How to Get the Best Candidates by Rewriting Your Job Descriptions

A poorly worded job description can get you all kinds of weird and wacky applications, all from people who are completely unqualified for the position. Conversely, a well-worded job description is more likely to attract many high-quality applications. 

One of the biggest keys to a smooth and efficient hiring process is setting clear expectations from the beginning. Using the right words to describe what a job involves and what you require in terms of skills and experience will make things easier for everyone. The quality of your applicants will be based on the quality of your job description. 

If you’ve been thinking about rewriting your job descriptions to make your hiring process more efficient, consider the following suggestions. 

Introduce Both the Company and the Job 

Consider the opening of your description as a tagline or headline for social media. Represent your organization honestly and in an appealing way. 

The introduction is also a good place to indicate any soft skills that are relevant to the job and to reinforce aspects of your company culture. For example, talking about skills like customer service or leadership in your introduction rather than your list of requirements can engage the good-fit candidate, or redirect a poor-fit candidate back to their search. 

Write Specific and Easy-to-Understand Job Duties 

Many organizations feel they have to include details that only speak to applicants who already have knowledge of the job in question. However, a bare-bones job description could leave room for unqualified job seekers to interpret the position the way that they see it. 

Specifics are essential to success. Showing an applicant what their typical week or month would be like in the role is an effective approach. 

Clearly and Succinctly List Job Requirements 

Reading a job description can quickly go from exciting to demoralizing if there is too much to read. Long lists of requirements often cause a job seeker to only pay attention to requirements most relevant to them, potentially ignoring requirements that are most essential to the position. 

Make things easy for job seekers by creating a bulleted list they can easily check. List the most essential three or four requirements at the top of your requirements list. Then, list two or three ‘preferred but not mandatory’ skills. 

Sell the Benefits 

After you’ve qualified the job for best-fit applicants, you must sell it over similar positions being offered by your competition. If you don’t show applicants that you look after your staff members, they will look for a business that does. 

From low-premium health insurance to a beer fridge in the break room, benefits can cover a lot of ground these days. The main thing is: Be transparent about what you can offer. 

Wrapping It Up 

After rewriting your description, share it with people who have the position. Ask them if they would apply based on it, and why or why not. Tweak your description based on this feedback. 

Career Concepts Will Find You Top Talent for Your Open Positions 

At Career Concepts, we specialize in sourcing top applicants for our clients. Please contact us today to find out how we can support your company’s success.