Guide to Writing a Great Job Spec

What’s the first thing a potential candidate looks at when a job listing catches their eye? It’s likely going to be the job spec; a summary of all of the tasks they will be expected to undertake, the skills and experience required for the role, as well as any additional points of note – anything from pensions to parking. Due to the sheer amount of important information contained in a job spec, it’s vital to make sure that it’s not only written properly but also conveys all of the points that a candidate might need in deciding whether a role is right for them.

Financial Aspects

Even though your job spec might be packed to the brim with information about company culture and the numerous benefits you offer to employees, one of the first things candidates will look at will be pay. While even the worst written job spec offering a good wage is likely to garner some attention from potential applicants, the same can’t really be said for the reverse. Simply by offering a competitive wage the quality of your job spec rises astronomically. Read more about advertising salaries in our candidate attraction report.

Most applicants will also be curious about auto-enrolment into pension plans as well as where your employee’s pensions are invested; while this isn’t a must-have on a job spec, if you offer a particularly lucrative pension plan you may wish to mention it (and on your careers site) to make the role more appealing. A good portion of those who leave their current roles do so due to financial incentives, thereby, if you offer any, be sure to mention them.

Key Skills

If you’re making use of a Recruitment System or Applicant Tracking solution, you will likely be aware of the functionality for screening that is carried out to identify the quality of potential candidates. CV parsing and application screening are based around recognising keywords to reduce re-keying and match candidates to vacancies based on skills and keywords relevant to the vacancy and job spec. Knowing the desired skills for a vacancy and ensuring these are included in the job spec to then use it to match candidates speeds things up considerably.

Duties and Responsibilities

While it’s a natural part of the work environment that roles adapt as time goes on, you’re always going to want to give as accurate a description of the role to any potential applicants. It’s common for businesses with poorly defined roles to see a high employee turnover due to people joining and realising the work is nothing like they had done previously or far removed from what was actually advertised. Always be concise and accurate with roles and responsibilities to ensure that anyone applying isn’t disappointed once they actually join.

Contact Eploy Today

At Eploy we offer a bespoke Applicant Tracking System designed to help you find the best candidates for each and every job opening. Get in touch with our specialist team at Eploy to find out how we can help you meet your recruitment goals.