A candidate should be able to read your job description and understand what they will do, what they need to bring, and whether the opportunity fits their goals. When those details are missing, even a promising role can be difficult to assess.
For employers, a clear job description also provides a shared reference for recruitment. Your hiring manager, recruiter, and interviewers can use it to agree on the skills and responsibilities that matter before applications arrive.
This guide explains how to write a job description, improve its copy, and adapt it for different roles. You will also find a reusable template and a completed example to help you put the advice into practice.
What is a Job Description?
A job description is a written outline of a role’s purpose, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, and working conditions. It explains what the position involves and what the employer expects from the person doing it.
An internal job description may support workforce planning, performance discussions, and role allocation. A public job advertisement uses that information to present the opportunity to candidates, adding context about the company, benefits, and application process.
The two documents should stay aligned. Engaging recruitment copy can make an opportunity easier to understand, but it should accurately reflect the work and conditions you can offer.
What Should a Good Job Description Include
1. A Clear Job Title and Role Summary
Choose a title that describes the position in language candidates recognise. Include the level of responsibility where it helps clarify the role, such as Marketing Executive, Senior Software Engineer, or Finance Manager.
Avoid titles that leave the function unclear. “Growth Rockstar” tells candidates less than “Performance Marketing Specialist.” If your internal title is unusual, explain the equivalent function in the summary.
Use a short opening paragraph to describe why the role exists, which team it belongs to, and the main contribution you expect. For example: “You will coordinate email and social campaigns for our Singapore sales team, helping prospective customers understand our products and take the next step.”
2. Core Responsibilities and Expected Outcomes
Describe the activities that take up most of the person’s time. Start each responsibility with a clear verb, such as prepare, coordinate, analyse, develop, or maintain.
Where possible, connect the activity to an outcome. “Prepare weekly campaign reports to identify which channels generate qualified enquiries” gives more context than “Prepare reports.”
Use a short list of the main responsibilities. If the role includes several unrelated functions, review its scope with the hiring manager before publishing. A job description should represent a feasible role, with priorities that match the available time and resources.
3. Essential and Preferred Qualifications
Essential requirements are the capabilities someone needs to perform the role. Preferred requirements are useful additions that your team can accommodate or help the person develop.
Separate the two clearly. For example, experience preparing campaign reports might be essential, while familiarity with your specific reporting tool could be preferred.
Review whether each degree, certification, or experience requirement is necessary. Some roles need particular credentials; others can be assessed through relevant work samples or demonstrated skills. Your approach to hiring based on demonstrated skills can help you define requirements around the work candidates will actually perform.
4. Reporting Line and Working Relationships
Explain who the person reports to, which colleagues they work with, and whether they manage employees or external partners.
For example: “You will report to the Marketing Manager and work with sales, design, and external content partners.”
This context helps candidates understand how decisions are made and where their responsibilities sit within the team. It also clarifies whether a role involves individual delivery, people management, or both.
5. Location and Working Arrangements
Specify where the role is based and how work is organised. Include office attendance expectations, usual working hours, travel requirements, and any essential coordination with teams in other time zones.
Avoid using “remote” without explaining the eligible work location. A role may allow working from home within one country while requiring local employment and regular office visits.
If you are hiring across borders, confirm the work location and employment arrangement before advertising. Your guide to hiring a remote employee for a Singapore business can help you plan the next steps.
6. Salary Range and Benefits
Where possible, publish an approved salary range that reflects the role’s scope. State the currency, pay period, and whether the figure represents base salary or includes variable compensation.
For example, “SGD [minimum] to SGD [maximum] gross monthly base salary” is clearer than “attractive remuneration.” Explain commission or bonuses separately, including whether they are guaranteed or depend on stated conditions.
Describe benefits in concrete terms. Instead of “excellent development opportunities,” explain the available training budget or learning support. Only include benefits and working arrangements that your organisation has approved.
7. Application Instructions
Tell candidates how to apply and what information they need to submit. Include a closing date if one exists, and briefly explain the selection stages once they are confirmed.
Ask for materials that help assess suitability. A writing sample can be relevant for a content role; an extensive unpaid project may create an unnecessary barrier at the initial application stage.
If candidates can request adjustments to the application process, explain how to contact your team.
How to Write a Job Description Step by Step
1. Agree on the Hiring Need
Start with the business problem the hire will address. Ask the hiring manager what work needs to be done, why the existing team cannot absorb it, and what progress the new employee should make.
Identify priorities for the first few months. These discussions help distinguish the role’s immediate responsibilities from work that may become relevant later.
2. Match the Scope to the Seniority Level
An executive role should not quietly carry the responsibilities of a department head. Align the expected independence, decision making, and team management with the title and compensation.
For a junior role, explain the support and guidance available. For a senior role, clarify strategic ownership, budget responsibility, or leadership expectations. Use your hiring approach for different seniority levels to keep the criteria proportionate.
3. Draft for the Candidate’s Questions
Organise the description around what candidates need to decide: what the job involves, whether they can do it, how the team works, what the package includes, and how to apply.
