filter their searches based on their location and thus working preferences. You can indicate whether your position is On-Site / Flexible Remote / Fully Remote.
People may decline your message if they do not see their preferred working policy on your job description, so make sure it is up to date! *You can select all three options if they apply.
Visa Sponsorship:
Following Brexit, people from the EU require visa sponsorship. If you are able to sponsor people from the EU, choose ‘Yes’.
Similarly, specifying visa sponsorship is essential when hiring for US-based roles, so that UK and EU-based people can see whether they can approach you about your position as well.
If you are not able to sponsor visas, make sure this is correctly displayed on your job description. You will then receive fewer messages from people who are not eligible to work for you.
General description:
This is your chance to give a good first impression and sell the position. Great people are in demand and may receive numerous offers, so you should explain why they should want to work for you.
The best descriptions often include:
- A brief explanation of your mission & opportunities - are you committed to cutting carbon emissions, do you have charity partnerships, do you offer a Learning & Development programme
- An introduction to the position - what is the name of the team they will work in, who are they likely to be managed by or managing, etc.
- Responsibilities - what tasks will they be assigned on a daily basis, what is expected of them
- Skills/Experience/Requirements - a more in-depth explanation of the technologies or personal skills needed for the job (this may be broken into two sections, essential skills AND ‘nice to have’ skills)
Company Benefits:
Benefits or perks can entice people and help them understand the overall package offered.
- For example, a person may consider staying on their current salary or even consider a small salary reduction if there are stock options / shares available.
- People who are looking for career progression may look for companies that offer Learning & Development Budgets, or paid conference days.
Interview Process:
Time management can be crucial when searching for a new job. Displaying your interview stages and appropriate details makes it easier for people to organise their time and schedule interviews when it is suitable.
- This can reduce the chance of interview clashes or missed interviews.
- It may encourage people to devote the right amount of time to each step. (If you have a coding challenge which on average takes 3 hours, an engineer might decide to complete it on the weekend when they have more time to focus.)
Check out our Front-End Developer position to see the recommended structure in use.
That's it - following these guidelines will ensure that people viewing your positions have all the information they need to make an informed decision on whether they'd be a good fit. This will also mean that when you start a conversation, you can skip a lot of unnecessary sharing of information.