What Job Description Software Should Do for Hiring Teams

Job description software is growing up. It’s about time, too, because a static database of pre-written jobs or guidance on gendered language alone is no longer enough. You can and should expect more.

Job description software should offer all of the functionality you need to write effective job descriptions. It should provide guidance on job titles, content, language, and requirements. It should include features like salary estimates, recruiting analytics, and workflows. So everyone on your hiring team can write job descriptions that are easy to find, clear, and welcoming.

Why are job titles important on job boards?

Job boards work by matching keywords in candidate search queries to keywords in job descriptions. Therefore, searchable job titles are critical. Job titles also signal to job seekers the seniority level of the position, which they can use to gauge whether they qualify.

Job seekers use concise, industry-standard titles in their searches, not internal jargon (e.g., Customer Service Manager, not TLC Manager). They also look for titles that describe the area of expertise (e.g., UI Software Engineer versus UI Engineer). And they search by location (Indeed, Google and LinkedIn need to show your job to candidates looking in your area).

Job seekers also use job titles to help gauge whether they should apply to a position. If a job seems too senior because of the title, it may trigger a confidence gap for some job seekers (regardless of the requirements). Overqualifying a role can deter many potential candidates.

Content guidance

Job description software is about more than just language. Great job descriptions pull together a number of content pieces that, together, offer clarity and encourage qualified candidates to apply. They also help with your compliance efforts.

You can yammer on about how you take care of employees or you can just list your benefits. You can use cutesy language to describe your fun culture, or you can just list the perks that illustrate that. 

Job description software’s tailored guidance points out when your job post is too long or is missing key information. Something like diversity information may seem like a snoozer, but it reassures candidates that you value diversity and helps with compliance.

Language analytics

Language analytics helps you make the right impression on candidates regardless of their gender, race, or background.

The language you use can send unintended messages that can deter candidates. Our own research has identified words, phrases, and general sentiments that deter some candidates from applying. 

Job description software guides you through the job post writing process. It steers you away from language proven to deter qualified candidates and towards language that attracts qualified candidates. It also helps clarify your writing, showing you how to address candidates in the active voice, remove confusing phrasing, or corporate cliches and more. 

Requirements analysis

A high number of applicants isn’t the same as a high number of qualified applicants. Job description software steers you away from requirements or requirement combinations that may confuse or deter qualified candidates. 

- If you list your entire technology stack on a job description, you’ll cast too wide of a net.

- Adding ‘Senior’ to a job title can often intimidate candidates and deter them from applying (known as job creep).

- Requirements that don’t make sense to job seekers in an area may reduce the number of local applicants.

- Requiring a college degree for a job that doesn’t need one narrows the top of your talent funnel.

- And low-impact requirements like soft skills can muddy the waters enough to confuse candidates. (Soft skills include the unnecessary yet ever-present ‘problem-solving skills’ and ‘excellent communication skills’ and the like. Best to leave them out.)

Job description software helps you clarify all job requirements, from education to technologies, so candidates can accurately assess whether their skill set is a match. So you not only get more applicants, you get more qualified applicants.

Salary estimates

Estimating salaries can be a bit of a guessing game without data behind it. Skills, experience, education, and location all impact salaries, and seeing exactly how they impact them helps you manage your hiring budget.

How would a few more years of experience, another computer language or an advanced degree impact the estimated salary for a position? How does that salary compare to similar jobs in the local market? 

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