Competition for top talent is fierce, especially in the field of technology. Whether you’re looking to hire the perfect Account Executive, Marketing Manager, or Sales Director, it’s essential to write a job description that attracts qualified candidates while deterring unqualified ones. These tips will help you write the ultimate job post.
Take a look at the best practices below, and don’t forget to check out our sample job descriptions for Sales, Marketing, and People Operations.
Job titles should be simple
The job or position title should be simple and descriptive. If you’re writing a Sales Manager job post, it’s best to use that as the job title rather than something like “Sales Rockstar.” As popular as that kind of playful job title may be in the tech world, they could end up scaring off more senior candidates. There’s also an SEO calculation at play here: uncommon job titles fail to describe the role and are less likely to appear in a search. Words to avoid include: guru, wizard, ninja, rockstar, and unicorn.
Prioritize and limit the “Responsibilities and Qualifications” section
The “Responsibilities and Qualifications” section is the core of any job description – it tells a potential candidate, in clear terms, if they’re a viable candidate. When developing a list of responsibilities, it’s important to prioritize. A list of more than 10 sends a message that your company micromanges its employees. It’s also important to limit the number of qualifications. Too many qualifications will discourage candidates from applying – keep it to three to five must-haves and two or three nice-to-have qualifiers for each role.
“Compensation and Benefits” sections can be huge time savers
The “Compensation and Benefits” section is another opportunity to excite potential candidates about working for your company. Motivate them to apply by presenting your benefits and perks including: professional development opportunities, healthcare and wellness programs, work-life balance, and monetary benefits. However, when it comes to salary, a job posting is usually a little early to get into specifics – better to wait at least until the phone screen to discuss ranges or specific numbers.
Effective job postings are engaging and inclusive, encourage the right candidates to apply, and help you fill open positions quickly and efficiently. It’s important to write job posts in a way that is meaningful to potential candidates. This means that one size does not fit all – a SaaS job description should be different than a Telecommunications job description. The above tips are a great start for writing the ultimate job post, but next we’ll drill down to provide specific tips for writing sales, marketing, and people operations job posts.
Sales Job Posts
Sales jobs consistently rank among the top five positions employers are seeking to fill. Not surprisingly, sales are also ranked among the most difficult to fill. Sales job postings need to be written to attract the type of salesperson you’re looking for.
- Consider the personality and values of your brand and salespeople and use these to guide the tone of your posting to attract the right candidates.
- Highlight and lead with the main responsibility of the job you’re seeking to fill. This should be shared in a simple, inspirational way that focuses on the value it adds to your company.
Marketing Job Descriptions
An effective job post can help you weed out the imposters when hiring marketers. When crafting a marketing manager job post, or any marketing job posting, it’s important to remember:
- Make sure to include that the hiring process will include either a review of the candidate’s portfolio or a brief project – this will help weed out unqualified candidates.
- Avoid using vague job descriptions of responsibilities (e.g. “You will be responsible for the Digital Marketing department”). Instead, describe specific responsibilities (e.g.You will manage all digital marketing channels, including: websites, blogs, emails and social media to ensure brand consistency).
People Operations
The differences between People Operations and Human Resources is nuanced, but highlighting these differences in your job description will make sure that you’re attracting the talent that best meets the needs of your company:
- Human Resource departments focus on the legal, ethical, and structural organization of employees and teams, whereas People Operations departments are results-oriented, strategy focused leadership and management of people.
- Resist the urge to focus on skill-based descriptions. Instead, focus on performance-based descriptions that describe what’s expected in the role and the exact type of person needed to fill it.