What this is
A fill-in-the-brackets job description template covering the company overview, summary, responsibilities, and qualifications.
When to use it
Use it before you open a requisition, especially if the last job description you posted was copied from an old one and never actually updated.
Common mistake
Padding the qualifications list with "nice to haves" until it reads like a wishlist, which scares off good candidates who don't check every box.
How to use this
- Download the Word doc
- Fill in the brackets with the real responsibilities and the one or two qualifications that actually matter
- Post the specific version, not the generic one, before you open the role
A job description that's actually specific attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones. Fill in the brackets, don't leave the generic version live.
Company overview
At [Company Name], we [what the company actually does and who it serves]. [One honest sentence about the team or culture, skip it if the truthful version doesn't sound like a job ad.]
Job title
[The exact title people will search for, not an internal-only nickname for the role.]
Summary
We're hiring a [role] to [the actual outcome this person is responsible for], not a list of tasks, the specific thing that gets better because they exist.
Responsibilities
· [The primary responsibility, what they'll spend most of their time on]
· [Who they'll work with regularly and how]
· [A decision or judgment call this role is trusted to make on its own]
· [How their success will actually be measured]
· [Who they'll work with regularly and how]
· [A decision or judgment call this role is trusted to make on its own]
· [How their success will actually be measured]
Qualifications
· [The one or two qualifications that are genuinely required, not a wishlist]
· [Years of experience, only if it truly matters for this specific role]
· [A skill or trait that predicts success in this role specifically, not generically]
· [Years of experience, only if it truly matters for this specific role]
· [A skill or trait that predicts success in this role specifically, not generically]
Cut anything on this list that's really a "nice to have." A long qualifications list discourages good candidates who don't check every box, and most people who'd actually be great at the job don't check every box.