How to Write a Job Description That Attracts the Right Person

I review job descriptions for a living. And most of them are terrible. They read like a grocery list of qualifications stapled to a paragraph of corporate jargon. "Must have 5+ years experience, strong communication skills, ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and a passion for excellence."

That description could be for any role at any company. It tells the candidate nothing about the actual job and filters for nothing except the ability to read a job board.

In 25 years of hiring consulting, I've found that the job description is where most hiring processes go wrong first. Write a vague description, get vague candidates. Write a specific one, and the right people self-select in while the wrong ones self-select out.

The Problem With Traditional Job Descriptions

Traditional job descriptions focus on inputs: skills, certifications, years of experience, educational requirements. They tell the candidate what they need to bring. They say nothing about what the candidate will actually do day to day or what success looks like in the role.

This creates two problems. First, you attract candidates who match the checklist but may not be able to do the job. Having a degree and five years of experience doesn't mean someone can manage your warehouse effectively. Second, you scare away candidates who could do the job brilliantly but don't check every box. The best warehouse manager I ever helped hire didn't have a degree. He had 15 years of hands-on experience and a track record of reducing shipping errors by 40% at his previous company.

Write for Outcomes, Not Inputs

The single most important shift you can make in your job descriptions is moving from inputs to outcomes. Instead of listing what the candidate needs to have, describe what they need to accomplish.

Instead of: "Must have 3+ years of customer service experience and strong problem-solving skills."

Write: "In this role, you'll handle 30-40 customer calls per day, resolve complaints on the first call 85% of the time, and maintain a customer satisfaction score above 4.5 out of 5."

The second version tells the candidate exactly what the job looks like. A seasoned customer service rep reads that and thinks, "I can do that." Someone who's never handled that volume reads it and thinks, "That's more than I'm ready for." Both reactions are useful. The description is doing the filtering for you.

Include the Character Traits That Matter

Since 89% of new hire failures are about attitude, not skill, your job description should address attitude directly. Name the character traits that determine success in your specific environment.

If the role requires someone who stays calm under pressure, say that. If you need someone who takes ownership of problems without being told, describe it. If the position requires working independently with minimal supervision, make that explicit.

Be honest about the hard parts too. If the job involves long hours during peak season, say so. If the workspace is noisy or physically demanding, include that. Candidates who can't handle the reality of the role need to know that before they apply, not after they've been hired.

Paint the First 90 Days

One of the most effective sections you can add to any job description is a "First 90 Days" overview. This tells the candidate what their onboarding will look like and what they'll be expected to accomplish in their first three months.

For example: "In your first 30 days, you'll learn our systems, shadow the current team, and handle supervised tasks. By day 60, you'll manage your own accounts with check-ins from your supervisor. By day 90, you'll be handling the full workload independently and we'll evaluate your performance together."

This does two things. It shows candidates that you have a plan for their success, which attracts serious professionals. And it sets clear expectations from the start, which reduces the "I didn't know this was expected" conversations that plague so many new hires.

The Structure That Works

After writing hundreds of job descriptions for clients, I've settled on a structure that consistently attracts better candidates.

Opening paragraph. Two to three sentences about your company, the team, and why this role exists. Be specific. "We're a 15-person plumbing company serving residential customers in Austin" is better than "We're a dynamic, growing organization."

What you'll do. Five to seven bullet points describing the actual daily and weekly responsibilities. Use action verbs and specific numbers where possible.

What success looks like. Three to four measurable outcomes that define great performance in this role. This is the section most job descriptions are missing entirely.

Who thrives here. The character traits and working style that fit your environment. Be direct and honest.

The first 90 days. A brief overview of onboarding and early milestones.

Compensation and benefits. Be transparent. Listings that include salary ranges get significantly more qualified applicants. Hiding the number doesn't create leverage. It wastes everyone's time.

Your Action Step

Pull up the last job description you posted. Read it through the eyes of a candidate who's never heard of your company. Does it tell them what the job actually looks like? Does it describe what success means? Does it name the character traits that matter?

If the answer is no, rewrite it using the structure above. A good job description takes 30 minutes to write. A bad hire takes months to undo. The 30 minutes is the better investment.

This is Phase 2 of the 10-phase hiring system. The job description flows directly from Phase 1 (evaluating the need). If you can't write a clear, specific job description, it usually means you haven't finished defining what you actually need. Go back to the outcomes. The description will write itself.