How To Write A Great Job Description

I have recently seen a lot of requests for sample job descriptions. I have to admit it bothers me a little bit. Lifting another company’s job description is like lifting another company’s brochure copy. In order for you to attract the right prospect or in this case candidate, it should be customized to your firm. I realized that my annoyance is probably due to the fact that most of the people requesting the document probably don’t know how to write a great job description. So, here are some basic tips for what a great job description should include.

Job description elements
Your job description is ultimately a sales piece and should catch the prospects attention. Tell them exactly what you are looking for, and I don’t mean the name of the position. Do you want a go-getter, someone detail oriented, someone who works well in a super creative environment? Talk about the qualities and characteristics that will make the individual successful. I have seen some companies use just this as their description to attract candidates with some great success. However, you may also want to include some other key information in your job description, like:

• Company information: Include information on your company. 25-50 words is usually ideal. Including a link to your website is a great idea. This section can be followed by a short description of your team. Don’t forget to link to more information about your team, practice group or company from the document.
• Job Location: It’s important to let the candidate know exactly where the job is located or alternatively if the position is home based. Relocation is often a big dealbreaker for many candidates.
• Responsibilities: This will vary a great deal based on your team. If you aren’t sure where to start here, I recommend mapping out what you will have the person doing and their reporting structure. If you are member of an association, like the association for accounting marketing or legal marketing association, many have resources. One you may want to check is AAM’s Marketing Roles and Responsibilities document.
• Skills or qualifications: Its always important to list your absolutes as well as your nice to haves. For example, education, years of experience, languages spoke, management experience and more.
• Application Instructions: Finally, make it easy for them to apply by telling them exactly what they need to do.

Job Description Format
The format is really up to you. Most take a fairly simple format. Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you communicate the information above. Place the description on a nice branded piece with your firms logo or identity standards incorporated.

Innovative Idea: Don’t constrain yourself to a written word document. Consider recording a short video from the head of the team talking about the opportunity and placing it on your website with links to the description in many of the traditional and nontraditional communication forums like job boards, LinkedIN, twitter or industry association websites.