Daily Junction.mobi portalBusiness · September 26, 2025 · Daily Junction Editorial Team · 5 min
A practical guide to writing job descriptions that attract strong, suitable candidates: the structure to follow, the must-have sections, how to separate essentials from nice-to-haves, and how to use inclusive language.
A job description is often the first impression a candidate has of your organisation — and the main filter deciding who applies at all. Write it well and you attract a strong, relevant field and make shortlisting easier. Write it carelessly and you either drown in unsuitable applications or, worse, quietly put off the very people you most wanted to reach. A good job description does two jobs at once: it sells the role to the right people and filters out the wrong ones. This guide explains the structure to follow, the sections you must include, how to handle requirements, and how to write inclusively.
A job description is a document that sets out the purpose, responsibilities and requirements of a role, so that both you and potential candidates understand what the job involves and who it is for. In practice it serves several audiences: applicants deciding whether to apply, hiring managers shortlisting and interviewing, and the eventual post-holder understanding what is expected of them.
It is worth distinguishing it from a job advert. The description is the fuller, more functional document; the advert is the shorter, more persuasive public version. For many smaller organisations the two blur into one posting — which is fine, as long as the result is both clear and appealing.
A job description is a marketing document as much as an administrative one. The best candidates have choices; give them a reason to choose you.
Getting the role right on paper starts well before the advert — it flows from understanding what the work actually requires, much as you would when writing a business case for any new commitment.
A clear, consistent structure helps candidates find what they need and helps you compare applicants fairly. A reliable order is:
You do not need to follow this slavishly, but covering each element prevents the most common omissions.
Use a clear, conventional title that candidates would actually search for. "Marketing Executive" will be found; "Brand Storytelling Ninja" will not, and may signal an unserious employer. Avoid inflating or obscuring the level of the role.
In one or two sentences, capture why the role exists and the difference it makes. This is the hook that persuades someone to keep reading, so make it human and specific rather than generic boilerplate.
List the genuine, day-to-day responsibilities — ideally six to ten focused points rather than an exhaustive catalogue. Start each with an active verb ("manage", "develop", "support") and concentrate on outcomes, not just tasks. Be honest: overselling a junior role as more senior than it is leads to disappointment and early departures. Where a role contributes to wider goals, it can help to connect it to how you measure performance so expectations are clear from the start.
This is where many job descriptions go wrong. Cramming in every conceivable skill as "essential" creates two problems: it deters strong candidates who meet most but not all criteria, and it makes shortlisting harder because almost nobody qualifies. Discipline yourself to split requirements into two honest lists:
| Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|
| What someone genuinely cannot do the job without | What would be a bonus but can be learned or developed |
| Used to filter applications | Used to differentiate between strong candidates |
| Keep this list short and true | This is where "nice to have" belongs |
Ask of each "essential": could a capable person learn this quickly on the job? If yes, it probably belongs under desirable. Research and experience consistently suggest that long requirement lists discourage applicants — particularly those who will not apply unless they meet every point.
Be transparent. Include the salary or a realistic range, the location (and whether remote or hybrid working is available), the working pattern and hours, the contract type, and the reporting line. Hiding pay wastes everyone's time and increasingly frustrates candidates. If the role is a contractor engagement rather than employment, be clear about that too — the distinction matters, as our guide on contractor versus employee explains.
Inclusive language is not box-ticking — it directly widens and strengthens your candidate pool. A few practical principles:
The goal is simple: make sure that everyone capable of doing the job feels able to apply, and that nobody is filtered out for reasons unrelated to the work. This connects to broader good practice in how you bring people in — see staff onboarding best practices for what happens after the hire.
Before you post, run through:
A strong job description does two things at once: it attracts the right people and filters out the wrong ones. Follow a clear structure, lead with an honest summary and real responsibilities, and be ruthless about separating genuine essentials from nice-to-haves. Be transparent about pay and working arrangements, and use inclusive, jargon-free language so that everyone capable of doing the job feels able to apply. A little care here pays off through a stronger field, a fairer process and a better hire.
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