Write a job description as a promise about the work, not as a wish list of every skill in the industry. Use the title candidates search for, describe what the person will do in the first six months, separate must-have skills from nice-to-have ones, and state the city, the office pattern and a pay range if you can. Vague posts attract vague applications.
Start with a searchable title and an outcome
Use a title people put on resumes, such as "Accountant" or "Software Engineer", and put seniority in a separate field if your system has one. The opening paragraph should say what the team does and what this hire will own.
- Avoid internal codes and joke titles in the public headline.
- Name the city and whether the role is onsite, hybrid or remote.
- Say who the role reports to.
Split must-have skills from the rest
A must-have skill is one you will reject for. Everything else is a preference. Long must-have lists reduce the number of women, career-switchers and strong adjacent candidates who apply, and they slow the search.
- Cap must-haves at about five.
- Ask for evidence, such as "has closed month-end", not a personality adjective.
- Drop requirements that are really preferences about college or a gap-free career.
Tell candidates how to apply and what happens next
Link to one application path. Say if you need a portfolio or a work sample. Give a rough timeline. A pay range, even a wide one, improves the quality of applicants and saves a late-stage argument.
- Publish the range you are actually authorised to offer.
- Mention the notice period you can wait for, if it is a constraint.
- Remove the post when the role is filled so candidates are not applying into a closed job.
Title, six-month work, five must-haves, location, pay range. That is a description people can answer.
Questions people ask
Should we mention salary in the post?
- Yes, when you are allowed to. A range filters people who would decline later and shows you respect the candidate's time.
How long should a job description be?
- A screen or two. If it reads like a legal contract, candidates skim and miss the real work.
Can one description cover several levels?
- No. Split junior and senior roles. A combined post produces a pile you cannot score fairly.
Related reading
Nisha Rao
Nisha writes hiring playbooks for founders and talent teams in India, covering job descriptions, interviews, offers and campus hiring.
