A job description explains the work duties and requirements of a particular job role within your company. It should also include details about your company culture, as well as the compensation and benefits offered for the position. Once created, it can be published on a job board to attract top talent or used as an internal employment document to clarify job duties and performance expectations for current employees.
Our job description template serves as a customizable document to help specify job duties and requirements. You can download the template and customize it by adding your logo and company-specific details.
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For a professional applicant tracking system that provides job description templates, consider ZipRecruiter. It will post your job to over 100 job boards and you can manage applicants in one convenient location.
Step 1: Craft a Clear Job Title
Your job title should tell candidates everything they need to know about the position’s seniority, core responsibilities, and specific focus areas. It should also match how people actually search for jobs on platforms like Indeed or LinkedIn, making your posting more discoverable to qualified candidates.
Here’s a proven formula on how to do it:
- Choose the right level indicator
- Entry level: Associate, Junior, Assistant
- Mid level: Specialist, Lead
- Senior level: Senior, Principal
- Executive: Director, VP
- Select function-specific keywords
- Use industry-standard terms, like “developer” instead of “coder”
- Include key technologies, if relevant (ex. React Developer)
- Add specializations when applicable (ex. Marketing Manager – Content Strategy)
- Consider SEO
- Include commonly searched terms in your industry
- Avoid internal titles that don’t translate externally (for example, Senior Software Developer instead of Code Wizard, or Senior UX/UI Designer and not Design Guru)
Putting all the elements above into consideration, the structure of your job title using this formula should be: [Level] [Function] [Role Type]—for instance, a good job title would be “Senior Digital Marketing Manager.” Here’s an example from our own job posting at Technology Advice.
A good job title should include the basic details of the position (Source: FSB)
Step 2: Write an Engaging Company Overview
A strong company overview serves as your first impression. As such, it should quickly capture attention while conveying your organization’s mission, culture, and unique value proposition. Think of it as telling your company’s story. Some essential elements to include are:
- Mission and purpose: Share what drives your company beyond profits (your company’s mission). Don’t just say, “We make software,” but rather, “We create technology that helps small businesses compete in the digital economy.” Describe your origin story and your current stage of growth, using specific numbers when possible.
- Culture and values: Paint a picture of your company culture. What does it look like to work there? Instead of generic statements like “we value innovation,” give concrete examples. For instance, “Our weekly innovation hackathons have led to three patented technologies in the past year.”
- Impact and achievements: Demonstrate your company’s success and potential with specific metrics, like “We’ve grown from five to 50 employees in two years,” or “Our platform helps 100,000 students access affordable education.” Share recent awards, recognition, or major milestones as well.
- Future direction: Give employees a sense of where you’re headed. Share your growth plans, upcoming projects, or vision for the future, like “We’re expanding into Asian markets and building our first international team.”
- Team and workplace: Describe your team dynamics and work environment. Include details about team size, structure, and any unique workplace practices, like flexible hours or remote-first culture.
A job description should also contain a brief overview of your company (Source: FSB)
Step 3: Describe the Role’s Impact
Paint a vivid picture of how this role contributes to your company’s success. Instead of simply listing duties, you’re answering a crucial question every individual has: “What difference will I make here?”
Start with a powerful impact statement that connects the role to broader company goals. For example, rather than “Manage our social media presence,” write “Drive our brand’s digital storytelling strategy to help 1 million small businesses discover our platform.” This immediately shows the person the scope and significance of their potential contribution.
A job description posted by Technology Advice containing what is expected of the role (Source: FSB)
Step 4: List Job Requirements
The “About You” or “Who You Are” section should clearly outline the skills and experience you expect the potential employee to possess. Think about what the day-to-day responsibilities are and note those responsibilities in either a summary or a list.
Consider the main goals that the job holder is responsible for. What are the basic functions? What might their day-to-day life look like on the job? These are all items that should be listed in your job description.
Your job duties template may look similar to what’s indicated below.
Step 5: Touch on Compensation
While being transparent about salary or salary ranges demonstrates fairness and saves everyone’s time, ensure your figure aligns with market rates and internal equity. Consider highlighting your full benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks that set your company apart.
If you aren’t comfortable posting an exact salary, come up with a salary range. A sound range would reflect a 25% to 30% difference between the lowest and highest points, such as $60,000 to $80,000.
Including the salary range in a job description saves you time in finding the right candidate (Source: FSB)
Step 6: End With a Disclaimer
Every job description should have a non-discrimination disclaimer at the bottom. This will show that you are an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and abide by federal and state laws.
Some common language for a disclaimer may include:
EOE statement
We believe that our differences make us stronger, and thus foster a diverse and inclusive culture where people feel safe being themselves. TechnologyAdvice is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.
Turning Your Job Description Into a Job Ad
Job descriptions can be used to hire employees for both internal and external recruitment processes. Internally, these clarify the job roles and duties for existing employees, while externally, these define the minimum requirements, skills, and experience needed so that only qualified job seekers apply for your open positions. Knowing your recruitment approach will help guide you on how to write a job description template.
You can transform your internal job description into a compelling job ad by:
- Focusing on marketing: To do this, start by identifying the most exciting aspects of the role and your company culture, then present these as benefits to potential candidates
- Highlighting key responsibilities: While your internal description lists every responsibility, your ads should highlight key duties that showcase growth potential and impact. Replace technical internal language with engaging, candidate-focused content that answers “What’s in it for me?”
- Adding extras that matter: include essential qualifications but frame them positively. Add details about your company’s culture, benefits package, and growth opportunities—elements that attract talent but aren’t typically found in internal descriptions.
Once you have created your job advertisement, it is time to publish it. We recommend that you publish to one of our recommended job boards, like ZipRecruiter. Your ad will be posted on ZipRecruiter and over 100 other job boards, and you will have access to applicant tracking technology to make the hiring process a breeze. Pricing starts at $16 per job post per day.
How to Write Job Description Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The general rule is that your job descriptions should be concise while still outlining the most important aspects of the position. As such, it should be kept to one or two pages at the most. A job description is longer and includes as much detail as possible than a job posting. However, a job description that is too long may make otherwise qualified applicants skip over your open position.
In order to get noticed, your job posting should list the description of the position, company culture, job responsibilities, compensation, and how to apply. Additionally, it should be keyword-rich. This means that you should include keywords that alert the job seeker and any job posting site algorithms to the most important aspects of the position you are trying to fill.
The job description should be written collaboratively between the hiring manager, who understands the role’s technical requirements and day-to-day responsibilities, and HR professionals who can ensure compliance and consistency.
It is not necessary to have every job candidate sign your job description. However, once you have decided on the candidate you want to hire, it might be a good idea to have them provide their signature as an acknowledgment of the job duties required. This can be done directly on the job description or as part of your offer letter.
A job description should typically include six to eight core responsibilities that capture the role’s primary functions and expected outcomes. While you have more detailed tasks internally, keeping the public-facing list focused helps individuals understand the role’s scope.
