How to write a job description
Did you know job seekers spend only 3-5 minutes reading a job description before deciding whether or not to apply?* Watch our quick video for tips to help you create your next great job description.
When you’re ready, post your job description on Indeed to start attracting the candidates you need.
Watch our other videos for more hiring advice
From the best recruiting strategies and interview questions to job offer emails and onboarding best practices, our video series gives you the tools to help attract your ideal candidate faster.
How to Hire and Recruit Great Employees
Learn five of the best recruiting strategies that can help you find quality candidates.
Top 5 Interview Questions to Ask Any Candidate
Find out the top 5 interview questions you can ask any candidate (and what to look for in the answers).
How to Write a Job Offer Email
Find out how to write a job offer email that gets your top candidate to accept.
How to Onboard New Employees
Find out how to set new employees up for success with tips for effective onboarding.
See job description templates for 600+ role titles
Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Browse our free job description templates and examples for 600+ jobs.
Manage your hiring from start to finish on Indeed
-
Find great people
With over
635M Job Seeker Profiles, you’ll find great people here.¹
¹ Indeed data (worldwide), job seeker accounts that have a unique, verified email address. -
Get quality applicants
With Matched candidates (formerly Instant Match), over 90% of employers get quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match the job description right when they sponsor their job.²
²Indeed data (US)
-
Connect with your top picks
Message with candidates and conduct live, virtual interviews — all for free.³
³Terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply
-
Make offers, with confidence
Helpful resources for every step of the hiring process — even the close.
Hire faster with these other tips to improve your job descriptions
We’ve got more of what you need to create a standout job description. Check out these related articles and guides for help writing or improving your job posting.
Job description FAQs
The best job descriptions include these four parts: core responsibilities, day-to-day activities, who the job reports to, and requirements such as past experience or certifications.
Think like a job seeker. Job seekers typically search for jobs by entering the exact title of the job they’re looking for. Use the most common or popular job title for your role so candidates can find your job posting more easily.
In an Indeed survey, job seekers most commonly stated that the job responsibilities section is the most important part of a job description (24.2%), followed closely by compensation (23.96%), required qualifications (21.33%) and job details (20.42%).*
*Source: Indeed survey, n=2,091
Ready to start hiring?
You need Indeed.
Indeed delivers 4X more hires than all other job sites combined.*
Video transcript
Today’s hiring question comes from Heather, a restaurant owner who asks, “what are the necessary ingredients in a job description?” Well, Heather, grab your oven mitts because we’re about to get cooking.
How to write a job description
Whether you’re hiring a new server or a CFO, you need a good job title. Let’s say I need to hire a new chef. Make it specific, because targeted job titles have been proven to be more effective. Hmm. What kind of chef am I looking for?
Next, open with an attention grabbing summary of the role. This could include company mission, how the role improves lives or leads to career advancement.
Perks
Then hook your reader with something appetizing about your company. I mean, who doesn’t like a free lunch? Keep job descriptions short and scannable. According to a recent Indeed survey, job seekers most commonly stated they only spend 3 to 5 minutes reading a job description before deciding whether or not to apply.
All the fixings
The best job descriptions have these four things: core responsibilities, day to day activities, who the job reports to, and requirements such as past experience or certifications. And throw in some soft skills while you’re at it. Instead of listing out every single skill and requirement, create a must-have-list with the minimum qualifications along with a nice-to-have list.
Salary expectations
Anyone else hungry for more data? I know I am. Nearly one in four job seekers say compensation is the most important part of a job description. So make sure you set the right expectations by including a specific salary or salary range, along with some other great perks.
And now for the final course, dessert. Here’s another recent stat from Indeed. Nearly 40% of U.S. job seekers say a company’s benefits impact their decision when deciding whether or not to apply to a new job.
Post a job
Need help writing a job description? You need Indeed. And when you’re ready to post a job, go to indeed.com/hire.