In 2019, an APEC study indicates that 89% of companies, in all sectors of activity, use a job offer to declare a need and seek candidates. The offer makes it possible to present the company, the job description and the conditions for exercising the profession. In the ocean of job offers, how to write job descriptions that are both consistent with your needs and attractive to candidates? What should be included in the job description? How to build it? Is it just for recruiting?
We present you here this HR tool.
What is the job description?
Developing a job description is often the first element of the recruitment process, which allows you to lay down in black and white the profile you need in your organization. It can result from an analysis of the position in the field or via an interview with those who exercise it. This is the flagship element of human resources for recruiting new talent. Integrated into the job offer, it is posted on the site of the recruiting organization or on job offer platforms and presents the content of the position to be filled to potential candidates. It indicates the missions and requirements of the position: the role and the skills expected to take it. It is not only useful for recruiting but also for the various operational missions of human resources management.
5 reasons to make a job description
Express your needs
The job description is a useful internal and external communication tool for expressing the needs of the company and communicating them in a job offer.
Optimize the recruitment process
Having clearly defined and structured the missions and objectives of the position already allows you to attract candidates with the skills for the position. You will be able to save time by selecting the most relevant CVs and cover letters to move on to the next stage of your recruitment process.
Delimit a position
Setting the limits of a position also helps not to disperse and gives structure to your organization. Without this necessarily implying a strict hierarchical organization, it makes it possible to lay out the organization chart and provide a framework: that each one does not encroach on the work of the other or accepts a monumental workload at the risk of jeopardizing his health. For managers, it also gives a structure to the annual evaluation interview, which will know what to rely on to discuss the various missions of the employee. A “project manager” can for example have in his scope several aspects of the possible project. Delimiting the position by giving precise objectives which will be incumbent on the profile makes it possible to clarify the contours of the offer from the recruitment stage.
Identify training needs
It also makes it possible to assess an employee's skills in relation to the performance expected of their position and therefore to identify any training needs.
Facilitate GPEC
Creating job descriptions also facilitates internal staff management: they provide a basis from which to start again to adapt to changes in the company's strategy (adaptation of jobs, skills through training, management of internal mobility…)
What should be included in a job description?
Whether for a project manager, a person from the sales team, a payroll manager or an educational advisor, in the description of the impact position, always include:
The title of the job description
Concrete, not too generic and appealing
Engaging (if your box is not known, specify your mission in 2 words!)
—> For example: "Customer service manager on a permanent contract - Change employee mobility!" , “Accounting assistant internship at the service of inclusion”, “Accountant - Reduce food waste with us!”
Talk about the organization
What is the mission of your organization? What are your big highlights? How much you're ? Describe everything that could allow the candidate to project themselves.
Talk about the project
What project will the person join? What team project does she contribute to on her job?
Missions
Establish a description of the roles and the various functions of the position. The clearer the missions, the easier it will be to plan!
The job profile
- Present the skills/qualities required to perform the position: interpersonal skills and know-how
- The recommended or necessary qualifications: years of experience, diplomas or level of studies.
- And your other expectations towards your new recruit such as the holding of the B license for example.
Talk about the team
Do not hesitate to talk about the team or the 2 -3 people that the candidate will join and even insert their linkedin links. After all, we are also joining a project for our team and the people who will inspire us on a daily basis, aren't we?
Exercise conditions
Type of contract: CDD, CDI, Interim…
Work pace and schedules
The work environment: face-to-face, 100% teleworking, shared offices, etc.
Remuneration
Perspectives of evolution
Share a long-term vision of the position, and therefore broken down over time: the missions / objectives of the position at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months.
All this while making candidates want to join you!
Share details of the position, other than the salary, on the functioning of the company, which can attract candidates: such as the regular training courses you offer, a dedicated and present management, a pleasant working environment, a close-knit team, a significant degree of autonomy.
How to create a job description?
Ask the right questions
As with all people seeking to understand their needs, the human resources manager must first go through the introspection/questions stage upstream to identify the profile of the ideal candidate.
Start by asking yourself: Why recruit? What is the objective of the position? How long will it take to reach it? What are the expected missions?
To draw up the job profiles: What is the expected training and the expected experience?
What technical and behavioral skills to have?
To set the exercise conditions: What is the possible remuneration range? Where will the candidate work? What type of contract is offered?
And to make the profiles you want to attract want to join you:
For example, if you are looking to recruit young graduates: what will they learn from you? How will they be trained? managed? will they evolve? What team are they on? What work environment are you going to offer them? What values?
If your organization uses a recruitment firm, having answered these questions will also be useful to enable it to identify the best profile.
Co-build internally
To have the most accurate information possible, the job description can be a tool co-constructed in teamwork between a manager, a human resources manager, and employees, especially if the workstation exists. already. Do not hesitate to have it read by outsiders to be sure that it is understandable by people outside your organization.
Fine-tune the writing and design
A worked job description shows that the job is important to you! Structure the titles and paragraphs, put photos of the premises and the teams, select a few colors, use a nice font rather than a classic Arial, put emojis, etc.
⚠️ to the daunting skill list!
Remember to prioritize the skills you REALLY need. Separate the essential skills and the bonuses that can make the difference, to avoid putting a potential super candidate aside!
Differentiate your internship/CDI expectations
Asking for experience in an internship is complicated! Don't list a dozen skills that only an experienced person could have. Instead, look for someone who will be willing to learn.
Be transparent to save time
Speak in the job description of the things that annoy (Ex: a little low salary of 28K fixed and the head office located in Bonneuil-sur-Marne). Why ? Transparency will serve the quantity, but will keep those who are ready to travel 1 hour to reach you. You already know the salary, put it.
Give freedom
Especially in important positions or when you are looking for a senior profile. For example, if you recruit a senior marketing profile to redesign the acquisition channels, do not require him to master Hubspot in the mission sheet. Let him choose his own CRM.
Write a job description on jobs
Ad Title
Be clear and precise.
Use known vocabulary (particularly known to students if you are looking for an intern: does a student know what a "sales op" or a "CSM" is?)
Do not hesitate to use @ and #, or even emojis to make the job description more attractive.
Description of the offer
"About Us :"
Re-present the mission of your organization, your ambitions, key figures to inspire. Be concrete so that the candidate projects himself.
"About project XX / Context of the mission:" Zoom in more and more on the project that the person will join. Give information about the project and the team.
You can add a photo of the project here.
"YOUR MISSIONS:"
- List the concrete missions of the person with his 3 main objectives.
- List what the person will learn.
- Share a long-term vision of the position, and therefore broken down over time: the missions / objectives of the position at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, more than a year.
The 3 months of purely operational Facebook Ads may not be the most fun, but the prospect of being CMO over 12 months with a potential team is much more.
"YOUR TEAM :"
There's nothing better than knowing in advance which inspiring people you'll be working with. Describe your team and more precisely the 2 people with whom the person will work the most.
You can add their linkedin link for example.
You can add a team photo here ;)
Required profile
Essential Skills: xxx
Nice to have : xxx
Remember to prioritize the skills you REALLY need. Separate the essential skills and the nice to have: a good way not to put a great candidate aside, while indicating the bonuses that can make the difference.
Recruitment process :
To give visibility to the candidate.
Apply before XX/XX/XXXX.
Professional interview from XX/XX to XX/XX.
Start of mission on XX/XX.
For further
👉 10 tips to recruit effictively
👉 How to give sense to your employer brand ?