Team update: A lot has happened since this blog - all great things! We’re now in the United States and our new product launched in November 2021, helping teams in fast-growing organizations find and hire their best-fit junior and mid-level talent in Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Customer Success. Try it here for free. This means some of our articles before this date may have product shots that look a little different. That’s all from us, enjoy the blog.

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We've been playing around with ideas of what a great job description looks like (check out our JD template library). Here's the thinking behind where we landed. Our three current hiring managers - Matt, Shirley and Alex, share tips & tricks along the way. 

But first, what's tricky about getting a job description, right?

Our job description principles

Jotting down some simple principles helps shape what good looks like for a job description. Here's ours:

• It's authentic. Actually authentic. It should give a real understanding of the tasks involved, work environment, remit and culture.
• The role title should be a normal, understood one. Scrap the Sales Rockstars and Software Ninjaneers. 
• We focus on strengths, rather than needing X years of experience. 
• What we say, and how we say it, promotes diversity.
• It feels "Hatchy". This is somewhat intangible, but we want it to reflect our human-centric culture and product. 
  

Analysing it!

If you've used Hatch, you'll know this is the first step in our matching process. 

This process of information gathering is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together; the core responsibilities of the role, and the skills, both domain-specific and transferable, that will predict success in it. 

Here are some examples of questions we ask to uncover this information:

• What does a typical day & week look like in this role? What are the activities and tasks they'll be completing?
• What does success look like in this role? What's a level above and below that?
• Will work be done collaboratively or individually?
• Who are the stakeholders they'll be working with?
  

What's helpful when outlining the day-to-day activities of the role?

Writing it!

So what should you include in a job description? Here's how we lay ours out:

• Talk about the role: the day-to-day activities you surfaced in the job analysis and the impact this role will have on the team and your business. 
• Talk about them: what are we looking for. What are our must-haves and what are nice-to-haves. 
• Talk about our company: get them excited about what your company does. Talk about your mission and what that tangibly means. Share what you value and reward, and any perks of the job!
  

What do candidates also really want to know? Location & salary. 

Editing it!

Be a ruthless editor. As you're reviewing the job description:

• Look out for parts that are vague and uninteresting - and remove them!
• Check for bias. Textio is a great tool. 
• Get a second pair of eyes. Have the person currently in the role, or someone in your team read through to sense-check.   
  

Enjoying it!

We know the prospect of writing a job description isn't what gets you out of bed in the morning. Rather than think just about the task at hand, think about the bigger picture. The job description is an enabler to finding candidates who are the right fit for your team. 

Here's how we frame up the task, to enjoy the process: