How to Write the Best Job Description

I know startups and SMEs, while swarming creativity and innovation, are nonetheless lacking resources and a stable structure. Which is why we love them! But that also makes recruitment a little more difficult.

Roll up your sleeves

You’ve already made a great first step by landing on this page. After reading it, half the journey will have already been made. So roll up your sleeves and get going.

Until you get to the writing stage there are a couple of other steps you should go through in order to make sure your job description will be a sheer example of awesomeness attractor:

1. Be clear with your needs: make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for. Take a step back and analyse the current situation of your company, where it’s doing well and where it can do better. Being aware of its strength and weaknesses will enable to get a better idea of what kind of role you need to advertise.
2. Draft a schedule: maximise both yours and your future employee’s time and energy by determining exactly how much time needs to be spent on that job/project. Startup life means crazy schedules, allowing for flexible working hours and the ability to be in control of your own time. Keep that in mind when assigning working hours, people who want to work in startups do it because they like that option.
3. Think about the budget: depending on the type of experience required and responsibilities involved, you should be prepared to invest in your new employee. Whether short-term enterns, full time workers or volunteers, you will need to provide the financial remuneration required by the law (More on that later, but have a sneak peek at our Make sure you’re legal bite-sized guide).
4. Get inspired. Have a look at what other companies in your industry are doing and how they are dealing with recruitment. Competition or no competition, get the word out there and you never know where good advice might come from.

By now you’ve probably figured out the role you want to advertise, the skills needed for the job, the sort of experience you are asking for but also looking to provide. You might also want a certain kind of personality but that comes up further in the interview stage.

Cover the basics first

Now it’s time to start typing. This is the crucial bit. Where do you start, what to mention, what to leave out, what kind of tone to use? Should you be friendly or should you keep a distance and look like a serious employer? Read on.

To start with, make sure you cover the basics:

• Title of the position
• Department
• Overall responsibility
• Key areas of responsibility
• Term of employment: time, salary, location
• Qualifications (necessary skills and experience required)

As long as you’ve included a description of all these points, rest assured your candidates have all the information they need to get started. But then again, the applications you’ll be receiving will be as boring as your job description.

Pimp my job description

Small companies like yours don’t work like that. We’re fun, innovative, we crave authenticity and we want the people who work with us to keep up at it. If you want a cool colleague, you have to give out a cool job and company description. Here are some tips:

• Get the role description right. Don’t make it too long or complicated because it can get candidates confused. Don’t get too short either, make sure the description covers all the basics.
• Style matters. The job description is like a first introduction into your company. Before going onto your website to check you out, they read what the role is all about. The way you write says plenty about your company culture so try to sound clear and punchy, and don’t forget to be friendly!
• Power words. This must surely sound like an advertising cliché by now but power words still work. The modern human brain gets bombarded with information on a daily basis so we’re set to scrape junk and keep the essential. Powerful words get the attention.
• Flexibility. While it is important to be very clear about the sort of person you want for your role, it is equally vital to be flexible with your requirements. We all want graduates from the best universities or with specific qualifications and other work experience but don’t be too quick on judging a book by its cover. Leave some space for a diverse range of people, you never know where talent is hiding.
• Fair compensation. This is particularly the case with internships, in light of the on-going debates on free, enslaving labour. Payment should rise up to the requirements of the role. Where attractive remuneration is not possible, make sure you pay back with quality work experience, time flexibility and good referrals. Check out our Paying your interns guide for more info.

Warning! A job description is generally regarded as a legal document. Any references to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or nationality, or physical or mental disability is illegal.

I know startups don’t have the backup of a professional HR team so hopefully this will help you find your ideal candidate. If you want even more info on what internships are all about and what you should be thinking about after you got your intern then also check out our Six rules for a successful internship.

Written by Andreea Magdalina, Community Manager.

Photo from: http://bit.ly/BTE1

Tags: Advice for Startups, Internships