How to Write a Job Description

Welcome to Mind Tools' video learning series.

Job descriptions are important for many reasons.

They advertise vacancies and attract candidates, sure. But they also set out what you expect from people, and help you to manage their performance.

Most importantly, job descriptions can help to align individual roles with overall team goals, and your organization's vision. Done well, a job description will answer the question, "Why does my job matter?"

The first thing you need to do when writing a job description is to gather information. Get together things like performance criteria, organizational charts, old advertisements, and mission statements.

Then, organize your findings into five key sections.

First, position identifiers – these are basic details like the job title and department name.

Remember that a job title might mean different things to different people. So make it clear who reports to whom and any relevant departmental information.

Second, explain the purpose of the role in a short sentence. Why does the position exist? And what will it do for the organization?

Then, describe the duties of the job – the work that the person will be expected to do.

This is the “heart” of the job description. It's where you list the essential activities and most important responsibilities of the role.

Next, list the professional skills, technical skills, educational background, and work experience that you want the job holder to have.

Avoid simply listing the qualifications of the person already doing the job. Instead, ask yourself what a new person really needs in order to meet the job requirements.

Finally, consider what type of person would fit the position and the organization.

What personality traits and values would work well, and what kind of professional background would be most useful?

Throughout the job description, keep your language clear and precise. Steer clear of jargon and spell out any acronyms you use. Be sure to avoid any implied bias on the grounds of age, gender, or any other protected status.

In this way, you can create a valuable document that can be used to recruit and evaluate top candidates and to empower workers to find solutions and meet expectations.

To learn more about writing job descriptions, see the article that accompanies this video.