Writing a job posting is the first step to hiring the right employees. You want to start by introducing your company. Talk about the awesome projects your business works on. Who your business works with and what the benefits are for working at your company. Then describe the job. Next, describe who you need for this job – your ideal candidate. List the detailed requirements this candidate will have. Last, explain the compensation. Give a general, ball park number for compensation, and mention that it’s somewhat negotiable.

Here is an in depth look at how to write a job posting:

Introduce Your Business to Candidates

What does your business do? What products or services do they provide to clients or customers? Every great job posting starts with a general overview of the company, as well as a description of the goal that the company is trying to meet by bringing on a new hire, such as research, product development, or customer service.

You can search online for examples. But let me save you the trouble. Here’s a few examples that I found on the job search site Monster.

EXAMPLE:

Customer Service Representative – Product Support at Bee Medic. Bee Medic provides mental health professionals with high-quality neurofeedback systems and supplies while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction through quality products and service. We are a small, dedicated team with offices in Switzerland and California who takes pride in making a dramatic difference in the field of neurofeedback. Our philosophy encompasses teamwork, respect, integrity and professionalism as a part of everyday life. We are looking to fill a full-time Customer Service Representative position to help our customers with troubleshooting support and product shipping.

Describe Your Ideal Candidate

You need to put in writing exactly the kind of candidate you’re looking for. What personal and professional traits will you be looking for during the selection process? Whatever they are, they should be clearly stated in your job ad, and they should form the basis for why a candidate was or was not chosen for the job.

EXAMPLE:

The Ideal Candidate

  • Customer-centric, consistently friendly and positive with a high level of patience.
  • Proactive and able to operate with minimal supervision.
  • Achiever with great attention to detail.
  • A strong desire to learn and grow with the real world challenges of a small company.
  • Self-starter. A team player who can work independently and within a group.
  • Detail the Duties and Responsibilities

Here’s where you need to get super-specific. What will this person do on a day-to-day basis? What will their tasks and goals be?

EXAMPLE:

  • Answering/directing inbound phone calls and emails.
  • Answering product questions.
  • Taking customer orders.
  • Preparing domestic and international shipments.
  • Maintaining product inventory.
  • Resolving first-level technical support issues via phone, email, and remote login, escalating when necessary.
  • Tracking customer support issues and updating the support database.
  • Maintaining/Enhancing current customer relationships.
  • Packaging deliveries for local courier services and running occasional errands.

List the Job Requirements

Here’s where you list out exactly what the job requires. The candidate will use this information to decide whether they are really right for the role. They may also use this section to compare this job with their own job or others in the field. In theory, this section will weed out those candidates who are not qualified (but, realistically, many of them will apply anyway).

EXAMPLE:

  • Advanced skills in Windows.
  • Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
  • Knowledge of QuickBooks a plus.
  • Ability to ship and process both domestic and international packages and required commercial documentation a plus.
  • Handle high volume and challenging calls while maintaining a professional demeanor.
  • Lift large, heavy/bulky items up to 50 lbs.
  • Experience with inventory maintenance and tracking a plus.
  • Communicative with excellent verbal/written communication skills.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
  • Ability to multitask and learn new material quickly.
  • Detail-oriented.
  • Interest in learning about computer hardware and troubleshooting.
  • Ethical and honest, we built our success on long-term relationships, trust, and credibility.
  • A great attitude with the patience to teach and empower others.

Some of these skills—like having a “great attitude” and being “ethical and honest”—I probably wouldn’t include because who doesn’t feel they have these qualities? But in this section, I’m very specific as to the skills needed for the job, particularly the technical skills, and you should be too.

Provide Compensation Information

Most job ads leave out this last section, but in my opinion, compensation is kind of a big deal.

Up until this point in the job ad, the employer is explaining what they want their new hire to do for them. But what will the employer do for the employee? Remember, most people aren’t applying for your open position because they want to work. They’re applying because they have to work—because they have bills to pay and families to feed. So, how is your company going to help them meet these goals?

A salary range, offered benefits and other information that may be attractive to a potential employee (remote work opportunities, free transportation) should be included in your job ad. Employers need talent just as much as people need jobs. The more attractive you make your company and its jobs, the greater your chance of finding the right candidate.

Hiring the right employees is essential to running a successful and growing business. But first you need to define who the right candidate is, and then write a job posting that will help you find them. By following the advice in this article, you should be in great shape when it comes to searching for and finding top talent for your business.