What is a job description?
A job description is a document that explains what a role involves, who the employee reports to, and the skills needed to do the job properly. It outlines daily tasks, job responsibilities, and expectations, so both employers and candidates know exactly what the role includes.
A clear employee job description also helps businesses hire faster and avoid confusion later on.
What does a job description include?
A good job description should tell candidates what the role actually looks like day to day, not just sound impressive on LinkedIn.
Most job descriptions include:
- Main job duties and responsibilities
- Required skills and qualifications
- Working hours and location
- Salary or benefits (if included)
Clear job responsibilities help applicants decide whether the role suits them. It also saves employers from sorting through 147 CVs from people who thought “Excel skills” meant changing font colours.
Why job descriptions are crucial for businesses
Recent UK research found that 74% of employers struggle to find quality candidates, while many applicants say job expectations are often unclear.
Good job descriptions help with:
- Attracting suitable candidates
- Explaining job duties and responsibilities clearly
- Reducing unsuitable applications
- Supporting employee performance reviews
- Creating fairer hiring processes
- Avoiding “that’s not my job” conversations later
How to write a good job description
Writing a job description should be simple, clear, and realistic. The goal is to explain the role precisely and not make it sound like the candidate will personally “drive global innovation” from a small office in Swindon.
A simple structure usually works best:
- Start with the job title and a short summary of the role
- Explain the main job duties and responsibilities
- List the skills, qualifications, and experience needed
- Mention working hours, salary, benefits, and location
- Include who the employee reports to
- Finish with a short company introduction and how to apply
Example of a simple job description
Job title: Customer Service Administrator
Location: Leeds, Hybrid Working
Salary: £24,000-£26,000 per year
We are looking for a friendly and organised Customer Service Administrator to support our growing team. The role involves answering customer enquiries, updating records, handling emails, and helping process orders.
Responsibilities:
- Respond to customer calls and emails
- Update customer information in the system
- Support the sales and operations teams
- Help resolve basic customer issues
Requirements:
- Good communication skills
- Basic Microsoft Office knowledge
- Previous admin experience preferred
The role is full-time, Monday to Friday. Training will be provided, and there is no requirement to survive on “competitive pizza Fridays” alone (you’ll get actual benefits!).
Job description vs job specification
A job description explains the role itself, including the employee’s day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and reporting structure. A job specification focuses on the person needed for the role, such as skills, qualifications, and experience.
Both documents work together during recruitment. One explains the job. The other explains who can actually do it without causing weekly spreadsheet-related panic.
| Job description |
Job specification |
| Explains the role |
Explains the ideal candidate |
| Lists job duties and responsibilities |
Lists skills and qualifications |
| Focuses on the job |
Focuses on the person |
| Used to explain expectations |
Used to assess suitability |
| Includes reporting structure and tasks |
Includes experience and abilities |
Common mistakes in job descriptions
Many businesses write job descriptions too quickly and end up attracting the wrong applicants. And others accidentally make the role sound so complicated that good candidates simply scroll past.
Common mistakes include:
- Using vague or confusing job titles
- Listing unrealistic requirements
- Writing huge paragraphs nobody reads
- Forgetting salary or working details
- Using too much corporate jargon
- Copying generic templates without updating them
A good job description should be clear, specific, and easy to scan. If candidates need a translator and a stress ball to understand it, something has gone wrong.
Can job descriptions change over time?
Yes. Job descriptions should evolve as businesses grow, technology changes, and responsibilities shift. A role that started with basic admin tasks can easily expand into customer support, reporting, or team coordination over time.
Just make sure changes are reasonable and properly communicated. Quietly turning a marketing assistant into a part-time IT department rarely goes down well.
Are job descriptions different for remote hiring?
Yes. Remote job descriptions usually need more detail than office-based roles. Candidates need to understand how communication, working hours, reporting, and collaboration will work when the team is not in the same building.
A remote employee job description should clearly mention:
- Whether the role is fully remote or hybrid
- Expected working hours and time zones
- Communication tools used by the business
- Reporting structure and team setup
- Any equipment or internet requirements
Clear expectations are especially important in remote hiring. Otherwise, businesses may attract candidates expecting flexible beachside working while the company expects someone online at 8:30 sharp every morning.
FAQs
1. Who writes a job description?
Job descriptions are usually written by employers, managers, HR teams, or recruiters. However, in smaller businesses, it is often the business owner doing everything themselves.
2. How long should a job description be?
Most job descriptions should be one to two pages long. It should include essential job responsibilities and requirements.
3. Are job descriptions legally binding?
Job descriptions are not usually legally binding contracts, but they can still be used to clarify expectations, responsibilities, and duties if disputes arise between employers and employees later.
4. Should salary be included in a job description?
Including salary helps attract suitable candidates and improves transparency during recruitment. Many applicants skip job adverts without salary details because nobody enjoys mysterious “competitive” compensation packages.
