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Recruiting template

Job Description Template

A job description sets out what a role is for, what the person will do, what they need to bring, who they report to, where they work and what it pays. Pick the format below that fits how you will use it, fill in your details and copy it. For the public advert on job boards, use the job posting template instead.

Job Description Template

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Every version below updates as you type. A field left empty stays as a [placeholder] in the text you copy.

Your company and sender details are remembered, so the next template starts with them filled in.

Note

Rules on job adverts differ by place. Some require a pay range in postings, such as California for employers with 15 or more employees, and EU member states had to bring the Pay Transparency Directive into national law by 7 June 2026. Check local rules before you publish. This is not legal advice.

Standard job description

When to use it: The full job description for a salaried role, used for the careers page, the hiring team and the interview plan.

Job title: [Job title] Company: [Company name] Team: [Team or department] Reports to: [Reports to] Location: [Location] ([Work arrangement]) Employment type: [Employment type] Pay: [Pay range] About [Company name] [About the company] About the role [Purpose of the role] What you will do - [Responsibility 1] - [Responsibility 2] - [Responsibility 3] - [Responsibility 4] What you will need - [Requirement 1] - [Requirement 2] - [Requirement 3] Nice to have - [Nice to have] You don't need to meet every point to apply. If most of this sounds like you, we would like to hear from you. What we offer [Benefits] How to apply Apply by [Closing date]. If you need any adjustments during the application process, or have questions about the role, email [Contact email]. [Company name] welcomes applications from everyone, and we make hiring decisions based on the skills and experience the role needs.

Competency-based job description

When to use it: When you want to hire, interview and review against the same behaviours, with the level expected for each one written down.

Job title: [Job title] Grade or level: [Grade or level] Team: [Team or department] Reports to: [Reports to] Location: [Location] ([Work arrangement]) Purpose of the role [Purpose of the role] Main responsibilities - [Responsibility 1] - [Responsibility 2] - [Responsibility 3] - [Responsibility 4] Competencies For each one, write two or three behaviours you would see when someone does it well in this role, and the level you expect at the start. 1. [Competency 1] What it looks like here: ______________________________ Expected level: ______________________________ (for example developing, skilled or expert) 2. [Competency 2] What it looks like here: ______________________________ Expected level: ______________________________ 3. [Competency 3] What it looks like here: ______________________________ Expected level: ______________________________ Skills and experience Essential: - [Requirement 1] - [Requirement 2] - [Requirement 3] Desirable: - [Nice to have] How each competency will be checked Screening, interview question or work task for each: ______________________________ Approved by: ____________________ Date: ____________

Internal job description format (India)

When to use it: Hiring in India, as the internal record of a role, using a layout with designation, grade or band, KRAs and KPIs, qualification and experience.

JOB DESCRIPTION Designation: [Job title] Grade / Band: [Grade or level] Department: [Team or department] Reporting to: [Reports to] Location: [Location] Work mode: [Work arrangement] Employment type: [Employment type] Job purpose [Purpose of the role] Key result areas (KRAs) and KPIs 1. KRA: [Responsibility 1] KPI: ______________________________ 2. KRA: [Responsibility 2] KPI: ______________________________ 3. KRA: [Responsibility 3] KPI: ______________________________ 4. KRA: [Responsibility 4] KPI: ______________________________ Qualification: [Qualification] Experience: [Experience required] Skills and competencies Essential: 1. [Requirement 1] 2. [Requirement 2] 3. [Requirement 3] Desirable: 1. [Nice to have] Key internal and external contacts: ______________________________ Prepared by: ____________________ Approved by (HR): ____________________ Date: ____________

Internal job description (job profile)

When to use it: The HR record of a role, used for grading, performance reviews and workforce planning.

