Writing a Good Job Description

By Admin
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Hiring your first employee can be exciting.

It can also be surprisingly difficult.

One of the first challenges is figuring out exactly what you’re looking for.

You might know that you need someone to “help with sales,” “look after customers” or “assist with the business.”

But that’s not enough information to recruit effectively.

A good job description turns a vague idea into a clearly defined role.

It explains:

  • What the job is
  • Why the position exists
  • What the employee will be responsible for
  • What skills they need
  • What success looks like
  • What the business can offer

A good job description doesn’t just help candidates decide whether they want the job.

It helps you decide what kind of person you actually need.

For a first-time employer, writing the job description is therefore an important part of designing the job itself.

What Is a Job Description?

A job description is a written explanation of a position within your business.

It normally describes:

  • The job title
  • The purpose of the role
  • Main responsibilities
  • Required skills
  • Experience
  • Working arrangements
  • Reporting relationships
  • Performance expectations
  • Compensation and benefits where appropriate

Think of it as the blueprint for the position.

Before you build a house, you need a plan.

Before you hire an employee, you need a clear idea of what the employee is supposed to do.

Why a Good Job Description Matters

A well-written job description provides several benefits.

It Attracts Better Candidates

Candidates need enough information to decide whether the role suits them.

If the description is vague, suitable people may ignore it.

It Filters Out Unsuitable Candidates

A clear description helps people who don’t meet the requirements recognise that the job isn’t suitable.

This can save you time.

It Makes Interviews Easier

The responsibilities and requirements provide a framework for your interview questions.

It Clarifies Your Expectations

The job description forces you to think about what you actually want the employee to accomplish.

It Helps With Onboarding

The employee can use it to understand their role when they start.

It Supports Performance Management

Later, you can compare performance with the responsibilities and expectations established for the role.

Start With the Purpose of the Role

Before writing a list of duties, answer one simple question:

Why does this job exist?

For example:

“The purpose of this role is to provide excellent customer service, respond to customer enquiries and ensure orders are processed accurately and efficiently.”

That’s much better than:

“Answer phones and emails.”

The first statement explains the bigger purpose.

The second simply lists activities.

A good employee should understand how their role contributes to the business.

Focus on Outcomes

One of the best ways to improve a job description is to focus on outcomes rather than activities.

Compare:

Activity-based

Answer customer emails.

Outcome-based

Respond to customer enquiries promptly and professionally, ensuring customers receive accurate information.

The second version gives the employee a standard to achieve.

Another example:

Activity-based:

Enter sales information into the CRM.

Outcome-based:

Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer and sales records in the CRM.

This distinction becomes increasingly important as you move from simply assigning tasks to managing employees.

Give the Job a Clear Title

The job title should be easy to understand.

Examples include:

  • Customer Service Representative
  • Sales Assistant
  • Office Administrator
  • Warehouse Assistant
  • Marketing Coordinator
  • Accounts Assistant
  • Operations Coordinator

Avoid inventing confusing titles simply to make the position sound impressive.

A candidate should be able to understand roughly what the job involves from the title.

Write a Short Role Summary

After the title, provide a short summary.

For example:

Role Summary:
The Customer Service Representative is responsible for responding to customer enquiries, processing orders, resolving routine customer issues and helping ensure customers receive a professional and positive experience.

This gives candidates a quick overview before they read the details.

Keep it relatively short.

You don’t need to write an essay.

List the Main Responsibilities

This is usually the largest section of the job description.

List the most important responsibilities.

For example:

Key Responsibilities

  • Respond to customer enquiries by phone and email.
  • Process customer orders accurately.
  • Maintain customer records.
  • Follow up outstanding enquiries.
  • Resolve routine customer issues.
  • Escalate complex problems to management.
  • Coordinate with the operations team.
  • Maintain accurate records in the CRM.
  • Assist with general administrative tasks.

Notice that the responsibilities are specific enough to understand but broad enough to allow the employee to perform the job without being trapped by a rigid list.

Don’t Write a Giant Task List

A common mistake is creating a job description containing 50 different tasks.

This can make the role look overwhelming.

Instead, group related responsibilities.

For example, rather than listing:

  • Answer phone
  • Answer emails
  • Respond to website enquiries
  • Reply to social media messages
  • Return customer calls

you could write:

Respond to customer enquiries across phone, email, website and approved social channels.

This is cleaner and easier to understand.

Identify Essential Responsibilities

Not every task is equally important.

Identify the responsibilities that genuinely define the role.

For example, for a salesperson:

Core responsibilities:

  • Generate new opportunities.
  • Manage prospects.
  • Conduct sales conversations.
  • Prepare proposals.
  • Follow up opportunities.
  • Maintain CRM records.
  • Achieve agreed sales targets.

Then perhaps:

Additional responsibilities:

  • Attend occasional industry events.
  • Assist with marketing campaigns.
  • Provide customer feedback to management.

This distinction helps candidates understand where they should focus their attention.

Separate Skills Into Categories

One of the best ways to improve a job description is to divide skills into:

Essential

The person genuinely needs these to perform the role.

Desirable

These would be useful but aren’t essential.

