A well-written job description is essential for attracting and hiring the right candidates for your open positions. To aid you in writing an effective job description, we have compiled a list of seven key components. You can also find a job description template at the end of this guide. 

Title

• This is the first thing that applicants see! Use job titles that are easy to understand and describe the requirements of the role accurately. For example, titles like “Various Opportunities” or “Job at Company A” don’t provide any information about the role. “Senior Software Engineer – iOS/Android Development” on the other hand, is quite specific and informative. 

Tell candidates who you are!  

• Describe your company culture, values, and what it stands for in a few sentences, including your commitment to diversity in an authentic way. You may also want to include a link to your website for more information. One way you can do this is: “At Company A, we believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We are committed to creating a positive and supportive work environment where everyone feels valued and respected. We value diversity, inclusion, and equity, and are committed to providing our employees with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. To learn more about our company culture and values, please visit our website here.” 
• Be sure to state where your candidates will be working to avoid any confusion. You can also include if you have a fully-remote or hybrid work model.  

Salary/Compensation

• According to a study by SMART Recruit Online, listing salary or a salary range increases job application numbers by 30%!  
• Salary transparency is also crucial for underrepresented applicants. According to data from 6 million Handshake students, job postings including salary information receive 13% more applications from Black students. 
• Post either the lower limit or mid-value of the salary range, and within the job description, provide the full salary range while noting that compensation is experience-dependent.  
• Clearly list any additional compensation and all components of your employee compensation package, especially for full-time roles.  

Role Description

• Explain the role in terms that an early professional can understand. Avoid using jargon or overcomplicating the description of role responsibilities. 
• Use inclusive language and avoid phrases that may turn candidates away. Here are some examples of inclusive language changes: 

• Original: “PhD degree preferred.” 
• Inclusive: “Candidates with a PhD degree are invited to apply.” 

• Original: “Seeking a digital native for our marketing team.”
• Inclusive: “Looking for a tech-savvy team member for our marketing team.”

• Original: “We offer maternity leave benefits.”
• Inclusive: “We offer parental leave benefits.”

• You can also use various writing tools like Grammarly and Textio to help you eliminate language bias and create inclusive job descriptions. 
• Clearly list the role’s responsibilities and expectations in a bulleted format: 

Responsibilities

• Create and manage content for social media platforms, including posts, images, and videos. 
• Collaborate with the design team to create visual assets for marketing materials. 
• Coordinate and organize events, webinars, and trade shows.

Perks/Benefits

• Your JD is a way to “advertise” your organization, and why a candidate should work with you! Highlight applicant benefits such as what an individual in the role will learn, the skills they will gain, and how they will contribute to the success of your organization or its particular branch. Childcare benefits and parental leave benefits are also great to include in a job description. 
• Outlining growth opportunities and being clear on how a role will help a candidate grow within the field is a surefire way to hook fantastic applicants. 
• Expressing a willingness to provide visa sponsorship is an attractive incentive for highly skilled international candidates. 

Applicant Requirements/Qualifications:  

• Focus on preferred skills. This will help attract candidates from a wider range of backgrounds and with different levels of experience. Include a list of technical skills and knowledge and distinguish clearly between those that are preferred and those that are essential. This will help applicants gauge how to organize their resume and present their skills and experience to you. For example, instead of “5 years of data analysis experience” consider “Successfully applied data analysis techniques to optimize marketing campaigns, resulting in a 20% increase in conversion rates.” 
• List general qualifications and accept a wider variety of majors. This will help you reach a more diverse pool of candidates. Even if a candidate’s major is not typically one you would hire from, they may have valuable experience in your field and can bring a diverse set of skills and viewpoints to your team. 

Requirements

• Include specific work authorization requirements for the role and whether you accept OPT/CPT or provide H-1B sponsorship.  
• Some roles may require a security clearance. The specific requirements can be mentioned in the JD. 

You can see some examples of the above outlined ideas in the images below:  

Job Description “Template” 

• Job title and salary estimate 

• About your organization  

• Who/what is [your organization]?  
• Outline your company culture 

• Role Description  

• Detail the role functionalities  
• List responsibilities and expectations in clear terms 

• Applicant Qualifications (bulleted lists here are great!) 

• Describe your ideal employee!  
• List desirable skills (technical and soft) 
• List general qualifications and experience. Distinguish “MUST HAVE” from “DESIRED” 

• Perks/Benefits:  

• Outline benefits of working at your organization:  
• Mentorship programs  
• Opportunities for growth  
• Compensation: salary (or range), details on compensation package  

• Requirements: 

• List any concrete requirements for employment with your organization (citizenship and VISA requirements, background checks, security clearance, etc.) Be clear to applicants about who your organization can (or cannot) support.