How to Write Job Descriptions That Actually Attract the Right Candidates
Your job description is your first impression
Before a candidate talks to a recruiter, sits in an interview, or meets the team, they read your job description. And most of the time, what they read is a wall of jargon, an impossible wish list, and zero information about what the job actually involves day to day.
The result: your best candidates self-select out. They see 15 "requirements" and assume they need all of them. Meanwhile, less qualified candidates who apply to everything flood your inbox. AI can fix this in about 20 minutes per role.
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
This is the single highest-impact change you can make. Research consistently shows that women and underrepresented candidates are less likely to apply unless they meet close to 100% of listed requirements. Men typically apply at around 60%.
Every requirement you list that isn't truly essential shrinks your applicant pool and skews it toward a less diverse set of candidates.
Go through your requirements list and ask one question for each item: "Would we reject an otherwise excellent candidate who didn't have this?" If the answer is no, move it to a "Nice to have" section or remove it entirely.
Use AI to help: "Review this job description and separate the requirements into two categories: must-haves (skills and qualifications that are genuinely essential for day-one success) and nice-to-haves (skills that can be learned on the job or would be a bonus). Here's the JD: [paste job description]."
Check for inclusive language
Certain words and phrases in job descriptions discourage specific groups from applying. Words like "rockstar," "ninja," and "dominate" skew masculine. Phrases like "young and energetic" signal age bias. "Culture fit" can be a proxy for homogeneity.
AI can scan for these patterns: "Review this job description for language that may discourage diverse candidates from applying. Flag gendered language, age-biased terms, unnecessarily aggressive words, and any phrasing that could be exclusionary. Suggest neutral alternatives for each flagged term. Here's the JD: [paste job description]."
This isn't about being politically correct. It's about not accidentally filtering out qualified candidates before they even apply.
Write for role clarity
A candidate should finish reading your JD and know exactly what their first 90 days would look like. Most job descriptions fail this test completely.
Structure your JD with these sections:
What you'll do. List 5 to 7 core responsibilities in order of importance. Use active language: "You'll build," "You'll manage," "You'll lead." Not "Responsible for" or "Duties include."
What you'll need. Keep this to genuine must-haves. 4 to 6 items maximum. Include both hard skills and relevant soft skills.
What would be a bonus. Nice-to-haves go here. Be honest that these aren't required.
What you'll get. Compensation range, benefits, growth opportunities, team culture, flexibility. This section is where most JDs fall short. Candidates want to know what's in it for them.
Use AI to restructure an existing JD: "Rewrite this job description using the following structure: What you'll do (5 to 7 responsibilities), What you'll need (4 to 6 must-haves), What would be a bonus (2 to 3 nice-to-haves), and What you'll get (compensation, benefits, and culture highlights). Use active, direct language. Remove jargon. Here's the current JD: [paste job description]."
Include salary transparency
Listing a salary range increases application rates significantly. In many states, it's now legally required. Even where it isn't, transparency builds trust and saves everyone time.
If leadership pushes back on posting ranges, share this: roles with listed salary ranges receive up to 30% more applicants. More applicants means a better hiring pool. A better pool means a better hire. A better hire means less turnover cost down the line.
The AI editing workflow
Here's the complete process for any new job description:
- Draft the JD or pull an existing one.
- Ask AI to separate must-haves from nice-to-haves.
- Ask AI to check for inclusive language and suggest alternatives.
- Ask AI to restructure using the What you'll do / need / bonus / get format.
- Add the salary range and specific benefits.
- Read it out loud. If any sentence sounds like corporate boilerplate, rewrite it in plain language.
The whole process takes 15 to 20 minutes. The result is a JD that attracts the candidates you actually want and filters out mismatches before they apply.
Go deeper
Job descriptions are just the starting point. For the complete AI-powered HR playbook covering recruiting, onboarding, engagement, performance management, and people operations, check out Practical AI for HR Leaders: Streamline Hiring, Engagement, and People Operations with AI.
