How to write a winning job description!

5 tips on how to write a winning job description.

Weak job descriptions lead to weak candidates. Hay Group recently found that 51% of HR managers think that poor job descriptions are causing employees to leave.

But while 86% of HR professionals surveyed said that good job descriptions lead to better quality candidates, 42% said their companies describe the sought after roles poorly.

James Beacham is recuitment veteran who has previously worked as a Marketing Executive at CareerBuilders.com. He believes that writing good job descriptions are more important than ever.

Writing on LinkedIn, he comments: “In recent years we have seen a power shift from the recruiter to the candidate, the more quality and sought after talent has much more option and they are shopping around for the perfect company.”

He has posted five tips on LinkedIn to help recruiters write strong job descriptions.

1. Highlight the company culture

Employer branding is more important for jobseekers than salaries, according to a report by Manpower Group Solutions.

Beacham comments: “Providing a feel for your company culture in the job description will ensure that you are not only given candidates an insight into what it’s like working within your organisation, but also ensure that you aren’t attracting the wrong people.

“It is simply a waste of time screening and interviewing candidates who will just reject the job offer or hiring a candidate for them to quickly leave the organisation because they just weren’t ‘down’ with the company culture.”

So highlight the company culture to make sure that you get the right sort of applicants.

2. Have visible benefits and progression routes

If you want to recruit Millennials, then you better offer them a rapid career progression. Nine out of 10 of the people from Generation Y said that progression within a company was at the top of their considerations when they are looking for a new job, according to research from Robert Walters.

Others have used flexible benefits as a way to attract the best candidates.

Beacham believes that emphasising both aspects can boost the strength of job descriptions.

He comments: “It could be the case that your organisation is paying less than your competitors for certain roles so having visibility over benefits and progression routes may just be the selling point to the candidate.

“Let the candidates know from the get go if you are offering an attractive number of holiday days, bonus incentives, fun days, office happy hours and so on. Also, let them know what they can expect in terms of career progression; how many employees were promoted internally last year, what management training programmes you have in place etc.”

3. Embed a company video

Beacham urges recruiters to embed a video of the company to make sure that candidates know the company.

He explains: “Interview employees and senior management and get their insights into what it’s like to work within the organisation.”

4. Include reporting lines

Beacham says that candidates need to know where they would fit in at the company.

He comments: “Having a clear outline of the organisational structure will show candidates where the role fits into a specific team. Let the candidate know who they will be reporting to, who will be reporting into them and what teams they will be working closely with.”

5. Run the description past marketing and the Hiring Manager

HR and resourcing teams do not exist in a vacuum. Beacham argues that it is important to run the description past other departments to get it just right.

He explains: “Work with marketing to create a compelling template; after all they are there to sell the company’s products or services and should be able to bring new ideas or suggestions to the table. Get the job spec also signed off by the hiring manager to ensure that you haven’t missed anything that could be key to them making a hiring decision.”

VERCIDA works with over one hundred clients who are committed to creating an inclusive work environment. If you are an employer and interested in working with VERCIDA to promote your diversity and inclusion initiatives and attract the best candidates, please call 02037405973 or email [email protected] for more information.

We are also officially recommended by Disability Confident as a step on achieving Employer status, please click here for more information.