How to Write the Perfect Job Description

Whether you’re trying to hire interns or entry-level employees, your job description needs to communicate 3 things:

• Prerequisites: What candidates need to be considered
• Role: What the job entails
• Culture: What it’s actually like to work there

Having one or two of these isn’t enough to attract top talent. You need to communicate all three, and you need to communicate them well.

Let’s look at each aspect and discuss what makes or breaks it:

Prerequisites:

Prereqs are fairly straightforward. What do you want the candidate to know before they start? What educational markers are important to you? What skills do you want them to have mastered? You can include both formal prerequisites (a masters degree in CS, a specific class, experience with Marketo) and less formal ones (the ability to work independently, travel for meetings, or willingness to move to a new city).

Check out this “requirements” section from a ViralGains internship description:

Role:

This is arguably the most important aspect of the job description. You need to speak to how this role fits into the larger goals of the company, what the day-to-day functions are actually like, and what the expected contributions are. Highlight specific learning opportunities (Will they master a new software? Learn a new skill?) and be as specific as possible.

Culture:

Culture can be tricky to communicate. Unlike the other two sections, it doesn’t necessarily need its own section, although you’ll benefit from mentioning it in the intro, if not the title itself.

Furthermore, it should be communicated throughout the description via your language and word choice. What is the culture of the overall company? Team? How do people dress? What are work functions like? Both interns and entry-level candidates find culture to be incredibly important. To attract candidates that will fit in with your company culture, you need to authentically communicate what it’s like.

Bonus:
Add in videos and optimize your social media feeds to instantly stand out from all other employers.

Stay tuned for our next post on how to write the perfect offer letter!