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I N S I D E R T I P S T O

Job DescriptionsWR ITE J O B D E SCR I P TIO N S THAT AT TR AC T

H A V E Y O U H A D T H I S P R O B L E M ?

Your team posts a job description but all you hear is crickets. You may have received a few underqualified candidates but not what you were hoping for. What happened?

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T I P S T O W R I T E J O B D E S C R I P T I O N S T H AT AT T R A C T

W R I T E A N A P P E A L I N G I N T R O

Write an appealing opening

paragraph that clearly conveys both the opportunity and the

company’s strengths. This

should be inspiring without

overpromising.

I T ’ S M A R K E T I N G C O P Y

People have so many job

descriptions to sift through that

their eyes quickly glaze over. If

you attract them with specific and energetic copy, they’ll be more

likely to read through the end.

U S E L I S T S A N D S E C T I O N S

Use sections and bullet points whenever you can to break

up the text and make it easier

to view. However, don’t be

so brief that you are not

describing the specific tasks

and skills for the position.

S H O W C A S E Y O U R C U L T U R E

Most importantly, make

your culture clear. (Candidates

say that culture and values

are what they most want

to know about, followed

by perks/benefits and

mission/vision).

Your writing should use words that match your company’s spirit: If you’re

a startup on a mission to make the world a better place, the words and tone should be inspiring. If they are,

you’ll attract employees who care equally about your mission.

See how startup TransferWise does it:

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As a fast-growing FinTech company,

TransferWise has revolutionized the way

money moves internationally and is looking

to fill its North America KYC Specialist role.

You will have the chance to join a team that is

600 strong and counting, and work with some

of the smartest, most innovative people

around the globe.

G A I N O R . N E T

D O N ’ T M E N T I O N E V E R Y T H I N G

No need to mention every

single job task. Stick to the most important elements: the

main responsibilities, goals and

opportunities, the best perks and

key points about compensation.

D A Y - I N - T H E - L I F E

Provide a good picture of a typical day or week. When listing

the job’s key responsibilities,

include the percentage of time

each should take. Describe

what it’s like to work with the

managers and the team.

T H I N K O U T S I D E T H E B O X

Consider shooting videos of your team to convey their

passion for their coworkers and

the company’s mission.

M E N T I O N B E N E F I T S T H A T S E L L

Many top candidates value

work-life balance. If possible,

mention flexible hours (51% of

candidates say they’d switch

jobs for flextime) or the option to work outside the office

part-time (37% of candidates

would change jobs for this).

Experiment with innovative formats, such as an infographic that displays

potential career paths or an FAQ section. Organizations like senior care company PointClickCare have shown success using these unique formats.

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T I P S T O W R I T E J O B D E S C R I P T I O N S T H AT AT T R A C T

DigitalMedia

Planner

Digital Media

Supervisor

Digital Media

Strategist

Digital Media

Director

Digital Strategy Director

D I G I T A L M E D I A C A R E E R G R O W T H

G A I N O R . N E T

For more resources on hiring the best talent, visit Gainor.net or reach out to Aaron Menkin, VP of Creative, Media,

Marketing Talent at aaron@gainor.net or (212) 697-4145 to schedule a meeting..

B

G A I N O R O N L I N K E D I N

www.linkedin.com/company/233922/

O U R B L O G

www.gainor.net/blog/

Sources

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I N T R O

Only 1 job seeker per job opening “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Highlights: July 2017,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 12, 2017. View at: https://www.bls.gov/web/jolts/jlt_labstatgraphs.pdf

W R I T I N G J O B D E S C R I P T I O N S

Candidates want to know about a company’s culture and values above all “U.S. and Canada Recruiting Trends 2017: What you need to know about the state of talent acquisition,” LinkedIn, 2017. Download at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/recruiting-tips/us-and-canada-recruiting-trends-2017

51% candidates say they’d change jobs for flex-time; 37% of would switch for option to work off-site “State of the American Workplace,” Gallup Inc., 2017. Download at: http://news.gallup.com/reports/199961/7.aspx?utm_source=SOAW&utm_campaign=StateofAmericanWorkplace&utm_medium=2013SOAWreport

Some organizations have shown success with outside-the-box job descriptions “3 Fresh Job Description Formats You Should Try (and Which One Works Best For Your Prospects,” Keenan Steiner, LinkedIn Talent Blog, June 26, 2017. View at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/job-descriptions/2017/3-fresh-job-description-formats-you-should-try-and-which-one-works-best-for-your-prospects

Write in Your Personality “HOW TO: Write a Standout Job Description,” Erica Swallow, Mashable, June 3, 2011. View at: http://mashable.com/2011/06/03/how-to-write-job-description/#KGpn6ZdiL5qK

O N B O A R D I N G D O N E R I G H T

About 20% of employee turnover happens in the first 45 days “Reducing New Employee Turnover Among Emerging Adults,” Arlene S. Hirsch, Society for Human Resources Management, June 2, 2016. View at: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/reducing-new-employee-turnover-among-emerging-adults.aspx

Concern for career advancement is the #1 reason people leave their jobs LinkedIn. 2016 Global Talent Trends. Download at: https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/job-trends/2016-talent-trends-home/2016-global-talent-trends

G A I N O R . N E T