How to write the perfect job description to attract candidates + free template
At Charlie, we know all about writing job descriptions for small businesses — we’re one too. So we understand how tricky it is to ensure you’ve covered off the basics while simultaneously trying to stand out from the competition.
Done right, a job description template will save you time, hassle and (probably a lot of) money, and it will evolve to include more information as your business grows.
For example, our job description template ensures we never forget to include salary bands in our job descriptions and job adverts. This wasn’t always the case, but we realised early on that it’s a great way to set ourselves apart from similar businesses.
With every role you advertise, you’re up against dozens of other companies looking for the same kind of talent. A job description template will make your recruitment efforts slicker, faster and far less stressful — and ensure that candidates don’t waste their time, or yours.
I’ve written this guide to help small business owners, HR professionals and hiring managers confidently write effective job descriptions.
And to help you really hit the ground running, I’ve included our very own job description template for you to download for free and make your own.
9 best practices for writing job descriptions (i.e. how we put together our job description templates)
The reason a job description template is so useful is because it ensures you write a great job description — and great job descriptions attract great candidates.
As an employer, it’s important to understand why certain elements are included in job description templates. You don’t ever want to be caught off guard by a clever question from a candidate in their interview!
Many new small businesses make the error of assuming a job description is just a matter-of-fact statement of job skills and requirements, but you’ll miss out on the best people with this sort of outdated thinking.
A great job description tells the candidate what they stand to gain from the role and from the company they’re applying to join. Think of it as the start of a conversation that continues into the interview and beyond — the job description sets the scene for what happens next.
Progressive businesses use job specification templates to ensure they’re always starting off on the right foot. So to help you be that sort of company, here’s how we put our own template job description together:
1. Write the job brief
The best job description templates start with an engaging overview of the role, and how it helps grow the company and further its mission.
This is where you also highlight any unique selling points of your company or the team the candidate will be a part of.
Joining a small company can feel risky, so anything you can do to alleviate that worry for candidates is a good thing. For this reason, Charlie Recruit comes with branded careers pages — they’re super simple to use and can be made totally unique to promote your business.
2. List all the job requirements and responsibilities
List all of the necessary skills, qualifications, and desired work experiences needed to perform the role.
Be specific, but reasonable. Make sure they’re all related to the position and avoid embellishing them unnecessarily.
And remember, soft skills matter too. So talk about anything like interpersonal communication, problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork that might be relevant to the role.
3. Include desirable (but not required) skills
Including the ‘nice-to-haves’ in a job description template is a great idea for small businesses, as this can help to attract a wider, more diverse talent pool with transferable skills.
Highlighting abilities or qualifications that aren’t necessary but definitely welcome may encourage candidates who don’t tick every box, but are otherwise perfectly capable of excelling in the role.
Potential and willingness to learn are often as valuable to a small business as raw experience.
4. Mention the benefits offered by your company
It’s not all about what the candidate can do for you, but what you have to offer them… What benefits come with the job?
Benefits help to elevate a role beyond a paycheck. So mention anything you offer like health insurance, pension schemes, and unique perks like wellness programs or hybrid working options.
This part of the job description is a good place to talk about opportunities for career growth like training, annual conferences, or a budget for learning and development. Just remember to update your job specification template whenever you add a new benefit to the mix.
5. Highlight the compensation package
Many poorly-written job descriptions are intentionally vague or misleading about salary and compensation, or worse, they leave it out altogether. Don’t do that.
Being clear and upfront about the salary helps to manage expectations and creates a better impression of you as an employer. Having people apply for a role at the wrong level is a waste of their time and yours, and you risk alienating potentially great candidates if you aren’t straightforward and honest.
For small businesses and startups, offering equity or stock options can be a big draw here.
6. Add your equal opportunities statement
A strong statement of your commitment to diversity and inclusion helps to create a welcoming company culture that people want to apply to work for. It’s also important to include this in every job description for legal compliance reasons.
At Charlie, we explicitly invite people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, and I recommend you include this as a standard section in your job description template.
This is also something we highlight in Charlie Recruit by simply allowing for blind hiring through anonymous CVs, as well as scorecards to make sure we assess candidates in the fairest way possible, based on skills and experience – trying to remove bias as much as possible from the process.
7. Explain how the interview process works
Be clear about what candidates can expect at each stage of the interview process, from the phone screening down to when the final decision is made. You can also reiterate this in your invitation to interview.
And include an estimated timeline for when you want to fill the role. It’s not good practice to keep candidates waiting in the dark indefinitely — it sends the wrong message about your company.
8. Make applications easy
Make applying for the role easy and simple.
This sounds obvious, but it’s not always the case.
Provide clear instructions on how to apply, highlighting what documents they’ll need and the people/departments to contact. And be sure to include a deadline for applications.
Our Charlie Recruit tool is a great way for candidates to apply through our portal, but also to schedule an interview with our smart scheduling tool.
9. Use clear and simple language
Clearly outlining what candidates can expect from the job and your company is really important — always use clear and simple language in a job description and job description template.
This means avoiding jargon or acronyms unless they're applicable to the role and ensuring everything is simple and straightforward. Candidates are much more likely to apply when they have a clear understanding of their potential role within the company.
If you’re struggling to find the time or strike the right tone, consider using AI to help write your job descriptions. Tools like Charlie Recruit offer AI-integrated support to help you craft effective descriptions by entering certain prompts for inspiration.
We’ve designed Charlie Recruit to help small businesses avoid the blank page. It’s straightforward, easy to use, and allows you to craft great job descriptions off the back of the most basic information.
You manage the entire hiring process with Charlie Recruit — moving candidates seamlessly from job description to interview flow to automated communications (including the job offer that can be signed and sent within the app!).
Job description template - download for free
A job description template means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and write a whole job description from scratch every time. (That’s simply not sustainable for every role you want to hire for — especially if you want to scale up in the future.)
I’m including a free job description template for you to adapt and use. It’s the same job description template we use at Charlie when we hire for new roles, so it’s been through a few tests and iterations to get to this point. You can download our job description template for free and customise it to fit your company culture and any role you’re advertising for.
Role Title
About Charlie
We’re Charlie and we exist to Make Work Better. We believe the best way to do this is by building a tool that democratises great HR for small businesses.
We’re looking for {insert role title}, to join our growing {insert team name} team -to help {key objective of the team}.. Come on and join us to make work better!
What is a “Title/Level”?
We have a career progression framework that each role sits in. Level One is Junior, Level Four is a Senior, and Level Two and Level Three cover that middle area
In this role, you will:
{Insert breakdown of role}
Requirements
You must have:
{Insert key requirements}
Let us know if you have: (all of these are desirable, but none are required)
{Insert nice-to-haves}
We will still consider applications even if you don’t meet every single one of the above requirements, so don’t be put off if you don’t match them absolutely perfectly!
We cannot offer visa sponsorship and you must be able to work in the UK.
The Way We Work
{insert ways of working}
Compensation Package
{insert salary range and equity options if applicable}
Benefits
{insert benefits}
Equal Opportunities Statement
We are an equal-opportunity employer and believe in the power of a diverse, inclusive team.
We welcome all applications from all suitably qualified people, regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
Please let us know if you require anything which would enable your success throughout our interview process.
