Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Job Description

A skilled worker, regardless of the job description, remains a treasure. ~Madeleine M. Kunin

The job description is typically a written narrative that describes the overall tasks, or other related duties, and responsibilities of a position. It defines the functionary to whom the position reports, specifications like the qualifications or skills needed by the person within the job, information about the equipment, tools, and work supports used, working conditions, physical demands, and a salary range.

The main purpose of the job description is that it assists in making sure the staff duties align with the company vision and it also helps applicants to determine whether the role is in line with their expertise and whether it is a job they literally want to do.

So it’s really important to know the dos and don’ts of writing the job description. Because an expert worker, regardless of the good job description, remains a treasure.?Let’s discuss the dos and don’ts of writing the job description:

Dos:

• Do introduce the company’s employment brand.

The employment brand is much similar to the normal brand for the company itself; it's the "image of the company as a 'great place to work'". It's the way the company is perceived by applicants, potential candidates, and current employees.

Today many employees search for the best employment brand so be specific in the job description about the employment brand like what makes your company a great place to work and write a short paragraph or a list of bullet points that shares your company’s best features. This section encourages applicants who flourish in a similar environment.?

• Do use conversational voice.

The conversational voice is one that evades from the formality in favor of direct, information-oriented discourse. And good conversational writing creates a quick connection and doesn't waste the reader's time. The only objective is to sound like a real human being a duologue, not just a piece of anonymous academic or business writing.

Because the personality you deliver and demonstrate in the job description can help set you apart from others. And the personable and friendly approach is an example to likely attract more candidates.

• Do list essential responsibilities and tasks using present tense and action verbs.

Avoid the vague action verbs and the words that are subject to differing interpretations for example “reports to,” “provides support to,” “supervises” etc. To provide candidates with the most accurate requirements in a job description use accurate adjectives that describe the pace of work like “deadline-driven,” which can be written “fast-paced”.

• Do make sure the job description are must be presentable and readable.

The job description is the best method to help the job applicants to determine whether the role is in line with their expertise and whether it is a job they literally want to do. So it’s important to use the assimilating templates, spacing, bullet points, and headers which will give the job descriptions an organized and consistent look that is engaging to applicants.

Don'ts?

• Don’t copy paste job description:

Every job description is different it totally depends on the roles and the company requirements. So it’s better to analyze the job requirement and then prepares a job description. But many times company post the internal job description which is for only company use, the job posting is a marketing tool to attract top candidates so treat each one accordingly.

• Don’t use Jargon and Acronyms.

A job description should be clear to the applicants and staff. Using jargon and abbreviations can make job descriptions difficult to understand and can discourage applicants. If the jargon is specific to the organization, and not to the industry, it should be avoided or explained because it might not be known to all applicants.

• Don’t use wasteful descriptions.

The context is to say that requiring someone to be a ‘great communicator’ or ‘team-player is important for many jobs or I can say every job, yet many applicants will claim to have qualifications like these. Don’t waste language in your job description; evaluate the behavioral attributes during the interview stage by using behavioral competencies. Also can include the descriptive phrases which inform why, how, where, or how often the duties are performed, or the reference areas of decision making, where one will influence or impact, etc.

• Don’t leave out key details:

While maintaining concise job descriptions and neat formatting are beneficial and it striking the right balance in terms of length it’s also important. But ensure that the job description is proofed by at least two colleagues before being made public to avoid omitting any important job requirement details. Because many times it happens unintentionally leave out key details.

If you have any additional questions about writing and editing job descriptions, please contact [email protected].