Writing an effective job description can help employers remain competitive even in the most challenging labor markets and find the right employee for the position. 

This year, the employment market has remained strong despite projections of a looming recession and layoffs from various companies. But despite these factors, the unemployment rate has remained low, falling before the 4% mark.

In order to attract attention and applications from the right candidates, it is vital that the job description is effective and aligned with what you need. There are several factors that applicants will look for in a job description to determine if it is a right fit for them. 

For those looking to hire quality job applicants, consider posting on ZipRecruiter, which will walk you through how to post a job in a few simple steps. 

Highlight essential elements

Many companies (about 81%) struggle with coming up with a job description to post on search sites, according to research by ZipRecruiter. Among the top concerns were the ability to stand out, choosing the right job title and writing the job description.

Day-to-day responsibilities: To simplify this process, it is important to highlight key elements of the role in the job listing, including day-to-day responsibilities. This allows applicants to visualize what their average day on the job would look like and can help sift out applicants that wouldn’t be interested. It also further reveals the type of experience and skills the potential employee would need to have in order to be successful in their new job, should they get the position. 

Keywords: It is also important to include the right keywords in the essential elements highlights. Using the right keywords can help your job opportunity appear higher in search results for specific jobs or skills when an applicant is browsing the top job posting sites. Leveraging keywords can help your employment listing get in front of the right applicants and help you find more qualified workers. 

You can also reach more applicants by partnering with a job posting site such as ZipRecruiter and follow its simple steps to post your job for free.

Give detailed qualifications

Aside from the day-to-day duties and a more general description of the role, it is also important to dive into the specifics with a more detailed list of qualifications.

If you have a specific set of qualifications and experience that applicants need to have for the job, it is important to clearly list those out. This allows an applicant to easily determine if they are the right person for the job before they apply. Some employers also choose to list a set of required qualifications and preferred qualifications. This could include information such as what software may be used for the job or any required certification, education or experience. 

The more information an applicant has on the job and the expectations of the employer, the better chances that employers will receive applicants that fit their needs. By seeing detailed qualifications, applicants can also tailor their resumes to better highlight their matches to what the employer is looking for. 

List benefits

In a recent survey of new hires, ZipRecruiter dove into what new hires are getting from switching jobs, giving insight into what applicants may be searching for. Here were the top changes that new hires saw:

Outlining the day-to-day and listing out specific qualifications can help address the first two points, but a job description would be remiss to leave out a section on the company’s benefits to round out the final three. Companies can show their commitment to and investment in their employees by showcasing benefits such as health insurance, profit sharing and retirement plans. This can also give potential new employees insight into the culture of the company. 

Salary transparency has become a growing trend from an employer, legislative and even personal level. While salaries were once something that was not spoken about, millennials are bringing a new culture to the market where they are open about what they make and what they want. And a recent survey showed 73% of workers are more likely to trust organizations that provide pay ranges, according to SHRM. 

Pay transparency can lead to better alignment from applicants and employers on expectations for the job, according to ZipRecruiter. The survey showed 61.7% of respondents said that the job posting for their new role included pay information. 

If you are looking for guidelines to posting a new job description, consider using a free tool like ZipRecruiter to guide you through the job posting process.