A job description does two jobs at once. Externally, it's a sales page that should attract the right candidates and put off the wrong ones. Internally, it's the foundation for onboarding, performance reviews and training. Most job descriptions do neither well because they're copied from the internet and never touched again.
Here's how to write one that works on both fronts.
Job description (JD) vs job specification (JS)
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different things:
A complete job posting usually contains both. Our role pages show them side by side for common positions.
The structure of a good job description
- Job title
- Job summary
- Duties and responsibilities
- Job specification - qualifications, experience and skills
- Job information - location, working hours, shift, reporting line
- How success is measured
- About the company
- How to apply
Step 1: Choose a clear, searchable job title
Use the title candidates actually search for. "Customer Happiness Ninja" might sound fun, but nobody searches for it - "Customer Support Executive" gets found. Add the level where it matters: "Senior", "Lead", "Manager".
Keep titles consistent with your internal org chart, so people with the same job have the same title.
Step 2: Write a short job summary
Two to four sentences covering why the role exists, what it's responsible for, and who it reports to.
Example: "As our Operations Manager, you'll keep day-to-day operations running smoothly across our three warehouses. You'll lead a team of 12 supervisors and associates, own delivery timelines and stock accuracy, and report directly to the General Manager."
Step 3: List duties and responsibilities
Separate the responsibilities (outcomes you own) from the duties (recurring activities). Both help candidates picture the job.
Responsibilities - 6 to 10 bullets starting with verbs:
- Own on-time delivery performance across all warehouses
- Lead, schedule and develop a team of 12
- Maintain stock accuracy through regular cycle counts
Duties - grouped by frequency, which makes the day-to-day reality concrete:
- Daily: review dispatch plan, resolve escalations, check attendance
- Weekly: run team meeting, review KPIs, approve rosters
- Monthly: report to management, review vendor performance
Step 4: Write the job specification honestly
Split requirements into must-have and nice-to-have. Long lists of must-haves discourage strong candidates who meet most but not all of them.
- Qualification: the minimum education genuinely needed for the job.
- Experience: a realistic range, e.g. "3-5 years in warehouse or logistics operations".
- Technical skills: software, tools, certifications.
- Soft skills: be specific - "comfortable handling escalations with customers and vendors" is more useful than "good communication skills".
Avoid requirements that aren't really needed, and follow local laws on what you can ask - for example around age, gender or marital status.
Step 5: Add the practical job information
Candidates want to know the basics before applying:
- Work location (office, site, remote, hybrid)
- Working days and hours
- Shifts, if any
- Probation period and notice period
- Salary range, where you can share it - a range helps candidates decide if the job fits them
Step 6: Explain how success is measured
Share two to four measures of success, such as "on-time dispatch rate" or "stock accuracy". This tells candidates what matters and gives new hires a clear target from day one. Later, the same measures feed into KPI tracking for the role.
Step 7: Sell the company honestly
A short paragraph on what the company does, why the role matters, and what it's like to work there. Specifics beat buzzwords: "you'll have a documented playbook for every process from day one" is more convincing than "fast-paced dynamic environment".
Job description template
Job title:
Department / Reports to:
Location / Work mode:
Job summary: 2-4 sentences.
Key responsibilities: 6-10 bullets.
Duties: Daily / Weekly / Monthly.
Must-have requirements: Qualification, experience, skills.
Nice-to-have: Additional skills or experience.
Working hours, shift, probation, notice period.
How success is measured: 2-4 KPIs.
About us: Short, specific paragraph.
How to apply.
Don't stop at the hire
The most common mistake is treating the job description as a recruitment document only. After the hire, the same document should become the backbone of the person's onboarding plan, connect to the SOPs for each duty, and set expectations for their first performance review. Update it when the role changes, and your next hire for the same position takes a fraction of the effort.
