Writing a Job Description That Attracts the Right Person

A job description has one job: get the right five people to apply and the wrong two hundred to self-select out. Most founders write it backwards – they list every skill they can imagine wanting, describe a "rockstar" or a "ninja," and end up with a pile of applicants who read the post as a Mad Lib rather than a real job.

Lead with the work, not the wish list

Open with what the person will actually do in their first three months – the real tasks, not the eventual scope you dream about. If the first hire is going to spend half their time on customer support tickets and the other half building the second version of your onboarding flow, say that. Candidates who are excited by that mix will lean in; candidates who wanted a title, not a job, will opt out on their own.

Separate must-have from nice-to-have – and mean it

• List no more than three or four true requirements
• Move everything else – tools, bonus experience, culture-fit adjectives – into a short optional section or drop it entirely
• Every extra requirement you list cuts your applicant pool without necessarily raising the bar
• If you'd hire a great candidate who is missing one requirement, it was not a requirement

Long requirement lists disproportionately discourage strong candidates who don't check every box – they read the list literally and don't apply. The people willing to apply despite ticking only six of fifteen boxes are not always the strongest signal; they're often just the least selective about what "qualified" means.

Be specific about the parts people actually decide on

• Compensation range, or at least a real band – vague listings filter out candidates who won't negotiate blind
• Where the role sits: remote, hybrid, or in-person, and how much that is likely to change
• Reporting structure – who this person works with day to day, not just who they report to
• What success looks like at 90 days, described concretely

Cut the culture language that means nothing

"Fast-paced," "wears many hats," "work hard, play hard" – these phrases are so common they have stopped communicating anything. If you want to describe the pace or ambiguity of the role, describe an actual situation the person will face instead: "you will often be the first person to touch a problem with no existing process for it" says more than "fast-paced environment" ever will.

A good job post reads like a fair warning and an honest invitation at the same time – here is exactly what this is, and here is why it might be exactly what you want.

Finally, have someone outside the company read the draft before you post it. If they can't tell you, in one sentence, what the job actually is, a candidate skimming it on their phone won't be able to either.