How to write a job description to attract quality candidates

Focus On The Right Information In Your Job Description

Be specific about required and preferred qualifications

Many candidates scan the qualifications section first to decide whether to keep reading or apply. Clear, concrete requirements can help people quickly understand whether they may be a match, while ‘nice to have’ details can encourage others to consider applying.

As you define qualifications, you might:

• Separate required and preferred criteria, so candidates can easily find the difference.
• Use clear experience ranges, for example ‘several years of experience in customer service’ instead of ‘some experience’.
• Name relevant tools and skills a person will use in the role.
• Focus on job-related skills and outcomes rather than an exhaustive list of preferences.

The more precisely you describe qualifications, the easier it can be for people who are a potential fit to recognise themselves in the role and decide whether to apply. Indeed’s matching and sourcing tools can then use those details to suggest candidates whose skills and experience are closer to what you need, helping you focus your time on the most relevant applicants.

Salary range and career progression in your job posting

Pay information is often one of the first details candidates explore in a job posting. When possible, sharing a realistic pay range can help set expectations early and support more informed decisions on both sides. In some locations, employers may also have legal requirements related to pay transparency, so consider checking local guidance if you are unsure.

You might:

• Include a clear salary range that reflects what your organisation expects to pay for the role.
• Explain how pay is structured, such as whether bonuses, commission or other incentives may apply.
• Highlight potential progression opportunities, such as chances to take on more responsibility, build skills or move into related roles over time.

Being open about pay and progression can help you attract candidates whose expectations are more closely aligned with what you offer. Indeed’s labour market data and insights can also help you compare your range against typical benchmarks in your area and adjust as needed.

Share what it is like to work at your company

Alongside job duties and pay, many candidates want to understand what day-to-day life might feel like at your organisation. A short ‘About us’ or ‘Work environment’ section in the job description can help provide that context.

You may want to describe:

• Work style and location, for example whether the role is on-site, hybrid or remote and what a typical schedule seems like.
• Work–life balance and well-being, including any practices or programs that support time away from work, manageable workloads or sustainable performance.
• Benefits and time off, such as high-level information about benefits, vacation or paid time off and any additional perks your organisation chooses to offer.
• How performance is evaluated, including how you share feedback, recognise strong work and support growth.
• How this role connects to your company’s mission or goals, so candidates can refer to the impact of their work.

Aim for straightforward language you might use when emailing a colleague. If your organisation has an Indeed Company Page, you can reinforce this story with photos, reviews and additional details about your workplace or refer readers to your Company Page from the job description.

Use Indeed Tools To Support Your Job Description

If you are starting from a blank page or updating an existing role, Indeed’s AI Job Description Generator (available only in the US) can quickly create a clear, scannable draft based on your role details. You can then review the suggestions, adjust the language to match your culture and add specifics like pay range, benefits and screener questions before you post.

Use screener questions and hiring tools effectively

Once your job description is clear, Indeed tools can help you spend more time with candidates who may meet your minimum criteria.

When you post a job on Indeed, you can:

• Use screener questions, so Indeed can help surface applicants who are more closely aligned with your requirements, based on the criteria you set. Jobseekers respond to the specific questions as part of the apply flow, giving you further insights into their qualifications and background alongside their application.
• Enable Indeed Apply so candidates can apply quickly using their Indeed profile, which can help reduce drop-off during the application process.

For ongoing roles or harder-to-fill positions, you can also use Indeed Smart Sourcing to search broader talent pools, find matches based on your criteria and invite promising candidates to apply. You can learn more about these options in the Hiring with Indeed resource centre.

Make your job description easy to scan

Many people skim job postings on a phone or between other tasks. Formatting your description makes it easy to scan and can help candidates quickly find the details that matter most to them.

Consider:

• Using clear headings such as ‘Job summary’, ‘Responsibilities’, ‘Qualifications’ and ‘Benefits’, so readers can navigate to what they need.
• Keeping paragraphs short and using bulleted lists for responsibilities and requirements.
• Putting key details like location, work pattern, pay information and top qualifications near the beginning of the description.
• Avoiding internal jargon and acronyms that may be unclear to candidates.

Clean, organised formatting can make your job description easier to understand quickly and may encourage more top candidates to complete their application.

Align your job description with your hiring process

Your job description does not have to stand alone. When you use it consistently across your career site, your applicant tracking system and Indeed tools such as Smart Sourcing and screener questions, you create a single, clear visibility of the role for both candidates and your team. This alignment can make it easier to compare applicants fairly, track performance and adjust future job postings as your requirements change.

You might:

• Use the same key description on your career site, in your applicant tracking system and on Indeed, so candidates find a consistent visibility of the role wherever they find it.
• Keep requirements and responsibilities synchronised with tools like Indeed Smart Sourcing, so that matches and recommendations reflect your current demands.
• Review performance regularly with Indeed’s analytics and hiring insights tools to review which descriptions appear to drive the most relevant applications and where you may want to adjust.
• Capture learnings from each job posting cycle and update your templates, so future postings start from the strongest version of your description to date.

Putting It All Together

A well-structured job description can support a more efficient hiring process by helping candidates decide whether to apply and helping you focus on applications that are more likely to be a match. Reviewing your existing job posts with these ideas in mind, and pairing them with Indeed hiring tools and AI features, can help you refine future job postings over time.

Back to Hiring with Indeed