A job description (also known as a JD) is a written narrative created by a hiring manager or recruiter. The narrative breaks down the general tasks and responsibilities associated with a specific position.
Putting together a job description template is a great way to simplify your hiring process and help you to feel confident that you’re writing high-quality, clear job descriptions that attract the best candidate for each position.
If you’re a hiring manager who needs help mastering the standard job description format and creating a great job profile template, keep reading.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know, including why job descriptions matter and what the most important things are to include in your descriptions. You’ll also find a simple template to follow, plus an example of what your next description might look like.
Why Job Descriptions Matter
A well-written job description can make a big difference when you’re trying to attract the most qualified and talented people to your team. The following are some of the greatest benefits good job descriptions can offer:
Clarify Expectations
The best-written job descriptions eliminate confusion and set clear expectations for every applicant. They establish right from the beginning what the job entails and what kinds of credentials a person must have if they want to qualify for the open position.
Simplify Recruitment
Clear job descriptions with a distinct list of candidate requirements will naturally streamline the number of people who will apply for a specific position.
This, in turn, gives you a smaller pool of applicants to choose from and helps you to simplify the whole recruitment process. For example, you won’t have to wade through a lot of applications from people who don’t meet the basic requirements to make a shortlist of people who are good fits.
Create Fair Pay Scales
Well-written job descriptions establish salary ranges for open positions.
This doesn’t just provide applicants with an idea of what they’ll earn if they get the job. It also helps you to create a more transparent system and ensure that all employees who carry out the same or similar job functions will be compensated fairly (and in a way that makes sense).
Ensure Legal Compliance
Your company may not legally be required to post and maintain a certain standard for job descriptions. However, doing so helps your organization to stay in compliance with current employment laws, including the following:
- Fair Labor Standards Act: Job descriptions that are properly classified as exempt or non-exempt will indicate overtime eligibility for the person who fills the role.
- Equal Pay Act of 1963: This law aims to abolish gender disparity in the workplace; your job description should make it clear that there are no gender pay differences or biases in your organization.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: This law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; when you choose candidates based on relevant factors – such as those noted in your job description – you can prove that employment decisions were not based on discriminatory factors.
- Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA): By describing the company’s working conditions in the job description, you can avoid putting someone ill-equipped into a potentially dangerous situation.
- Equal Employment Opportunity: Your job description should allow you to conduct fair interviews without ignoring groups of potential candidates.
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act: Employers (and the job descriptions they write) should not discriminate based on age without a valid reason for doing so.
- Americans with Disabilities Act: Your job description should clearly outline the essential functions of the job so those with disabilities know whether or not it is a good fit for them. This can protect you from being accused of ability-based discrimination.
Improve People Planning
Good job descriptions help with the planning process at your company, too. They help you keep track of all the positions available at your company and make it easier for you to stay on top of which roles have not yet been filled and which ones you may need to open up again in the future.
Set Standards for Performance Review
Ideally, you can repurpose your job description and use it to set clear standards for performance reviews. When you sit down to evaluate your employees and see how well they’re doing, you can refer to the job description to determine whether or not they are meeting certain criteria and fulfilling the responsibilities they were originally hired to fulfill.
How to Write a Good Job Description?
Before we get into the specifics of the standard job description format, let’s address some stylistic elements that every hiring manager ought to take into account.
When you’re putting together a job description to share on an online job board, you’ll want to keep these rules and guidelines regarding job profile format and style in mind:
Be Specific
If you want to attract the ideal candidate to your company, you need to write a job description that is geared toward them.
Be as specific as possible with what you want when it comes to things like skills requirements, education requirements, and experience requirements. Remember, the more detailed you can be with what you’re expecting, the easier it will be to find someone who fits the mold and will be an asset to your company.
Be Concise
It’s important to be specific. At the same time, though, it’s also important to be concise and get to the point.
If your job description is filled with long paragraphs and isn’t well-formatted (more on that later), the ideal candidate might gloss over it and move on to the next listing. Don’t alienate great talent because your job description is poorly written or hard to understand.
Speak Directly to Candidates
When you start writing, put yourself in the shoes of the people who will be reading your job description. Think about what they’ll be looking for in a new job and find ways to make your position line up with those needs and wants. This will make the position enticing to the kinds of people you want working at your company.
Make It Exciting
Do what you can to make your job description (and the company you work for) sound exciting and appealing to new hires.
This is especially important when you’re highlighting the benefits and perks the job offers. After all, even the most boring jobs in the world can be made more attractive when they come with a great list of benefits.
Don’t Be Harsh
You may have strict expectations for your employees, and you may be looking for a very specific type of person to fill an open role.
At the same time, though, if you come across too harshly in your job description, you may end up alienating people who are a good fit, simply because they think your company doesn’t offer a positive work environment.
Don’t Be Mysterious
Writing a job description isn’t a good time for leaving people guessing. Be as clear and direct as you can, and don’t leave out any important details.
If you leave gaps in the job description, you’ll find that you have a harder time filling the role because people will be confused about whether or not they’re qualified candidates. This creates more work for you as you’ll have to weed out more people who don’t meet your specific requirements.
What Is the Best Format for Job Descriptions?
When putting together a position description template, it’s important to include certain sections. There’s a standard job profile format that nearly all templates and job descriptions will follow.
Here are the essential sections that the best job description templates always feature:
Job Title
Every job description and job specification template should start with a clear title. Research shows that 36 percent of job seekers search for a job online using the title of the position they want, so this is one of the most important aspects of your listing.
Keep in mind, too, that job sites act like mini search engines. When you title your descriptions appropriately and use keywords that people are most likely to be included in their searches, it’s easier for the right candidates to find your listing and apply for the open position.
Job Summary
Next, you’ll need to include a job summary.
