Job descriptions are underestimated, in our opinion.

Hiring is hard work — and that’s before you’ve even put in the legwork to work out exactly what you need.

Why do you need this person? What are you going to pay them? Who will manage them? Where will the additional budget come from?

And then, just when you think you’ve got everything covered, your recruiter asks:

“Have you got a job description?”

Sometimes we’re met with super-organised clients who already have one ready to go, or an old version that just needs updating. But if you’re starting completely from scratch, writing a job description can feel like another big task on an already long list.

And yes, this is often the point where we all turn to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for a helping hand!

AI can be brilliant for helping you write a job description, but our advice is to give it the right information to work with. The more thought you put into the bones of the role, the better and more accurate the finished job description will be.

Having seen a LOT of job descriptions over our 20+ years in recruitment, here are the things we think every good JD should include.

What should a job description include?

1. The business overview

Before you get into the day-to-day detail of the role, introduce the business.

This doesn’t need to be lengthy. Give candidates a snapshot of the company, what you do, the industry you work in and the general feel of the business.

Remember, you’re not just explaining the role — you’re trying to engage potential candidates and give them a reason to want to find out more.

2. An overview of the role

Before jumping straight into a long list of responsibilities, give the role some context.

What are you looking for this person to do? Why does the role exist? What impact will they have on the business or wider team?

A short introduction helps candidates understand the bigger picture and makes the responsibilities that follow much more meaningful.

3. Responsibilities and day-to-day duties

Now you can get into the detail.

What will this person actually be doing day to day?

Include the main responsibilities, the areas they’ll own and the types of projects or tasks they’ll be involved in.

You want enough detail for someone to properly understand the position without overwhelming them. If you’re three pages deep in responsibilities alone, you’ve probably gone too far!

4. Skills and experience

This is where you get into the nitty-gritty of what you actually need from your new hire.

Think about the skills and experience someone genuinely needs to be successful in the role. Depending on the position, that could include experience across areas such as:

• PPC and paid media
• SEO
• Social media
• Graphic design
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Media relations
• Content writing
• Client management
• People management

It’s also worth separating your must-have skills from your nice-to-haves.

If everything is listed as essential, you risk putting off perfectly capable candidates who could do a brilliant job but don’t tick every single box.

5. Team and reporting structure

You don’t have to include this, but we think it can be really useful.

Give candidates an idea of the team they’ll be joining, who they’ll report to and whether they’ll have any line management responsibilities themselves.

It helps people picture where they’ll sit within the wider business and gives useful context around the opportunity and potential progression.

6. Salary and benefits

Some businesses include salary and benefits in their job descriptions and others don’t. We think it’s worth including them.

Candidates are looking at the whole package, not just the job itself. Sharing your benefits upfront can reinforce everything that’s attractive about the opportunity and give people another reason to want to work for you.

Where possible, we’d also recommend being transparent about the salary or salary range.

Job description vs job advert: what’s the difference?

A job description and job advert aren’t the same thing.

A job advert is there to sell the opportunity.

It should be engaging, relatively concise and give someone enough information to think:

“That sounds like me — I want to know more.”

A job description goes into more detail.

It should help candidates properly understand the position, responsibilities and expectations, while helping recruiters and hiring managers assess whether someone has the right skills and experience.

And its usefulness doesn’t end once you’ve made the hire.

A good job description can help with:

• Interview questions and candidate assessment
• Employee onboarding
• Setting objectives and expectations
• Performance management
• Learning and development
• Career progression
• Future recruitment as your team grows

So, putting the effort into creating a good JD now can save you a lot of work further down the line.

Why is a good job description important?

A clear, well-written job description gives everyone involved in the recruitment process a better understanding of what you’re actually looking for.

It gives candidates clarity, helps recruiters qualify applicants more effectively and gives hiring managers something concrete to assess candidates against.

It can also help keep everyone aligned throughout the hiring process — particularly when several people are involved in interviews and decision-making.

What happens if you don’t have a job description?

Can you recruit without a job description? Absolutely.

But you’re probably making the recruitment process harder for yourself.

Without a clear JD:

• Candidates are less likely to fully understand the opportunity.
• Recruiters have less clarity when sourcing and qualifying candidates.
• Hiring managers may have different ideas about what they’re looking for.
• Interviews can become less structured and focused.
• You risk attracting candidates who aren’t right for the role.
• You could lose great candidates because they haven’t properly understood the opportunity.

Ultimately, a lack of clarity at the beginning of the hiring process can lead to problems further down the line.

Putting the time in at the start is a relatively small investment that can make a huge difference to the quality and efficiency of your recruitment process.

Download our free Job Description Template

Need a hand getting started?

We’ve created a free Job Description Template to make writing your next JD easier.

It covers the key information you need to think about before you start writing, giving you the foundations for a clear, useful and candidate-friendly job description.

You can complete the template yourself or use the information you’ve gathered as a detailed prompt for your favourite AI tool to turn into a polished job description.

Download our free Job Description Template here.