Writing a good job description is the first step of a successful hiring process and acts as your letter of introduction for candidates. It should contain all the relevant details about the role, the responsibilities, your company’s work environment, and the benefits you offer beyond the salary.
The more information you provide, the better your chances are of attracting talented workers. We’ve found that companies with detailed job descriptions have an overall higher success rate with more applicants, and candidates consider a prospective company's work environment to be the most important aspect when deciding to apply for a job, right after the salary and distance.
Tips for writing successful job descriptions
With Coople, you already make hiring efficient. Our team and matching platform put fully vetted workers at your fingertips. Now follow these tips to write job descriptions that convert the right candidates:
Write a descriptive job title
Use the job title to describe the role and experience you need. Include interesting information about the position that might help you attract candidates. This can be anything from a convenient location to a recognisable brand or a morning schedule. Always keep it short. You have more space in the job description field.
Example:
Experienced warehouse manager - Central Zurich
Make the worker feel valued
People love adding value as part of a team.
Use sentences like "you will be responsible for", "your role is key to", or "we need a top performer to support our team ". Let people know right from the start that they matter.
Clearly list tasks, responsibilities, and expectations
Write a list of clear tasks and responsibilities that the candidate will have to do on the job.
It’s a good idea to include between 5 and 10 tasks to make the candidate feel their job is relevant, yet not overwhelming. You can use bullet points to make reading easy. Include relevant information about the job and the tasks. For example: do they have to carry heavy things? Manage someone? Do they get breaks? What is the dress code?
Use examples of the responsibilities you expect the candidate to fulfil.
For example, avoid using generic phrases like "you will do various cleaning tasks" and use more specific descriptions and examples instead, such as "this job requires you to carry out various cleaning actions including mopping, disinfecting surfaces, and polishing windows."
Use simple, yet professional language
Top workers are busy and diverse.
Use simple words and short sentences to help everyone understand your position with little effort. Our Cooplers are busy. They are students, hustlers, parents, and ladder climbers. If they only have 1 minute to read your job description, use everyday language to convert them in such little time. Our Cooplers also come from very diverse backgrounds. Use language that invites everyone to your company.
Include information about your company
History: when it was founded, where it’s based, and how the company has grown since
Values and culture: what your company stands for and what the day-to-day environment within the teams is like
Learning opportunities: what people working in your company can learn and all the career progression opportunities that might arise. For example, we recommend you mention if strong performers might get offered full-time positions.
Need some help writing your job descriptions?
Make the most of Coople’s job creator
Coople’s job creator has all the information you need to include in a job advert to attract the right applicants. We recommend you fill in all the details to give Cooplers a good idea of what to expect from the job.
Job name and description: give Cooplers a clear idea of the job’s responsibilities
Salary: choose a rewarding salary that attracts qualified workers
Dress code: let Cooplers know how to represent your company
Experience level: attract workers with the right experience
Expertise and skills: get granular about what you need
Shifts and number of workers: let Cooplers know exactly when you need them
Address and meeting point: make sure workers don’t get lost
Once you have created the perfect job description, you can save the job as a template and use it as many times as you need to. If the job attracts top performers, you will be able to develop long-lasting relationships with them, making them favourites and sending them job requests directly.