Job seekers have multiple opportunities to learn what it’s like to work for your company. They can access the company career site, view photos of employees on social media and gain a better understanding of the culture on sites such as Glassdoor. But what compels them to explore whether or not they would enjoy being a part of your team? For many job seekers, the job post is the catalyst for further research.

How to Craft the Perfect Job Description

Written job descriptions define a role, communicate responsibilities to applicants and are the determining factor in whether or not a job seeker will pursue the position. To set your company apart, start by crafting the perfect job description using the below job description template.

Paragraph One: Design a Compelling Company Blurb

The opening sentence should succinctly describe the reason your company exists. How does your company stand apart and what are the challenges you solve? Don’t get into company history or various product lines; job seekers can learn about that from your website. Instead, focus on the meaningful ways customers benefit from engaging with your organization. Include hyperlinks to recent awards or accolades that would excite a potential employee.

Paragraph Two: Summarize Role Specifics

The second paragraph will vary depending on the role and department; it serves as the ‘elevator pitch’ for the opportunity. How would this person describe the role to a friend or family member? Will he or she work as part of a team or more as an individual contributor? What sort of training will he or she receive? Provide a big-picture view into the position, focusing on brevity to keep the reader interested.

Paragraph Three: Keep Responsibilities and Requirements to a Minimum

A job post is not an exhaustive list of everything the role is expected to achieve; leave that for the internal job description. Remember, your ideal candidate may be scrolling through your post from his or her mobile device — contain the bulleted list to a description that fits on one screen. Keep the position’s minimum requirements broad and include personality traits that would help a candidate succeed in this role, in addition to technical abilities.

Paragraph Four: Highlight Perks and Benefits

This is the place to show off your organization’s brag-worthy perks. Whether it is a weekly catered lunch or unlimited PTO, attract top talent by including a few of the high-level tangible perks that make your company unique, as well as the intangible benefits like access to leadership or set growth plans. This section should demonstrate your organization’s commitment to the overall culture.

Alternatives to Traditional Job Descriptions

Tried-and-true written job descriptions will always be important. When you’ve mastered the written job description, amplify your efforts and attract top candidates by incorporating these five alternatives to traditional job posts into your recruiting strategy.

Video Job Descriptions

Incorporate videos into your recruitment marketing strategy to provide candidates with added insight into what a hiring manager is looking for, and what it’s like to work at your company. Film the hiring manager explaining the role and post the short video to your social networks in lieu of a written job description. If the position is a highly collaborative role, film different team members explaining what goes on during a typical day, to create a day-in-the-life style video.

Exclusive Application Period

Host a weekly “hot job” streaming session on social media, where hiring managers leverage social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to announce your company’s latest jobs. Promote these weekly chats on your social media sites and within your talent community. Allow potential candidates to ask hiring managers questions, and provide these potential candidates an exclusive application period before posting the open positions on your go-to job boards.

Re-focused Social Strategy

Shift your focus from posting open jobs on LinkedIn and Twitter to sponsored posts on Instagram and Snapchat. Reallocate your recruitment marketing budget to reach Gen Z and millennial candidates on the platforms that are more likely to appeal to them, and to demonstrate you understand how they intuitively obtain information.

Formalized Internal Recruiting Process

Employees often don’t know about open positions they may be qualified for, the process for applying to jobs in other departments, or how to apply for an internal position without causing tension with their current hiring managers. Leverage your current talent and encourage professional growth by creating a formal internal application process that gives employees the first chance to apply to jobs before the position is opened to outside candidates.

Career Path-Based Descriptions

Instead of solely listing a position’s tasks and responsibilities, outline what a potential career path would look like at your company for the particular position. Entry-level candidates are looking to forge their own careers, so make career development part of the conversation from the start. Rather than just telling them what they would do on the job, highlight how the position and the company as a whole can help them grow professionally and set them up for a successful career.