The first step to recruitment success lies in crafting an effective job description that attracts the right candidates.
Here are the 4 components that make up a job description, and how you can enhance them to craft a winning job advertisement.
1. Job Title
Sometimes recruiters harbor hopes that a vague job title would net more applicants, which, more often than not, leads to confusion for the applicants on the attributes that you are looking for. The name of the game is to be as specific as you can, so that you can avoid attracting unqualified applicants.
Avoid using fancy job titles that are nondescript, e.g. code ninja, as these tend to perform poorly in job searches / filters.
2. Company Description
A properly written company description goes a long way in selling to the right candidate - It's a short teaser that paints a glimpse of the company's values, its culture, and its vision.
In return, the candidate can assess if he/she is a good fit for the company by reading about the positioning of the company. This is also an excellent section to showcase the staff strength, global / regional presence of the company, alongside with its achievements, particularly if the accolades pertains to work culture and values (e.g. Choice employer of the year, etc).
Treat the company description section as a way to sell the company to the prospective candidate, how the company differentiates itself from other competitors, and the type of work culture one can expect.
A good example is how Google describes itself :
Google is not a conventional company, and we don’t intend to become one. True, we share attributes with the world’s most successful organizations – a focus on innovation and smart business practices comes to mind – but even as we continue to grow, we’re committed to retaining a small-company feel. At Google, we know that every employee has something important to say and that every employee is integral to our success. We provide individually-tailored compensation packages that can be comprised of a competitive salary, bonus, and equity components, along with the opportunity to earn further financial bonuses and rewards. Googlers thrive in small, focused teams and high-energy environments, believe in the ability of technology to change the world and are as passionate about their lives as they are about their work.
3. Job Roles and Responsibility
Start with a succinct description which describes the general nature of the job opportunity, delineating how this role function contributes to the goals or success of the organization. It would be ideal to add in information pertaining to the work environment, such as who the candidate is expected to report to, and whether the role is suitable for an entry-level candidate or a more senior candidate.
It would be good to also breakdown the detailed responsibilities expected of the candidate, followed by the percentage of the time spent in each of the responsibility. In listing out each responsibility, try to use active verbs to make the description more engaging.
An example is shown below:
Set the vision and direction for all Brand Marketing initiatives and communicate that to stakeholders, both internal and external.
Showcase performance based on clear progress metrics and measurable impact of ongoing work.
Manage and lead team members across countries, fostering a culture of growth and development.
Liaise with a varied set of partners including industry forums and government organisations to drive initiative priorities and lead work across agencies and vendors.
4. Job Requirements and Qualifications
Utilize this section to clearly identity to potential candidates the skillsets that you require for this role, so as to reduce the volume of unqualified candidates. This is also the section to specify if the requirements can be substituted, if they are not met (e.g. a candidate without the necessary scholastic qualifications can still be accepted if the candidate has good relevant work experience)