Write a job ad people actually read.
A simple job description template with the best practice built in, plus answers to the questions hiring managers ask most when writing one.
Free to use. No sign-up needed.
The template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and follow the tips as you go. Delete the tips before you post.
Job title
[Insert clear, industry-standard job title]
Best practice: Use a recognisable, 1 to 4 word title that external candidates actively search for. Avoid internal jargon, numbers or confusing abbreviations.
Position summary
[Insert a 2 to 3 sentence overview of the role.]
Best practice: Explain the primary purpose of the position, who the role reports to, and how it fits into the organisation. Speak directly to the candidate using “you” instead of “the ideal applicant”.
Core responsibilities
- [Key responsibility 1]: [Describe the specific duty, starting with a strong action verb.]
- [Key responsibility 2]: [Describe the specific duty, starting with a strong action verb.]
- [Key responsibility 3]: [Describe the specific duty, starting with a strong action verb.]
- [Key responsibility 4]: [Describe the specific duty, starting with a strong action verb.]
Best practice: Focus on 4 to 7 outcome-based duties. Keep each bullet short (1 to 2 sentences), focusing on what needs to be achieved rather than a sequence of tasks.
Skills & qualifications
Essential criteria
- [Requirement 1]: [A must-have capability or technical skill needed from day one.]
- [Requirement 2]: [A must-have capability or technical skill needed from day one.]
Desirable criteria
- [Requirement 3]: [A nice-to-have that would help a candidate stand out.]
- [Requirement 4]: [A nice-to-have that would help a candidate stand out.]
Best practice: Clearly separate mandatory requirements from preferred skills. Focus on the depth of a skill rather than arbitrary years of experience, which can be unintentionally exclusionary.
Salary & benefits
- Salary range: £[Amount] to £[Amount] per annum (dependent on experience)
- Working pattern: [e.g. full-time, hybrid, remote, flexible hours]
- Benefits: [Key perks, such as pension, annual leave or a training budget]
Best practice: Include clear salary bands and flexible working options to boost transparency and attract a wider, more diverse pool of talent.
Final review checklist
- Bias check: have you removed gendered terms and overly aggressive language?
- Readability: is it scannable and easy to read on a phone?
- Clarity: have you used plain English and avoided internal acronyms?
Job title
The first thing candidates search for, and the first thing they see.
What makes a good job title?
One that a candidate would type into a search bar. Keep it to 1 to 4 words and use the standard name for the role in your industry, such as “Customer Success Manager” or “Product Manager”.
Can I use our internal job title?
Only if it’s the same as the industry standard. Internal titles, grade numbers (“Associate II”) and abbreviations don’t match what people search for, so your role gets seen less. If the grade matters, mention it in the summary instead.
Should I add seniority or specialism to the title?
Yes, if it helps the right people find it. “Senior”, “Lead” or a clear specialism (“Enterprise Customer Success Manager”) is useful. Creative titles like “Customer Happiness Hero” are not, because nobody searches for them.
Position summary
Two or three sentences that tell a candidate whether to keep reading.
How long should the position summary be?
Two to three sentences. Anything longer belongs in the responsibilities section.
What should the summary cover?
- The main purpose of the role: why it exists.
- Who the role reports to.
- How it fits into the team and the wider organisation.
Why write “you” instead of “the ideal applicant”?
Speaking directly to the reader helps them picture themselves in the role, which makes them more likely to apply.
The ideal applicant will manage a portfolio of accounts.You’ll look after a portfolio of 60 mid-market customers.
Core responsibilities
What the person will achieve, not a list of every task.
How many responsibilities should I list?
Between 4 and 7. Fewer than 4 makes the role look vague. More than 7 and the key duties get lost, and candidates start to wonder whether it’s really two jobs.
How should I write each one?
Start with a strong action verb (lead, own, build, improve, deliver) and keep each bullet to 1 or 2 sentences.
What does “outcome-based” mean?
Describe what needs to be achieved, not just the steps involved. Outcomes show candidates what success looks like and help the right people self-select.
Make calls to customers and update the CRM.Own renewals for your portfolio, keeping customers engaged and retention high.
Skills & qualifications
Be clear about what’s needed on day one and what’s a bonus.
What’s the difference between essential and desirable criteria?
Essential criteria are the must-haves: things someone needs from their first day to do the job. Desirable criteria are nice-to-haves that would help a candidate stand out, but you’d still hire a strong person without them.
Why keep them in separate lists?
A single long list makes every item look mandatory, which puts off good candidates who meet most of it. Splitting them shows people exactly where the bar is.
Should I ask for a number of years’ experience?
Avoid it where you can. Years in a role don’t say much about how well someone can do something, and fixed minimums can unintentionally exclude capable people. Describe the depth of skill you need instead, for example “confident running quarterly business reviews with senior stakeholders”.
How many essential criteria should I include?
Only the ones that are truly needed on day one. If you could train someone on it in their first few weeks, it’s probably desirable rather than essential.
Salary & benefits
The section candidates look for first.
Should I include a salary range?
Yes. Clear salary bands build trust, save time for both sides, and attract a wider, more diverse pool of candidates. On AvailableTalent.io, candidates share their salary expectations and employers can filter by salary, so being upfront makes it easier to match.
How should I show the salary?
As a range per year, for example “£38,000 to £45,000 per annum (dependent on experience)”. Avoid “competitive salary”, which tells candidates nothing.
What should I put under working pattern?
Whether the role is full-time or part-time, and whether it’s office based, hybrid or remote. If it’s hybrid, say how many days are in the office. Mention flexible hours if you offer them.
Which benefits are worth listing?
The ones that make a real difference: pension contributions, annual leave, training or learning budgets, and anything that sets you apart. Skip the generic perks everyone offers.
Final review
Three checks before you post.
How do I check for bias?
Read it through for gendered terms (“he”, “salesman”, “chairman”) and overly aggressive language (“crush targets”, “dominate”, “rockstar”). Use neutral words like “you”, “they” and “achieve” instead.
Why does reading on a phone matter?
Many candidates browse jobs on their phones. Short paragraphs, clear headings and bullet points make the role easy to scan on a small screen.
What counts as plain English?
Everyday words, short sentences and no internal acronyms or team names a new starter wouldn’t know. If you need to read a sentence twice, rewrite it.
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