There are so many job boards consisting of so many job postings online at any given moment – 3 billion to be precise! With such huge numbers, it is important to stand out from the crowd, in order to attract the best talent and craft some really attractive job descriptions.

We reviewed multiple job descriptions of various companies and learned some very interesting things about what could make or break your team. We will focus more on what we learned rather than the companies that we checked, as that’s where the real gold lies. Let’s dig deep and unravel more about this.

Here Are Some Of The Things We Learnt After Reviewing Different Job Descriptions!

What Makes Your Job Descriptions Fail or Attract The Wrong Talent?

Here are some common mistakes in job descriptions that may attract the wrong talent:

1. Lengthy Descriptions:

To gain the attention of candidates, always opt for short meaningful job descriptions. Some companies end up writing so much that it looks cluttered and drives people away. Don’t write more than four sentences about the job, highlighting their roles and always use bullet points wherever possible.

Once a candidate applies for the job, you can always fill him on extra information, but as far as job descriptions go, keep them as crisp as possible.

2. Job Title:

Just to make your job descriptions sound awesome, don’t use fancy names which only confuse people. There is a risk that potential applicants won’t understand what the job is all about. Instead, use the right keywords and simple terms as part of your job title.

3. Pay Rate:

Unless you are offering more salary than your competitors, never disclose the pay rate as part of job descriptions. Have a chat with the applicant first and explain to them about your culture and other perks of the job. This will help the candidate to look at the overall aspects of a job and then decide.

Once the candidate clicks on apply now button, what next? Maybe the candidate has some questions on his mind and wants to know more about the job. Have a contact person’s name and number mentioned in the JD, to give candidates somewhere to go in case of need.

4 Things That Can Make Help You Make A Magnetic Job Description

Here are the 4 things you can work on when preparing job descriptions to ensure you attract more of the right talent group.

1. Why Join Us?

Not knowing what would it be like to work for you is the number one hurdle that people face while changing jobs. So describe your culture well, highlighting the key points of what makes you an attractive company to work at.

Showcase the benefits and opportunities they get being part of your company such as growth, leadership, collaboration etc.

Give them a glance of a typical day while working with you. while doing so, don’t forget to mention your company’s mission, vision, and values, which lets the candidates know more about your company.

2. What We Are Looking For?

This section includes how you would describe your ideal candidate. What are their capabilities? What traits should he or she possess? Describe the job as a series of critical performance objectives and not as a list of random skills. Be precise about the skills and experiences you are looking for.

Avoid unnecessary jargon to drive away straightforward individuals who are looking for jobs and set clear expectations right from the start about what exactly you are looking for.

3. Describe the Job’s Impact, Influence, and Opportunities:

Candidates like to know the day to day impact of the work they will do at their job, so give them just that. Bring out the value of the position that you are looking to fill, in the overall scenario of the company. Describe where they fit into the company and what the daily responsibilities are like. Make the impact of each task clear with an action verb in the present tense.

Let’s take the example of a job description by Dropbox here:

The above is a great example of highlighting the job’s impact on the Dropbox company as a whole. It nails details which the candidate would like to know like the team is small and just started so you know your input will be valued, the opportunities you will get and the impact your work will have.

4. Use A Personalised Tone:

A job description should be clear, clutter-free as well as personalised. Many job posts talk about prospective hires as ‘they’. Instead use personal pronouns to strike an emotional chord with the prospects, like “You will collaborate directly with our sales team.”

This helps the candidates already visualise working with you and feel like a part of the team, instead of just one of the applicants.

5. Fancy Job Titles Don’t Work:

Putting fancy, too good to be true and too spruced up job titles out there is only going to confuse more applicants. After all, there is something seriously wrong when a receptionist is now called Director of First Impressions. It’s supposed to baffle anyone who asks the person what he or she does. Greeting guests, answering phones and hanging up coats are all tasks a receptionist would engage in, so why not call them just that?

The practice of using puffed up job titles will only keep the real candidates from applying for the job that you post. Avoid using words like ‘ninja’ and ‘guru’ as part of your job titles. Also, if you want to rank on Google Careers, avoid overly creative job titles as their algorithm rewards good structure and clarity of pay, location and job title.

6. Focus On Job Responsibilities:

The last part relates to the fact that your job description should contain enough information about job responsibilities. What he is expected to do on a daily basis and specifics about what his role. This is even more important than mentioning details about a company’s profile.

Candidates attach more importance to what their work will look like and what exactly their jobs will entail, even more than how the company was formed and how many offices it currently has. Job responsibilities are what candidates care about more, among other things, so make sure your job descriptions are crystal clear regarding the same.

Write job descriptions that are effective as they are a vital part of scaling your business while maintaining consistency of making good hiring decisions. Believe it or not, job descriptions will go a long way in ensuring you hire the right talent!