# Job description template

A template for a job description a candidate can answer: the outcomes of the role, the real requirements, how you will decide and what happens next.

> **How to use this.** Replace each bracketed prompt with your own words. Write outcomes before tasks, separate what a person must have from what they can learn, and state how you will decide.

## 1. The role in two sentences

[Job title] at [company]. This person will [the main result the role exists to produce] so that [who benefits and how].

## 2. What the company does

Two or three sentences in plain words: the problem, the customer and the stage you are at. State only what is true today.

## 3. Outcomes of the role

Describe what a person in this role will have achieved by the end of their first period, in terms someone could check. Write results, not activities.

- [Outcome one, with how you will know it happened]
- [Outcome two]
- [Outcome three]

## 4. What the person will do

- [A recurring responsibility, in a verb-first sentence]
- [A recurring responsibility]
- [A recurring responsibility]
- [Who the person works with and who they report to]

## 5. What you need and what you can teach

Keep these two lists apart. Long lists of requirements make capable people decide not to apply.

**Must have** (things the person cannot start without):

- [Requirement]
- [Requirement]

**Can learn on the job** (things you will teach):

- [Skill or tool]
- [Skill or tool]

## 6. How you will decide

Tell candidates the steps before they start, so no one is surprised.

| Step | What happens | Who is involved | What you are looking for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application | [What the candidate sends] | [Name or role] | [The same criteria for everyone] |
| First conversation | [Format and length] | [Name or role] | [Criteria] |
| Work sample or structured interview | [Format] | [Names or roles] | [Criteria and how you score them] |
| Decision | [How and when you tell candidates] | [Names or roles] | |

## 7. Pay, terms and working arrangements

- **Pay:** [how pay is determined, or the range you have decided to state]. Check whether the place where the role is based requires pay information in a posting, and ask your counsel if you are unsure.
- **Type of engagement:** [employee, contractor or other]. Ask your counsel which applies to this role.
- **Where and when the person works:** [location, time zones, expected overlap with the team].
- **Equipment and expenses:** [what you provide].

## 8. Equal opportunity and adjustments

- [Your company's own equal opportunity statement. Ask your counsel to review it.]
- [How a candidate can ask for an adjustment to the application or interview process, and who to contact.]

## 9. How to apply

[Where to send an application, what to include and what happens next.] Say whether and how you will tell unsuccessful candidates.

## 10. Checks before you post

- [ ] The title describes the work and is not inflated.
- [ ] The outcomes can be checked by a third person.
- [ ] No requirement is there only out of habit.
- [ ] Every candidate will be assessed against the same criteria.
- [ ] The steps, the pay information and the working arrangements are stated.
- [ ] The page can be read with a keyboard and a screen reader.

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World Enterprise, https://worldenterprise.org/. Last updated 2026-10-10.