For example:

Essential:

  • Good written and verbal communication
  • Basic computer skills
  • Strong organisational ability
  • Customer service experience

Desirable:

  • CRM experience
  • Industry knowledge
  • Experience with accounting software

This gives you a larger pool of potential candidates.

Don’t Demand Qualifications You Don’t Need

Businesses sometimes list qualifications simply because they sound impressive.

Ask yourself:

Does this qualification actually matter for the work?

If the answer is no, don’t include it as an essential requirement.

You could exclude an excellent candidate simply because they don’t have a qualification that isn’t actually relevant to the job.

Of course, some professions require specific qualifications, registrations or licences.

Those should be treated as genuine requirements where applicable.

Experience: How Much Is Really Necessary?

Think carefully about experience requirements.

If you require:

“Five years of experience”

ask yourself why.

Is five years genuinely necessary?

Or would someone with two years of excellent experience and a strong attitude be capable of doing the job?

For entry-level or junior roles, consider whether you can train someone.

You might write:

“Previous customer service experience is desirable but not essential. Training will be provided for the successful candidate.”

That can significantly increase the pool of potential applicants.

Be Honest About the Job

Don’t make the job sound better than it really is.

If the role involves:

  • Weekend work
  • Early mornings
  • Physical activity
  • Regular travel
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Working outdoors
  • High customer contact
  • Tight deadlines

say so.

Hiding these realities may attract candidates who aren’t suited to the role.

That can result in quick resignations and another recruitment process.

Honesty helps both sides.

Describe the Working Environment

Candidates want to know what their working life will actually look like.

Explain relevant details such as:

  • Office, retail, workshop or outdoor environment
  • Remote, hybrid or on-site arrangements
  • Typical working hours
  • Team size
  • Customer interaction
  • Travel requirements
  • Physical requirements where genuinely relevant

You don’t need to describe every minute of the working day.

Give candidates enough information to understand the environment.

Explain Who the Employee Reports To

A job description should normally make the reporting structure clear.

For example:

Reports to: Operations Manager

Or:

Reports to: Business Owner

This is particularly important in a small business where roles can otherwise become unclear.

The employee should know who provides direction and makes decisions.

Explain Who They Work With

It can also be useful to identify important relationships.

For example:

Works closely with:

  • Sales team
  • Operations team
  • Finance
  • Business owner
  • External suppliers

This helps candidates understand that their role doesn’t operate in isolation.

Include Compensation Information

Compensation is an important part of the job.

Where appropriate and required, clearly communicate:

  • Salary or hourly rate
  • Bonus or commission structure
  • Benefits
  • Other relevant compensation

For example:

Compensation: $X–$Y per year, depending on experience, plus applicable benefits.

The exact wording should reflect the laws and requirements applicable to your location.

Being transparent can also save time by preventing candidates whose expectations are significantly different from yours from entering the recruitment process.

Think About the Candidate You’re Trying to Attract

A job description isn’t just a list of demands.

It’s also a sales document.

You’re selling the opportunity to candidates.

Explain why someone would want to work for your business.

For example:

  • Opportunity to learn
  • Career development
  • Training
  • Interesting work
  • Responsibility
  • Flexible arrangements where available
  • Positive workplace
  • Opportunity to help build a growing business

Don’t exaggerate.

Simply explain what your business genuinely offers.

Explain What Success Looks Like

This is one of the most useful sections you can add.

Instead of simply listing responsibilities, explain what successful performance looks like.

For example:

Success in this role means:

  • Customer enquiries are responded to promptly.
  • Orders are processed accurately.
  • Customer records are kept up to date.
  • Problems are identified and escalated appropriately.
  • Customers receive professional service.
  • Agreed performance targets are achieved.

This gives both the candidate and future manager a clearer understanding of expectations.

Avoid Corporate Jargon

Job descriptions can become almost impossible to understand when filled with phrases such as:

“Drive strategic synergies across cross-functional stakeholder ecosystems.”

Nobody knows what that means.

Use plain English.

Instead of:

“Leverage cross-functional collaboration to optimise customer-centric outcomes.”

say:

“Work with the sales and operations teams to improve the customer experience.”

Simple is better.

Use Active Language

Strong job descriptions tend to use active verbs.

For example:

  • Manage
  • Coordinate
  • Prepare
  • Develop
  • Maintain
  • Analyse
  • Communicate
  • Organise
  • Resolve
  • Support
  • Monitor
  • Improve

Compare:

“Responsibility for the preparation of customer reports.”

with:

“Prepare customer reports.”

The second is shorter and clearer.

Avoid Gendered Language and Unnecessary Requirements

Your job description should focus on the ability to perform the work.

Avoid unnecessary requirements that could discourage otherwise suitable candidates.

Focus on:

What the person needs to accomplish.

Not:

What you imagine the perfect employee looks like.

You should also ensure your recruitment practices comply with applicable anti-discrimination and employment laws.

Don’t Write the Job Around Yourself

This is particularly important for small-business owners.

You may have been doing the job yourself for years.

You might have developed a very particular way of working.

But your employee doesn’t necessarily need to do everything exactly as you do it.

