How to Write a Job Description: A Practical Guide (2026)

Last updated: 21 September 2026 · By the Asuraa Team

What is a job description, and why does it matter?

A job description is the written brief for a role. It tells candidates what the job involves and what you expect, and it tells your own team what a good hire looks like.

It also sets the quality of everything after it. HiBob lists unclear job descriptions among the common causes of slow hiring, because vague postings attract applicants who are not a fit.

How to write a job description step by step

Follow these six steps. Most of the work happens before you type a single line.

1. Talk to the hiring manager first. SHRM's guidance on inclusive postings advises an intake conversation about the real work and warns against copying old or competitor postings.
2. List the outcomes. Write three to five things the person should own in the first year, such as "run the monthly hiring report" or "ship and maintain the payments API".
3. Sort the skills. Split them into must-have, nice-to-have and learnable on the job.
4. Write in plain language. Use short sentences, define acronyms and avoid jargon and idioms.
5. Add the practical details. Location or work mode, team, reporting line, hiring steps and, where you can, the pay range.
6. Test it. Ask someone outside the team whether they can tell what the job is and whether they would apply.

How do you write a skills-based job description?

Describe what the person will do and can show, and leave out credentials that only stand in for skills. AIHR's skills-based hiring guide suggests identifying essential versus learnable skills and rewriting descriptions around skill requirements and measurable outcomes.

Indeed makes the same point in its guide to inclusive job descriptions. Instead of "5+ years of experience in X", it suggests wording such as "demonstrated ability to perform X, Y and Z tasks".

For example, "Bachelor's degree in computer science" can become "able to build and debug a REST API in Python or Java, shown through projects or work". If a degree is truly required for legal or licensing reasons, keep it and say why. Our explainer on skill-based hiring covers the wider approach.

How do you keep a job description inclusive?

Check the wording line by line. Indeed's guidance covers several common problems.

• Gendered terms. Use neutral words such as "server" instead of "waitress" and "chairperson" instead of "chairman".
• Language requirements. Replace "must be a native English speaker" with "proficiency in English, written and spoken, required".
• Age cues. Indeed lists "young", "recent graduate", "digital native" and "entry-level" as wording that can exclude age groups. For fresher roles, say who the role suits by describing the skills and the level of supervision instead.
• "Culture fit". Indeed suggests "culture add", which signals openness to different perspectives.
• Physical assumptions. Describe the task, such as "moves equipment", and not the body movement.

SHRM reports a case where a solar company hiring a sales director drew 50 percent more female applicants after adopting these techniques. Treat that as one company's result, not a guarantee.

What should you leave out of a job description?

A shorter, honest posting usually works better than a long wish-list. Leave these out.

• Copied text. Another company's list carries their assumptions into your hiring.
• Rigid year counts. SHRM's guidance quotes the point that you cannot quantify experience and want to qualify people instead.
• Unjustified requirements. If nobody can explain why a requirement exists, cut it or move it to nice-to-have.
• Internal jargon and team slang. Candidates cannot decode it, and it can read as exclusive.
• Empty adjectives. "Rockstar" and "fast-paced" say little. Describe the real pace and workload.

What does a simple job description template look like?

Adapt this outline and treat every line as an example, not a rule.

• Title and summary: "Customer Success Associate. You will help new customers get set up and answer their questions."
• What you will do: three to five outcome-style bullets.
• What you bring (must-have): the skills without which the person cannot start.
• Nice to have: skills the person could learn in the first few months.
• Work details: location or remote arrangement, team, and hours.
• Pay and benefits: a range if you can share it, plus leave and learning support.
• How we hire: the steps and the rough timeline, so candidates know what to expect.
• Equal opportunity and accommodations: a line inviting candidates to ask for adjustments.

Pre-approved templates can also speed up the request stage. HiBob lists standardised requests and pre-approved job description templates among ways to shorten time to fill.

What do most guides on how to write a job description get wrong?

Many guides give a template and stop. These are the gaps that cost hiring teams good candidates.

• They skip the intake conversation. Without it, the template gets filled with generic duties.
• They confuse a wish-list with requirements. A long list of must-haves narrows the pool and can make strong candidates hesitate.
• They treat inclusive wording as a final polish. It works best when you decide the requirements first, then check the words.
• They ignore what happens next. The description should match your screening criteria, as covered in our guide on how to screen candidates.

FAQ

What should a job description include?

A job description should include a title, a short role summary, the main responsibilities, must-have and nice-to-have skills, work location and mode, reporting line, and hiring steps. Add pay and benefits where you can. Keep it clear enough that a candidate can judge fit in a minute.

How long should a job description be?

There is no fixed length. Aim for a page or less that covers the essentials in short sections with headings and bullets. If a line does not help a candidate decide whether to apply, or help your team assess them, consider cutting it.

Should I list years of experience in a job description?

Consider describing the skills and outcomes instead. SHRM's guidance advises against phrases like "5+ years required" because you cannot quantify experience. Wording such as "demonstrated ability to do X, Y and Z" opens the role to people with skills gained in other ways.

How do I make a job description inclusive?

Use plain language and neutral terms, and avoid age cues, gendered words and native-speaker requirements. Indeed suggests "culture add" in place of "culture fit". Define acronyms, use short sentences and headings, and invite candidates to ask for accommodations.

Should a job description include salary?

Sharing a pay range can help candidates decide whether to apply and can save time on both sides. Whether to publish one depends on your company policy and local practice. If you cannot share the range publicly, tell candidates early in the process.

Can I copy another company's job description?

It is better not to. SHRM's guidance warns against copying old or competitor postings, because it carries over their wish-list and any bias in it. Use them only to check wording, and write from your own role's real work.

Final thoughts

A good job description starts with the work, asks for skills you can check, and uses words that do not push people out. Write it with the screening plan in mind, so the same criteria carry through to the interview.

If you are also thinking about how candidates will see your role, browse listings on the asuraa.in jobs page to see how postings read from the job seeker's side.