If you look at any sample job description template, it will include a breakdown of what the job entails and the main responsibilities that the applicants will have to carry out if they’re hired. It will also likely include a breakdown of whom the candidate will report to at the company (supervisor, team lead, head accountant, etc.).
Most job seekers agree that the job summary is one of the most important things they look for when considering a particular position. They want to know right away what’s expected of them and what kinds of tasks they’ll need to carry out.
Roles and Responsibilities
The next slot you’ll find on the best job description templates is a place for the position’s roles and responsibilities.
This is a detailed list of the tasks a person will have to perform if they’re hired for the job. It should feature specific responsibilities like making copies or scheduling appointments.
In this section, you can also break down the day-to-day activities that a person will perform if they’re chosen for the job. It’s helpful if you can also illustrate how this person fits into the company and how they help to carry out the company’s mission.
Qualifications and Skills
A roles and responsibilities template should also have a place to list specific qualifications and skills each candidate ought to possess.
The qualifications section breaks down what kind of education or training a person ought to have obtained before they apply for the job. The skills section, on the other hand, includes a list of hard and soft skills that are required to do the job well.
When it comes to this section, remember that less can be more. You don’t necessarily need to include a robust list of qualifications and required skills to find a great fit. In fact, if the lists are too long, they can sometimes backfire and dissuade qualified candidates from applying.
Benefits and Commitments
Every JD template ought to include a space for listing employee benefits. This includes a breakdown of health insurance offerings and retirement benefits, as well as a list of perks that come with working at your specific company. For example, do you offer flex time or unlimited paid-time-off? If so, this is the section where you’ll make a note of that.
Your template should include a place to address your company’s commitments, too. For example, this is where you would indicate that you are an equal opportunity employer and that you have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Job Description Checklist
Now that you have a better understanding of a standard roles and responsibilities template, here’s a handy checklist to reference.
This list will help you ensure you’re not leaving anything out of your JD template. It will also make it much easier for you to efficiently write great descriptions:
- Job Title: A brief description of the job responsibilities and position.
- Department: The area or department of the business that the job will fall under.
- Role Overview: Lists 2-3 main functions of the role.
- Key Tasks: Detailed list of the main duties and tasks involved in the position
- Responsibilities: Detailed list of the responsibilities that the candidate will perform.
- Accountability: Name the person the candidate will report to if offered the job.
- Requirements: List requirements like formal qualifications, academic qualifications, employment checks, etc.
- Location: If there is more than one office? If so, specify which one is looking for a new employee.
- Company Overview/Mission: A brief description of what the company does and your mission.
- Salary & Benefits: Address how much the candidate will be paid, as well as what benefits and perks they’ll receive.
- Application Instructions: Explain how to apply
If you include a slot for each of these things in your staff duties and responsibilities template, you’ll have no trouble putting together a well-planned job description that simplifies your job as a hiring manager. It may take time initially to put this kind of template together, but it’ll pay off when you have a list of qualified, well-matched candidates at your disposal.
Basic Job Description Template
Are you ready to see a job specification template in action? Broken down below is a basic staff duties and responsibilities template, plus a sample job description for an admin role.
You can use this guide to help you get started when you create your own sample job description template:
Job: [Job Title]
Job description: [Job Title] will aid in the [company’s] mission by [overall daily expectations].
Responsibilities:
[Job Title] will have the following responsibilities and duties:
- [Responsibility 1]
- [Responsibility 2]
- [Responsibility 3]
- [Responsibility 4]
- [Responsibility 5]
Requirements:
[Job Title] must have the following skills, education, and experience:
- [Requirement 1]
- [Requirement 2]
- [Requirement 3]
- [Requirement 4]
- [Requirement 5]
Company’s mission:
[Company] is dedicated to providing [product/service] to [target market].
Compensation:
[Company] will provide the following compensation:
Benefits:
- Medical benefits:
- Retirement benefits:
- Other benefits:
Sample Job Description
Job: Administrative Assistant
Job description: The administrative assistant will work under the office manager and aid in ABC Accounting’s mission to provide professional accounting services by providing administrative support to other team members, answering phone calls, scheduling meetings, and directing clients.
Responsibilities:
The administrative assistant will have the following responsibilities and duties:
- Answer phones and direct client calls to proper personnel
- Schedule meetings between clients and accountants, as well as interoffice meetings
- Schedule and assign administrative projects
- Greet clients and direct them to the proper offices for meetings and consultations
- Communicate politely and professionally by phone, email, and in writing
- Complete preventative maintenance on office equipment
- Maintain supply inventory by checking stock regularly
- Maintain office organization and tidiness in between client visits
Skills Requirements:
The administrative assistant must have the following skills, education, and experience:
Skills:
- Reporting skills
- Organization skills
- Analytical skills
- Professionalism
- Problem-solving
- Supply management skills
- Inventory control skills
- Verbal and written communication skills
Education and Experience:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- 2+ years of administrative assistance experience
- Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
Company’s mission:
ABC Accounting is dedicated to providing professional and affordable accounting services to clients in the Denver area.
Compensation:
ABC Accounting will provide the following compensation: $17.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Medical benefits: Health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance
- Retirement benefits: 4% 401(k) matching
- Other benefits: Generous PTO, free meals and snacks for employees, pet-friendly office, travel stipend
Use This Job Description Template Today
Now that you know what goes into a quality job description template (and a quality job description), it’s time to get to work. If you use the tips for creating a position description template discussed above, you’ll have no trouble putting together well-written, effective descriptions for every open role on your team.
Do you need more help beyond drafting a job profile template? If you’re looking for guidance with other aspects of the recruiting process, we have lots of resources available on the GrabJobs website. Check them out today to learn more.
