How to write job description for developers

There is a high demand for developers. As a result, job descriptions for developers are being written by everyone. The question is, how does yours make the cut?

The initial point of contact between your company and the new hire is your job description. A strong job description can assist you in luring the most qualified candidates to your open position, given the millions of people that utilize Indeed each month to seek opportunities. Here are some tips on how to write a job description to get you started.

The best way to structure a job description for a software developer

Let’s begin with the basics. How should you write a job description to attract potential applicants? The following essential details need to be included in a quality job description:

1. Job title
2. Employment status (e.g., full- or part-time)
3. Location
4. A brief description of the organization (mission/vision)
5. Responsibilities of the job
6. Must have qualifications
7. Good to have credentials
8. Perks
9. Salary

Both what you say and how you state it in your job description matter. Therefore, if you were to sum up the ideal job description in two terms, choose “clean” and “simple.” It should not be too long or too short in order to avoid overwhelming the person with the breadth of information about the position and the organization that is expected of them.

Tips for writing high-quality job descriptions for software developers

• Provide a readable version

The formatting of your software developer job description should be engaging, professional, and readable. Nobody will read your job posting if it seems like a wall of plain text. No matter how skilled an HR person you are, it won’t matter.

Your job description should be about 200 words in length. With appropriate breaks, that would result in a few paragraphs. Additionally, you can use bullet points to give it more structure, but it’s generally advised to keep lists to five items or less because the likelihood that the reader will read all the way through a list that is larger decreases as it grows longer. Remove anything that is obvious or not necessary.

• The key phrase should be accurate.

You must make your job posting engaging to candidates in order to get them to read it. And how can you get someone’s interest online? by utilizing the pertinent keywords. Make sure to employ clear formatting as well as wording that will appeal to the audience you are trying to reach.

Mind you, these aren’t just those looking for work right now. You might as well get someone who is open to leaving their current job for a better one.

• Use normal language to write a job description.

It’s impossible to say when in the history of hiring it became cool and original to use terms like “guru,” “ninja,” “wizard,” “rockstar,” and so on in the job description. As of right now, one developer hiccups every time a company starts looking for an IT shark or digital virtuoso. We understand that people utilize this terminology in an effort to draw in exceptional potential. But it doesn’t function.

Candidates who are conceited or those who send out their resumes to everyone without reading past the heading may be drawn in by this type of wording.

Therefore, it’s best to avoid using superlatives and excessive modifiers.

• Job requirements should be tailored to the specific project or product.

To elaborate on the preceding point, having too many conditions may prevent you from finding many qualified applicants. Try to limit the number of “must-have” and “nice to have” qualifications to four minimum and two to three maximum. These would be the recommended levels. Essential items won’t fit on the list if you reduce the number of alternatives, but if you lengthen the list, it will appear overwhelming.

• You can get help from other developers

At that point, the criteria start to become complicated. How do you distinguish between what is essential and what is optional, irrelevant, or can be taught? Check your group members! You can figure it out with the assistance of the software engineers working on the same project. It only makes sense to involve them in this process as they will be the ones interacting with the new employee.

• Describe your company’s culture in more detail

Make sure you include a few sentences explaining what it is like to work at your company because the cultural fit is just as crucial as having the appropriate qualifications. Mention your organization’s vision, mission statement, unique selling proposition, and team members.

Because they spend so much time at work, software developers are quite sensitive to the atmosphere there. Do you permit remote employment? Are your hours flexible? Do you spend time with your coworkers after work? It was presumably your intention to bring it up later once they had completed the recruitment process, but it won’t hurt to explain why (and whether) this position is worthwhile.

Conclusion

A major element of success is a professionally written job description. Use our guidelines to create a software development opportunity that will entice top candidates to your company.