Ask:

What result does the business need?

Then determine the best way for the employee to achieve it.

Your first employee shouldn’t simply become a clone of you.

They should become a capable person who can take ownership of their responsibilities.

Build the Job Around Responsibility

A good job description should gradually move beyond:

“Here are the things I want you to do.”

towards:

“Here is what you are responsible for achieving.”

For example:

Instead of:

“Make sales calls.”

consider:

“Develop and manage a pipeline of prospective customers and contribute to achieving agreed sales targets.”

The employee has a responsibility rather than simply a task.

Include Boundaries

Responsibilities should also have boundaries.

For example:

“Resolve customer complaints within established guidelines and escalate complaints involving significant financial, legal or reputational risk to the manager.”

This tells the employee where their authority ends.

Clear boundaries reduce confusion.

Use the Job Description During the Interview

Your job description shouldn’t disappear after you publish the job advertisement.

Use it during interviews.

If the description says:

“Manage customer enquiries.”

ask:

“Tell me about your experience managing customer enquiries.”

If it says:

“Maintain accurate records.”

ask:

“How have you ensured records remained accurate in previous roles?”

This makes the interview more relevant.

Use It During Onboarding

When your new employee starts, go through the job description together.

Explain:

  • What each responsibility means
  • Which responsibilities are priorities
  • How performance will be measured
  • What support is available
  • What decisions they can make

This gives the employee a clear starting point.

Use It for Performance Reviews

A good job description can become the foundation for performance discussions.

You can ask:

Are the core responsibilities being completed?

Are expected standards being achieved?

Which areas are going well?

Which areas need improvement?

Does the role need to change?

This makes performance management more objective.

Review the Job Description as the Business Changes

Businesses change.

A job that made sense when you had five employees may look very different when you have twenty.

Review job descriptions periodically.

Ask:

  • Is the role still accurate?
  • Have responsibilities changed?
  • Are there new systems?
  • Has the employee taken on additional responsibilities?
  • Are there tasks that no longer make sense?
  • Should some responsibilities be delegated elsewhere?
  • Does the position still support the company’s goals?

A job description should be a living document.

Example: Poor vs Better Job Description

Consider this example.

Poor Version

Office Assistant

We need someone to help with administration. Must be hardworking, motivated and good with computers. Duties include answering phones, emails, paperwork and other tasks as required.

This tells the candidate very little.

Now compare it with:

Better Version

Office Administrator

Role Summary

The Office Administrator supports the day-to-day administration of the business, ensuring customer information, orders and internal records are accurate and up to date.

Key Responsibilities

  • Respond to routine customer enquiries by phone and email.
  • Process customer orders and maintain accurate records.
  • Update the company’s CRM and administrative systems.
  • Prepare routine documents and reports.
  • Coordinate appointments and internal schedules.
  • Follow up outstanding administrative tasks.
  • Escalate customer or operational issues that require management attention.

Essential Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication.
  • Good organisational skills.
  • Basic computer literacy.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities.
  • Reliable and professional approach to work.

Desirable

  • Previous office administration experience.
  • Experience using CRM or accounting software.

Success in the Role

Success means administrative tasks are completed accurately and on time, customer enquiries are handled professionally and important information is kept up to date.

The second version gives the candidate a much clearer picture of the position.

It also gives the employer something against which to evaluate applicants.

A Simple Job Description Structure

For most small businesses, this structure will work well:

1. Job Title

What is the position called?

2. Role Summary

Why does the position exist?

3. Key Responsibilities

What will the employee be responsible for?

4. Essential Skills

What must they be able to do?

5. Desirable Skills

What would be useful but isn’t essential?

6. Experience and Qualifications

What background is genuinely relevant?

7. Working Arrangements

Where, when and how will the work be performed?

8. Reporting Structure

Who does the employee report to?

9. Compensation and Benefits

What does the business offer?

10. Performance Expectations

What does success look like?

11. About the Business

Why might someone want to work there?

12. How to Apply

What should candidates do if they are interested?

Your Job Description Test

Before publishing your job description, read it as if you were a candidate.

Ask yourself:

Do I understand what this job actually involves?

Do I know what success looks like?

Do I know what skills are required?

Do I understand the working arrangements?

Do I understand who I will report to?

Do I know what the business offers?

Would I want to apply?

If the answers are mostly yes, you’re probably on the right track.

Final Thoughts

A job description may seem like a simple piece of paperwork.

It isn’t.

For a small business, it is one of the foundations of good recruitment.

A clear job description helps you define the role, attract suitable candidates, conduct better interviews, onboard new employees and manage performance later.

Most importantly, writing the job description forces you to answer a fundamental question:

“What exactly do I need this person to accomplish?”

Once you can answer that question, hiring becomes much easier.

Don’t try to describe your perfect employee.

Describe the job.

Be clear about the responsibilities.

Separate essential requirements from desirable ones.

Explain what success looks like.

Be honest about the working environment.

And write in plain English.

The result should be simple enough that a good candidate can read it and think:

“I understand this job, I believe I could do it, and I’d like to work here.”

That’s exactly what a good job description should accomplish.

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