A good job description does much more than list tasks. For recruiters and HR teams, it’s one of the first chances to make a strong good impression and they should totally take advantage of it.
A confusing or overly formal advert can make good candidates leave before they reach the application button. A clear, honest and engaging job description can do the opposite and actually make candidates really interested in your offer.
This matters even more when you are hiring internationally or looking for multilingual talent. Candidates will compare opportunities from different companies, cities or countries, so they need the important information quickly.
The good news? Writing a strong job description does not have to be very complicated. These 10 tips will help you write job descriptions that are clearer, more appealing and more useful throughout recruitment.
1. Start with a clear job title
The first thing candidates see is usually the job title, so clarity matters a lot. The title is the first impression you make; you need to be careful what words you choose, what you want to point out and what type of candidates you want to attract.
Use the title people would actually type into a search bar. Creative titles such as “Customer Happiness Hero” or “Sales Rockstar” may sound fun internally, but they can make it harder for candidates to understand the vacancy or find it in search results (which is very important in order to find the candidates you’re looking for).
A title such as “German-Speaking Customer Support Agent” tells the candidate much more. It explains the function and, when relevant, the language requirement, immediately.
Avoid adding unnecessary and useless information to the title. Details such as “great salary”, “amazing company” or “urgent hire” are not the phrases that will get you the right fit. These types of formulations don’t tell anything real to the candidate.
Before publishing, ask yourself: if someone saw only the title, would they understand what the job is?
2. Explain the job purpose in the opening
The first paragraph should answer a basic question: why does this opportunity exist?
Instead of starting with a long company history, give candidates a short job summary that explains what they will do and how their work contributes to the team or business.
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For example, a customer service advert could say that the employee will support customers in their native language, solve everyday issues and help create a positive customer experience.
Keep this section short. Two or three sentences are usually enough. You can introduce the company after that. Candidates do want to know who they may work for, but they usually want to understand the opportunity first.
A clear opening helps candidates decide whether the job matches what they are looking for and it saves time for the both sides.
3. Outline the main responsibilities and job duties
Candidates should not have to guess what a normal working day looks like.
Use bullet points to explain the main duties. Focus on the tasks that truly define the role rather than listing every small activity that could occasionally happen.
For example, for a customer service position:
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Respond to customer questions by phone, email and chat.
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Manage existing client accounts.
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Work with the sales team to identify new opportunities.
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Update customer information in the CRM.
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Report recurring issues to the relevant team.
Five to eight bullets should be enough.
This section should give a realistic picture of the job responsibilities. If a task takes up a large part of the employee's week, mention it. If something happens once or twice a year, it probably does not need to be one of the first things candidates read.
4. Separate required qualifications from nice-to-haves
One common problem in job descriptions is treating every preference as a requirement.
Think carefully about what a candidate genuinely needs on day one, what are “non-negotiable” requirements. Everything else can be listed separately as an advantage or nice-to-have.
If fluent German is essential because the employee will speak with German customers every day, make that clear. If experience with a specific CRM would simply make onboarding easier, it may not need to be mandatory.
An unnecessarily long list can discourage people who could perform well but do not match every point.
Try separating this section into:
What you need
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language level,
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essential experience,
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necessary technical knowledge,
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work permit, if relevant.
Nice to have:
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experience in the same industry,
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knowledge of an additional language,
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familiarity with a particular tool.
This makes the job description easier to scan and shows candidates what really matters in terms of skills and knowledge. As well, it’s easier for them to understand if they meet the requirements or not.
5. Be specific about salary, benefits and working conditions
Candidates want practical information.
Whenever possible, include the salary or salary range, working hours, contract type, office location and whether the position is remote, hybrid or office-based.
Benefits should also be specific. “Great benefits” says very little. “Private health insurance, meal vouchers and 25 days of annual leave” does.
If you are recruiting international candidates, include relocation support too. Does the company provide temporary accommodation? Help with documents? Flight reimbursement? Language classes?
These details will strongly influence whether someone applies, especially if moving abroad is part of the decision.
6. Keep the language simple and human
A job description should sound like it was written for a person. Imagine explaining the job to a person, face to face. How would you describe it? Of course, you might keep a professional tone of voice, but you wouldn’t sound like talking to a legal department.
Avoid long sentences, unnecessary jargon and internal terminology candidates may not understand. Phrases such as “cross-functional stakeholder alignment” may be normal inside the company, but simpler language is often clearer. Plus, these terms can be learned in the onboarding process. It’s not needed to overcomplicate the job description with specific terminology, not for now.
Instead of:
“Drive synergies across internal stakeholder groups.”
Try:
“Work with different teams to improve the customer experience.”
The second version is easier to understand without losing professionalism.
7. Show candidates what they get from the job
Many adverts focus almost completely on what the company wants. Candidates are also asking: what is in this for me?
Explain what someone can gain from joining the company. This could include training, career development, international experience, flexible working, bonuses, language classes or opportunities to move into other departments.
If you are hiring abroad, the destination branding may also be part of the offer. Candidates considering an international move often want to understand what daily life could look like, not only what they will do from Monday to Friday.
There is no need to oversell the opportunity. Realistic information is more convincing than generic claims such as “the best workplace ever”.
8. Set clear expectations about the recruitment process
A candidate should know what happens after clicking “Apply” or “Send application”.
Add a short section explaining the steps of the recruitment process. For example:
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Application review
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Short recruiter call
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Interview with the hiring manager
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Final decision and offer
If candidates will need to complete a test, language assessment or technical task, mention it.
This small addition makes the process feel more transparent and professional. It can also reduce uncertainty for people who may be interviewing with several employers.
9. Use a template, but personalise every job description
A template can save HR teams time, especially when several similar vacancies need to be published.
A useful description template might include:
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Job title
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Short introduction
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Main responsibilities
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Required qualifications
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Nice-to-have skills
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Salary and benefits
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Working conditions
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Recruitment process
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Call to action
Do not copy the same text for every vacancy.
! Different jobs attract different people. A sales candidate may care about commission and progression. A customer support candidate may care more about shifts, remote work or language requirements. A developer may want information about the tech stack and team structure.
Use templates as a starting point, not the final result.
10. Review the job posting before you publish
Before publishing, read the full advert one more time from the candidate's perspective.
Check to see if the information is complete, if the language is easy to understand and if anything sounds vague or repetitive. Remember, it has to be clear and honest.
It also helps to ask the hiring manager or someone currently doing similar work to review it, even someone from the marketing team. In any case, someone who’s reading the job description for the first time and can give you a fresh opinion. They may notice missing details or unrealistic requirements from a new perspective.
Use this quick checklist:
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Is the title clear?
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Does the opening explain the opportunity?
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Are the responsibilities realistic for the level of experience required?
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Are the requirements genuinely necessary?
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Are salary and benefits explained where possible?
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Is the location clear?
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Are working hours or shifts included?
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Is the recruitment process explained?
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Is there a clear call to action?
A final review takes only a few minutes and can make a big difference to the quality of your applications.
What makes a good job description?
The best descriptions are the ones that answer the questions candidates actually have. You don’t have to come up with the longest job description or the most creative one.
A good job description explains what the person will do, what the company expects, what the employee will receive and what happens next. It should be easy to scan, honest about the opportunity and specific enough for candidates to decide whether they are a good match.
So before publishing your next vacancy, take another look at the text. Does it only explain what you need from the candidate, or does it also give them a good reason to apply?
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