How to Write a Job Description for a Job Ad: Tips & Samples
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Why’s it vital to know how to write a job description?
Well—
Picture your dream employee, Sharon.
She’s skilled, experienced, brilliant, and she does the work of five employees.
You really want Sharon to work for you.
The problem?
To her, you’re a dime a dozen.
She sees 200 LinkedIn and Facebook job postings every day.
Deep breath.
With the right info in the right order, your job ad will hit her like a spotlight.
This guide will show you:
- How to write a job description that attracts the best candidates.
- A perfect job description template you can use to save time.
- How to start Facebook job postings and LinkedIn job postings.
- Why the best job advertisements are short and info-packed.
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Were you looking for how to write a resume job description? See our guide: Job Description for a Resume (with Bullet Points Samples)
Just need to know how to post a job fast?
This IT job description sample checks all the boxes:
Job Description Template
Job Title
Cisco Network Administrator
GGMSoft, New York, NY
Job Summary
We’re an IT automation firm, looking for a network administrator to troubleshoot problems, interact with clients, and increase system automation.
Description of Job Duties
- Solve problems across multiple platforms like Cisco, Checkpoint, and Juniper.
- Interact with and support clients, both internal and external.
- Collaborate with peers from other departments.
- Find and implement automation opportunities.
Skills & Requirements
- 1+ years of network administrator experience.
- Deep understanding of Cisco internetworks.
- Exceptional communication skills (both written and oral).
- Solid customer service skills and interpersonal skills.
Salary Range
$47,000–$53,000
Job Benefits
- 29 vacation days and 12 bank holidays!
- Fat training budget to take any classes you like.
- 2 months of maternal/paternal leave.
- High-quality healthcare package from Blue Cross Blue Shield
Company Info
GGMSoft is a worldwide platform-as-a-service that transforms IT through automation. With offices in New York, London, and Tokyo, we serve clients from the global to the local. As one of our network admins puts it, “GGMSoft will give you the most experience in the shortest time.”
You can copy, adjust, and use this job description template right off.
Now let me show you how to write a job description like that.
1
Use a Simple Job Title
Avoid creative job titles like “Sales Ninja.”
Why?
They break Steve Krug’s brilliant rule of web communication:
Don’t make me think!
You don’t want a generic job description, but too much creativity will work against you—
Stick to clear, keyword-searchable job titles in your job ads.
Add your company name and location to avoid looking spammy.
These job description examples show how:
Job Description Examples—Job Titles
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Big difference.
Those second job advertisements titles are cute, but confusing. Plus—they won’t show up in job search sites.
Pro Tip: Want to pick the most searchable title? Search a few variations of it in a job board like Indeed. Then pick the one that gets the most results.
Not sure how to word the job title in your job description? See our guide: 450 Job Titles for Any Position and Industry
2
Write a Summary
Start your job description with top-line facts.
But—don’t clutter it with jargon.
Remember that dream employee, Sharon? She’s seen 99 other job ads today.
Respect her time. She’ll love you for it.
Briefly say:
- Who you are
- What you’re looking for
- How the job will help the company
These human resource job descriptions examples show right from wrong:
Sample Job Description Summary
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Job Summary We’re a fortune 500 marketing firm seeking a human resources manager to expand our nationwide recruitment resources. |
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| Alzerian Media is a fortune 1000 marketing agency based on a vision of creating a full-service firm that helps the least serviced middle market. We put the focus on client results and not on office politics. We encourage our employees to take on as much responsibility and work as they feel comfortable with. With our full suite of internet... |
Some job posts pack too much into the summary.
Grab good candidates quick by giving them a glimpse of what the job’s about.
Pro Tip: Got a lot more details you have to share? Write your job description summary last. It’s easy to be brief when you’ve already covered all the major points.
Where are your candidates looking for work? What are the best job posting sites? See our guide: 30 Best Job Finder Websites
3
List the Job Duties
Build your description from quick bullets.
Don’t add every duty under the sun. Stick to the top 4–5.
That’s tough, but it helps your dream employee understand the job.
Also, be specific. “Manage media plans across all markets” beats “responsible for advertising duties.”
Do it like the first of these two advertising job description examples:
Job Description Examples—Duties
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Description of Job Duties
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See the difference?
Job descriptions example #1 is short and sweet. Even at 3am, that superhero candidate can understand the job.
That second one’s confusing. It’s got more detail, but what’s the job about?
That golden job candidate will skim it and move on.
Pro Tip: Add percentages to make your job ads’ duties section clear. Percents create an understanding of the job’s core functions, fast.
Are your job posts searchable on Google? That’s where future employees are looking. See our guide: Google for Jobs: Use This Search Engine Tool to Find Your Next Career
4
Add Skills & Requirements
List skills central to the job.
But—
Skip the laundry list.
If you add every requirement, job seekers won’t know which are most important.
Show it at a glance, like the first of these management job description examples:
Sample Job Description—Skills & Requirements
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Skills & Requirements
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That first job descriptions example lists what you want most.
But—
The second leaves that great potential new hire guessing. She may not apply because she lacks some minor skill you added as an afterthought.
How to post a job on Facebook
To create facebook job postings, log in with your Facebook business account. Click, “Job.” (It’s above “Write a post.”)Then fill in the form.
Pro Tip: If there’s a shorter word for something, use it. Job ads with lots of long words give job seekers a headache.
Are you hiring for blue collar, white collar, green collar, or white collar jobs? What’s the difference? See our guide: Glossary of Career, Employment & HR Terms
5
Include a Salary
Adding a job salary saves time.
How?
It skips candidates who won’t work in your pay range.
“But once they get to know our culture, they won’t mind!”
That’s true. Great culture matters for retention.
But—
during job search, salary comes first. That’s according to a massive Glassdoor study.
Add a range to keep your options open. These service writers job description examples show how:
Job Description Examples—Salary
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Salary Range $28,000–$35,000 |
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| Salary based on experience. |
When job-hunters see “based on experience” in job descriptions, they think—
Ugh. Is it worth the time it takes to write the application?
Pro Tip: Savvy employees know to figure healthcare into their salary. Add your package to the “benefits” section of your job description. That’s up next.
What do 90% of job seekers want most in an employer? See our guide: 99+ Human Resources Statistics
6
Sell the Job
Include benefits in your description.
This is where you stand out.
Got flex time? Great health insurance? Extra vacation days?
List them in your job advertisements. The best candidates will fight for you.
These job description examples show right and wrong:
Job Description Examples—Benefits
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Job Benefits
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| Our company culture is second to none, with employees voting us one of the best places to work in Vermont. We offer lots of vacation time, with a total of 41 vacation days and bank holidays at different times of the year. We also strongly believe in professional development, which is why we’ve added a training budget so employees can continue to improve. We also offer two months of maternity and/or paternity leave and a very high quality healthcare option complete with dental and vision. Come work for us today! |
Those two job descriptions say exactly the same things.
The first one says it fast. The job seeker gets it at a glance.
The second? Too long. Your prime employee just clicked away to a different job post.
Pro Tip: Got more to say about your company? Add a company info section at the bottom. Job ads that start with extra info make applicants think too hard.
Need to write a reference letter to give back? See our guide: Write a Reference Letter that Gives Jobs
Still not sure how to write a great job description? Need more detail for how to post a job on Facebook? Did you write a great LinkedIn job posting but nobody’s applying? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!
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