How to write a job brief that gets the right applicants

Most job briefs we receive are a copy of the last advert with the dates changed. They list twelve responsibilities, ask for “excellent communication skills” and say nothing about why the role exists now. The applicants they attract are the same people who applied last time.

Start with the problem, not the title

Before the title, write one sentence on what will be different in a year if this hire goes well. “We will ship the new billing platform on time” is a brief. “Senior engineer” is a label. The sentence tells a candidate what they are being hired to do, and it tells us who to call.

Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves

Pick three things the person cannot do the job without. Everything else goes in a second list, and the second list is allowed to be empty. A brief with nine must-haves excludes almost everyone, including the people who would have been good.

Put the salary in

A range is fine. “Competitive” is not. Candidates read it as “below market”, and the best ones do not apply. If the range is below what the market pays, we will say so at the brief and show you the data.

Say how the process works

Two interviews or four? A task? Who decides? Write it down. A candidate who knows the steps is far less likely to drop out halfway, and a hiring manager who has written the steps down tends to keep to them.

Keep it to a page

If the brief is longer than a page, the role is probably two roles. Send it to us anyway; that is a useful thing to know before the search starts.