A job description does two jobs at once: it sells the role and it filters applicants. Most do neither well, because they are assembled from the last one and describe a personality rather than a set of tasks. The fix is structural. Lead with the work and the pay, and let everything else follow.
The five sections applicants actually read
In order of how much they matter to a candidate deciding whether to apply:
- What I will actually do. Not the mission statement — the weekly work. Named systems, named colleagues, named outputs.
- Pay range. Publishing a range increases relevant applications and removes everyone who would have left at offer stage. In several jurisdictions a range is now required.
- The first 90 days. What success looks like at one month and three. This is the most persuasive section you can write and almost nobody writes it.
- The interview process. How many stages, with whom, how long. Uncertainty here loses candidates who have options.
- Who this suits and who it does not. Honest exclusions save everyone time.
The nine structures
Replace every [bracket]. A bracket left in means the field was never decided, and a draft will fill it with something plausible.
1. The standard posting
Use when: replacing an existing role with a defined scope.
Role: [title], reporting to [manager]. What you will do: the three things that take most of your week — [a], [b], [c]. First 90 days: by week four, [outcome]; by week twelve, [outcome]. Pay: [range]. Process: [number] stages, starting with [what].
2. The new role
Use when: the position did not exist before and the scope is genuinely open.
We are creating this role because [specific problem]. The first three months are more about [finding out X] than [delivering Y], and the shape of the job will change as a result. You would suit this if [trait tied to ambiguity]. You would not if [trait].
3. The technical role
Use when: specific tooling or depth matters.
Stack: [systems, versions where it matters]. Depth needed: [what you would be expected to decide alone]. What is genuinely hard about this job: [specific difficulty]. We are not expecting [common requirement you do not need].
4. The part-time or flexible role
Use when: hours are genuinely flexible.
[Hours per week] hours, across [number] days. Core overlap needed: [window, timezone]. Busiest times: [periods]. Where it is genuinely flexible and where it is not: [honest split].
5. The remote role with constraints
Use when: remote but with legal or timezone limits.
Remote within [regions or countries, tied to employment eligibility rather than preference]. Overlap required: [hours]. Travel: [frequency, purpose]. Kit and allowance: [what is provided].
6. The internal posting
Use when: open to existing staff first.
Open internally for [period] before external advertising. What transfers well from [current teams]: [skills]. What does not: [gap]. Your current manager's permission is [required / not required] before applying.
7. The junior or entry role
Use when: hiring for potential rather than experience.
No prior [field] experience required. What we will teach: [list]. What we cannot teach quickly: [judgement or trait] — that is what we are selecting for. First three months: [structured onboarding detail].
8. The contract or fixed-term role
Use when: there is an end date or a deliverable.
Length: [months], ending [date or milestone]. Deliverables: [numbered list]. Extension depends on [stated condition], not on performance vaguely assessed. Rate: [amount and basis].
9. The short posting
Use when: hiring through a network or a niche board.
Three paragraphs: the problem, the first 90 days, the pay range. Link to a longer page for everything else. Shorter posts get read to the end, which is worth more than completeness.
Phrases that filter for the wrong things
Generated job descriptions reliably include these, and each one narrows the pool in ways you did not intend:
- "Rockstar" / "ninja" / "guru". Reads as inexperience with the actual work.
- "Wear many hats." Usually means the role is underscoped. Say what the hats are.
- "Work hard, play hard." Says nothing about the job and something about the hours.
- A ten-item requirement list. Research repeatedly shows long requirement lists reduce applications from people who self-assess strictly, particularly among underrepresented candidates. List the four that matter and mark the rest as useful.
- "Fast-paced environment." Either name the pace or remove it.
What to leave out of generated text
Three fields carry legal or pay-equity weight and should be written deliberately: pay ranges (check current local requirements), anything about employment eligibility or sponsorship, and any statement about equal opportunity policy. These are quoted from your policy documents, not drafted.
Editing time, from our 30-day benchmark
Our 30-day test put a full job description at roughly 15 minutes with a general assistant and about 24 minutes with a low-cost dedicated writer. The difference was structural: the cheaper tool's drafts needed the "first 90 days" section written almost from scratch, while the stronger model produced a usable version once given the specifics. What neither could supply was the actual work — that comes from whoever does the job.
Describe the work, not the worker
Lead with ninety days and the pay range — everything else follows.
Try Rytr →Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a job description be?
Long enough to cover five things: the actual work, the pay range, the first 90 days, the interview process, and who the role suits. Usually 400 to 700 words, not the 1,200 that gets skipped.
Should I include a salary range?
Yes where you can. Publishing a range increases relevant applications and screens out mismatches before offer stage. Check current requirements for your jurisdiction — some now mandate it.
Can AI write a job description?
It can produce the structure and phrasing once given the specifics. It cannot know what the person does each week or what your pay bands are, and those are the sections candidates read first.
What should I avoid in a job posting?
Personality adjectives over concrete tasks, requirement lists longer than about six items, and vague pace language. Each narrows the pool for reasons unrelated to the work.
Why does the first-90-days section matter?
It is the most persuasive part of a posting and the rarest. It tells a candidate what succeeding looks like, which is what they are deciding about.