It’s National Stress Awareness Month and this week we’re highlighting the stress of crafting the perfect job description.
In today’s competitive job market, the pressure of attracting top talent is heavy. Your job description can make or break a candidate’s decision to apply for your role.
Believe it or not, there’s an art to writing your job description and having read around a million, we know what works and what doesn’t.
Here are our top tips to eliminate the stress of writing yours and to maximise the effectiveness of it.
1) Benefits mean business
A decent salary isn’t enough to attract candidates in the current job market. Now more than ever, job seekers are applying for roles with businesses that offer top benefits.
Our advice? Put your benefits at the top of your job description. This way, candidates can determine whether your company is right for them.
2) Salary is the key to success
You may think that leaving the salary off your job description will create a sense of mystery and intrigue, but this isn’t true.
In our experience, candidates tend to avoid applying for roles without knowing the salary first. Even if you don’t quite know where to pitch your salary, including a range will increase the number of qualified applicants.
On this note, Glu Recruit can help you with where to pitch the salary for a role you’re recruiting for, so get in touch with any queries!
3) Clarity is key
Paragraphs of business jargon are also unhelpful when writing a job description. Candidates will favour a job description that is clear, concise and isn’t filled with chunky pieces of text.
We would recommend that you then go on to list the required responsibilities for your role – in bullet point format.
This makes it easier to read for job seekers and enables them to make a clearer decision as to whether they’re right for the role.
4) Highlight your company culture
Candidates are more likely to apply for your role if your company values align with theirs. Showcasing your company culture throughout your job description is therefore key.
Do you have a charity initiative? Include it. Pizza Fridays? Include it. Casual dress? Stick it on there. Early finish on Fridays? They’ll love that!
5) Outline the application process
When a candidate sees your job description, they will want a clear set of instructions on how to apply.
Make sure you tell them exactly what it is you’re looking for, whether that’s just a CV or a cover letter too.
It’s also handy to include details about closing dates, when they can expect to hear back and what the interview process looks like.
Crafting the perfect job description may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be a source of overwhelming stress.
If you need support with writing a job description, get in touch today.