JOB PROFILE Job title: [Job title] Grade or level: [Grade or level] Team: [Team or department] Reports to: [Reports to] Direct reports: ______________________________ Location: [Location] ([Work arrangement]) Employment type: [Employment type] Pay range for the grade: [Pay range] 1. Purpose of the role [Purpose of the role] 2. Key responsibilities and approximate share of time - [Responsibility 1] Share of time: ________ - [Responsibility 2] Share of time: ________ - [Responsibility 3] Share of time: ________ - [Responsibility 4] Share of time: ________ 3. Essential functions The duties the role exists to perform, which the person must be able to carry out, with or without adjustments: ______________________________ 4. Decisions and authority What the person decides alone, and what needs sign-off (for example budgets, refunds or hiring): ______________________________ 5. Key working relationships Inside [Company name]: ______________________________ Outside [Company name]: ______________________________ 6. Skills, knowledge and experience Essential: - [Requirement 1] - [Requirement 2] - [Requirement 3] Desirable: - [Nice to have] 7. Working conditions Travel, physical demands, out-of-hours work or other conditions: ______________________________ 8. How success is measured ______________________________ Approved by: ____________________ Date: ____________ Next review date: ____________

Frontline role profile

When to use it: Shift-based roles in retail, hospitality, warehousing or care, as the internal record of what the job involves on shift and how success is measured.

FRONTLINE ROLE PROFILE Job title: [Job title] Site: [Company name], [Location] Reports to: [Reports to] Contract: [Employment type] Purpose of the role [Purpose of the role] Essential functions The duties the person must be able to carry out on shift, with or without adjustments: - [Responsibility 1] - [Responsibility 2] - [Responsibility 3] Physical demands ______________________________ (for example standing for most of a shift, or lifting boxes) Working conditions ______________________________ (for example indoors or outdoors, temperature, noise or protective clothing) Shift and roster expectations Shift pattern: [Shift pattern] How rotas are set and how much notice staff get: ______________________________ Weekend, public holiday or overtime expectations: ______________________________ Required certifications or checks ______________________________ (or "none") Skills needed - [Requirement 1] - [Requirement 2] Training for new starters: [Training you provide] [Delete if you do not train new starters] How success is measured on shift ______________________________ Approved by: ____________________ Date: ____________ Next review date: ____________

How to use this template

  • 1Start with the purpose of the role in one or two sentences. If the hiring manager cannot write it, the role is not ready to advertise.
  • 2Pick the format that fits the job: the standard description for your careers page and hiring team, the competency-based version to hire and review against set behaviours, the Indian internal format with KRAs for hiring in India, the job profile for your HR records or the frontline role profile for shift work. For the public advert, use the job posting template.
  • 3List four to six responsibilities and only the requirements you will actually screen and interview for. Move the rest to "nice to have".
  • 4Fill in the pay range. Where pay transparency rules apply, leaving it out may break them, and everywhere it saves time for you and for applicants.
  • 5Use the same responsibilities and requirements to build your screening questions, interview questions and scorecard, so every stage checks the same things.

Mistakes to avoid

  • A wish list of requirements that no single person meets, which puts off capable people who do not tick every box.
  • Asking for a degree or a set number of years when the work does not need them.
  • Internal jargon, team nicknames or acronyms that mean nothing to someone outside the company.
  • Copying an old description without checking it with the hiring manager, so the duties no longer match the job.
  • Leaving out the location, work arrangement or pay, which are the details applicants look for first.
  • Wording that suggests who you want by age or gender, such as "young and energetic" or "he will".

Questions

What is the format of a job description?

Job title, team, manager, location and work arrangement, employment type and pay, then a short company summary, the purpose of the role, responsibilities, requirements, nice-to-haves, benefits and how to apply. The Indian format below also puts designation, grade or band, KRAs with KPIs, qualification and experience in the record.

What is the difference between a job description and a job posting?

A job description records what the role is and what it needs. A job posting or job ad is the shorter, public version written to attract applicants. Many teams write the full description first and cut it down for the ad.

Can I use this job description template in Word?

Yes. Copy the version you want, paste it into Word or Google Docs, and format the headings. The text is plain, so it also pastes cleanly into job boards and applicant tracking systems.

Should a job description include the salary?

In some places it must. California requires employers with 15 or more employees to put the pay scale in job postings. Under the EU Pay Transparency Directive, EU countries must require employers to give job seekers the starting pay or range, in the job advert or before the interview. Check whether the country you hire in has brought this into national law yet. Elsewhere it is still worth including, because applicants look for it first.

What are essential functions in a job description?

The core duties the role exists to perform. In the US, under the ADA, a written job description prepared before you advertise or interview is considered as evidence of which functions are essential, so it helps to list them clearly.

How long should a job description be?

Long enough to cover the purpose, the main duties, the real requirements, pay and how to apply, and no longer. Keep the public job ad short enough to read on a phone.

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