Job descriptions are a key component of any job application process. Be it the applicant or the hiring manager, they both understand the importance of a well-written resume and job description. According to research, around 8.4% of job applications receive more views when they are shorter.
Now this should not mean that your job application should be devoid of key information. A well-written yet concise resume job description is necessary. That is why it is important to understand how you should create such a resume summary.
In this article, we are going to understand the key essentials of writing an attractive resume job description. So, here are five tips that will help you with each key element of it
Tip 1: Start with a Clear Job Title
A good-quality job description always features a good title. Now, the title of your resume job description should not be something out of the box. It does not have to be creative or over-the-top, either. It just needs to be precise and to the point.
A lot of times, candidates and application managers tend to mess this up because they wish to stand out. So, a hiring manager should not do this:
“The best IT job you can find today! No joke!”
And a job applicant should not do this:
“The best editor that money can hire!”
These are overtly ridiculous, and any professional job environment would reject them. Instead, they should be like this:
“Lucrative IT job in an ever-growing company!”
On the other hand, it should be:
“Experience editor with a myriad of skills!”
It adds quality and professionalism to both titles while ensuring proper and professional decorum. The idea is to attract the reader so that they would open the rest of the job description. And doing the latter will help you do just that.
Tip 2: Provide a Brief Summary of the Role
It is important that you provide the right amount of information about the role. A lot of hiring managers make this mistake and leave out important parts. Instead of focusing on the position that you are trying to fill, focus on the responsibilities and essentials of the role.
For instance, here are some things that you should and should not do:
- Focus on the job’s key role instead of focusing on what they might be doing.
- Focus on the skills required rather than formal education or certification.
- Try to limit educational or skill requirements—not all job applicants read that.
- And focus on benefits that come with the job description, not the features.
It is important to distinguish between these things and create a short but concise summary of the job. You can summarize and then paraphrase the job description summary to make it appear distinct from the original job post.
This is the section where you can get help from the content writer or even a copywriter because here word selection and tone will matter to make an impact. You have to describe a lot without being wordy. If you want to do it yourself, it may eat up a good amount of time. First, you will write and then paraphrase to mend the word selection with the help of a thesaurus.
If you don’t want help from others nor want to involve in any hefty manual paraphrasing activity, you can try an online paraphrasing tool. Such a tool will not only improve the word selection, but it will also modify the tone to perfection.
Tip 3: Clearly Define the Duties and Responsibilities
A lot of job candidates have an issue with hiring managers not making duties and responsibilities clear in job descriptions. That is why it is essential to avoid any problems later on by defining duties and responsibilities properly.
You need to provide a detailed list of tasks that the candidate will be expected to do upon hiring. That is why you need to ensure a few things, such as:
- Everyday responsibilities according to the job.
- Reporting manager/hierarchy.
- Tasks that might be expected of the candidate—not on the regular.
- And concise description of each task expected from the candidate.
This will clarify anything that the potential job seeker wants to know. If there is not this type of information in any job description, chances are the applicant will not apply. That is why it is important to find a balance.
The balance, in this case, means providing enough information but being brief and concise. Instead of overwhelming the reader/candidate, the information should portray just enough. This will create enough questions in the mind of the candidate for the interview as well.
Tip 4: Outline the Necessary Skills and Qualifications
The task requirements, responsibilities, and duties are directly related to the applicant’s skills and qualifications. That is when you need to quantify exactly what the company is looking for in terms of qualifications and skills.
But what is even more important is that you put forward relevant skills and qualifications. For instance, looking for a computer science bachelor for an entry-level software development job. Or a skilled designer, someone who can manage UI/UX design department.
It comes down to two main things:
- The type of relevant degree required by the job.
- The type of relevant skills and experience needed for the job.
It depends on the company/hiring manager as a lot opt for skills and experience over qualifications today. However, it is necessary to find a balance between the two and ensure necessary skills and qualifications are outlined properly in the resume job description.
Tip 5: Describe the Company Culture and Benefits
The last, and perhaps the most important thing for the candidate, is company culture and benefits. This is one of the most skipped-out parts in job descriptions. As a result, a lot of capable candidates who are looking for good benefits or culture skip past such ads.
That is why it is important to showcase the company culture and the benefits provided by it. How do you do that? By creating a “what you get” section. In this section, you should provide:
- Salary and other incentives.
- Benefits that the company provides, i.e., insurance, certifications, training, etc.
- And the culture that the company has.
The description of the last section depends entirely on the company and the kind of culture that they have. Because a lot of well-paid candidates look for other jobs to find a friendlier candidate. So, a good culture might be more important to them than an equal or heftier salary.
Conclusion
These are the key essentials of creating a quality resume and job description. It is important that you summarize key points of the description and portray vital information thoroughly. But then, you also need to keep a balance between information and conciseness.