Writing Job Descriptions That Entice Nice Candidates. When you‘re thinking about how to write process descriptions, you’re in all likelihood to study a few examples for steering. But why stop at some whilst you could be gleaning tips from a thousand million examples?
Textio’s predictive engine is constantly studying job posts and the related hiring outcomes to perceive the cutting-edge best language styles. At this second it’s pulling insights from a trove of over one thousand million process listings and recruiting mails—and around 10 million greater documents are delivered each month.
How do you write a task description?
Writing Job Descriptions That Attract Great Candidates your first step in determining a way to write process descriptions is determining which versions of a task description you actually need. Meaning: do you want the overall, formal file with all the pertinent info, or do you need the shorter, summarized model for posting to activity forums? Technically, the previous is a job description, and the latter is a job submits. But as you are in all likelihood conscious, the terms are often used interchangeably.
Avoid the usage of the 1/3 character
Writing Job Descriptions That Attract Great Candidates Job posts that use a third-character factor of view (e.g., “the proper candidate”) generally tend to feel greater formal and much less non-public, and hiring statistics shows it slows down time to fill. To better suit task posting satisfactory practices, try incorporating greater “we” and “you” statements.
In 2024 although, the balance has shifted. Now the top-acting activity posts have a better percentage of “we” than “you” mentions. Right now task listings that use 3 or extra instances as many “we” in step with “you” statements fill on common 8 days faster. Perhaps today’s applicants admire the delivered context round a agency’s lifestyle and values.
- Use a clear, specific job title
- Start with a brief, engaging summary
- List key duties in bullet points
- Separate required vs. preferred skills
- Highlight company culture
- Share salary/benefits if possible
- Use inclusive, simple language
- Keep it short and readable
- End with a clear call to action
Rely on fresh records to tell your phrase choices
Language is constantly evolving, and so is the manner applicants have interaction with it. Some of the quality practices in this newsletter have been no-nos inside the current past—and will be again quickly!
Not handiest that, however certain phrases carry out higher in sure industries and places than in others, frequently for no obvious purpose. For instance, Textio has observed inside the past that the word “interface” does no longer work in addition to “collaborate” for filling sales jobs, however that “collaborate” does now not paintings in addition to “teamwork” for production roles.
That’s why Textio’s statistics version for task posts is continuously consuming new language to pick out the maximum latest styles. The platform is continuously studying over a billion hiring documents to permit you to recognize which words and phrases are currently tested to paintings fine for a way to write an excellent task description.
Learn extra about how Textio allows recruiting teams use safe AI and pipeline predictions to generate optimized task posts that paintings.
Use boom-mindset language
Growth-mind-set language emphasizes the potential to expand one’s competencies and capabilities—to analyze on the process, so to speak. By assessment, constant-attitude language stresses abilties which can be perceived as unchanging or inherent characteristics (assume “expert” or “herbal talent”).
Fixed-mindset terms, on the other hand, restriction the attraction of your activity posts. Right now the Textio platform is displaying “excessive performer,” “results easily,” and “natural capacity” as some of the fixed-mindset terms that specifically gradual time to fill.
While only facts-subsidized writing software program can show you specially which phrases are going to have the largest impact at any given moment, you’d do well to keep in mind of growth- and glued-mindset language as you reflect on consideration on a way to write job descriptions and job posts in general.
Demonstrate a commitment to DEIB
How your business enterprise talks approximately diversity, fairness, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) will have a large impact on whether your process posts appeal to a wide and diverse pool of applicants. No surprise then that task posts that explicitly kingdom a dedication to fair hiring practices had been shown to bring about better engagement.
According to the modern statistics in Textron, postings that encompass even a primary identical opportunity agency statement will fill 6% extra fast than those that don’t. And it’s something process seekers care loads approximately: applicants from all demographic organizations are considerably much less probably to use to jobs which might be lacking an EEO statement.
Add some bullet points, but don’t overdo it
Many people use bullets to interrupt up big blocks of text when they’re wondering via the way to write activity descriptions, that’s generally an excellent exercise. But you don’t need an excessive amount of of an awesome issue with process description bullet factors. In the beyond, Textron has found that job listings with masses of bulleted gadgets generally enchantment more to male candidates, even as listings with fewer bullets attract greater ladies.
Current Textron information indicates that making bulleted content a touch less than 1 / 4 of your job publish strikes the proper stability and will increase the overall number of applicants. That’s a substantive decline from only a few years ago, when the simplest activity postings had been almost forty% bullet points.
Reconsider diploma necessities
Speaking of what to put in bullet points, allows speak about degree necessities: are you certain you need them? It turned into a commonplace practice within the beyond to require a minimum degree of formal education for many jobs. But as several companies have found out, earning a sure degree isn’t always necessarily a predictor of aptitude or achievement. Rather, in lots of cases, the capabilities someone has will inform you lots more approximately their potential to do the process, and are better criteria for drawing in the proper expertise.
When you write a task publish in Textio, you’ll automatically be guided to cast off degree requirements if they’re now not necessary (every now and then they may be, of path). This allows you’re making your submit more inclusive and appealing to a broader variety of skills.
Shorten your sentences
The average sentence period of a activity submit will also impact its effectiveness. Your great guess? Keep it short.
Often, when people think about a way to write an awesome task description, they rework into a “Writer” version of themselves. They use big phrases and lengthy, complicated sentences as a way of sounding more expert or respectable. Resist that urge—it makes human beings tune out. Shorter sentences get to the point more fast and maintain the reader engaged.
Right now, Textio’s statistics indicates that the satisfactory-appearing job posts have an average of thirteen to 18 phrases consistent with sentence. Writing Job Descriptions That Attract Great Candidates For context, that’s shorter than the last sentence but longer than this one.
Hit the sweet spot for phrase count
How long need to a task description be? When you’re establishing a function, it’s tempting to simply clutch the final related task description used and ask for any necessary additions to be grafted on by way of hiring managers, the recruiting or brand team, and a person in criminal. Unfortunately, this exercise tends to supply overlong (and obviously outdated) process descriptions.
A process submits need to be lengthy enough to be great, but brief enough to preserve a candidate’s attention. Right now, the job posts that carry out best tend to fall between 300 and 660 words total. If you observed back on your college days writing papers in single-spaced, 12-point font, that’s among two-thirds and one-and-a-half pages in duration.
Include records approximately pay
Maybe you’re already required to encompass pay data via regulation, depending for your business enterprise size and place.
How to write task descriptions and virtually revel in it
Add Textio as a aid, and the manner of how to write process descriptions isn’t simply less difficult—it’s sincerely sort of amusing. Believe it or not, customers have advised us that a number of Textio’s game-like features have made them virtually start to enjoy the writing process.
Nailing the suitable process publish makes hiring quicker and easier. With this guide, the activity put up writing system is faster and less difficult, too. Good luck!