Keep company background relevant. A brief explanation of your product, customers, and team is usually more useful than a lengthy company history before the role details.
4. Review for Accuracy and Fairness
Ask the hiring manager to confirm the scope, and ask HR to check employment details and selection criteria.
For roles advertised in Singapore, TAFEP advises employers to use criteria related to candidates’ qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience. Its guidance also explains how to avoid discriminatory wording and requires a clear reason for language proficiency requirements.
For example, explain that English writing skills are needed to prepare customer communications, rather than asking for a “native English speaker.” For roles based in other markets, review the relevant local requirements.
5. Align the Interview and Assessment Process
Translate the essential requirements into interview questions or proportionate assessments. If campaign analysis is a core responsibility, ask candidates to explain how they would interpret a sample report.
Use the agreed criteria consistently. Introducing new requirements halfway through recruitment can cause confusion and unnecessary reassessment. Clear role alignment is one part of improving hiring speed without sacrificing quality.
Job Description Copywriting Examples
Good recruitment copy replaces vague promises with information candidates can use. These examples illustrate how to make common phrases more specific.
| Vague wording | More useful wording |
|---|---|
| Support marketing activities | Coordinate the monthly content calendar, publish approved LinkedIn posts, and report on campaign enquiries. |
| Must be a strong communicator | Write clear customer emails and explain campaign results to colleagues outside marketing. |
| Flexible working environment | Work from the Singapore office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with home working on the remaining weekdays. |
| Attractive salary and benefits | State the approved gross monthly salary range, then list confirmed leave, insurance, and learning benefits. |
| Excellent career growth | Explain the skills the employee can develop, the support available, and how performance discussions are organised. |
Adapt these examples to your actual role and policies. Specific wording builds clarity only when the details are accurate.
Reusable Job Description Template
Copy the structure below and replace each placeholder before publishing.
Job title: [Recognisable title and level]
Location and work arrangement: [Work location, office attendance, and eligible remote location]
Employment type: [Full time, part time, fixed term, or other confirmed arrangement]
Working hours: [Usual hours, time zone, and relevant scheduling expectations]
Salary: [Approved range, currency, pay period, and base or total compensation]
About the company: [Briefly explain your product, customers, and team]
About the role: [Explain the role’s purpose and main contribution]
Your responsibilities: [List core duties and the outcomes they support]
Essential requirements: [List capabilities needed to perform the role]
Preferred skills: [List useful skills that are not mandatory]
Your team: [Reporting line, colleagues, and any management responsibilities]
Benefits and support: [Confirmed benefits, equipment, and learning support]
How to apply: [Application link, relevant materials, closing date if applicable, and confirmed selection stages]
Job Description Example for a Marketing Executive
The following is a fictional example. Its working arrangements and benefits are illustrative, and the salary placeholders must be completed using an approved range.
Role Details
Job title: Marketing Executive
Location: Singapore, with office attendance on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Employment type: Full time
Working hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Singapore time, including a one hour lunch break
Salary: SGD [approved minimum] to SGD [approved maximum] gross monthly base salary
About the Company and Role
You will join a business software company serving small and medium sized companies across Southeast Asia. The marketing team creates content and campaigns that help prospective customers understand the product and request a demonstration.
As Marketing Executive, you will coordinate email and LinkedIn campaigns, maintain the content calendar, and prepare performance reports. You will report to the Marketing Manager and work with sales and design colleagues.
Your Responsibilities
- Maintain the monthly campaign calendar and coordinate approvals with internal stakeholders.
- Draft and publish approved LinkedIn content that explains product benefits and customer use cases.
- Prepare email campaigns, check links and audience lists, and coordinate scheduling.
- Review campaign performance and share observations with the Marketing Manager.
- Work with sales to identify questions that future content should address.
Essential Requirements
- Experience coordinating digital marketing campaigns, demonstrated through previous work, projects, or a relevant portfolio.
- Clear English writing skills to prepare customer emails and social content.
- Ability to organise deadlines and communicate progress to colleagues.
- Ability to interpret basic campaign metrics and explain findings.
Preferred Skills
Experience with a CRM or email marketing platform and familiarity with B2B marketing would be helpful. Training on the team’s tools will be provided.
Benefits and Application Process
The company provides a work laptop, a confirmed training budget, and regular performance discussions. The full benefits package will be shared during the initial conversation.
Apply through [company application link] with your CV and one relevant writing or campaign sample. The selection process includes an initial conversation and an interview with the Marketing Manager. Contact [recruitment email] if you need adjustments to participate.
Common Job Description Mistakes to Avoid
Copying an Old Description Without Reviewing It
The role may have changed since the previous employee joined. Confirm current responsibilities, tools, reporting relationships, and compensation before reusing existing copy.
Making Every Requirement Mandatory
A long list can obscure the capabilities that matter most. Keep essential requirements focused and explain which skills can be developed after joining.
Hiding Important Working Conditions
Regular travel, office attendance, shift work, or coordination outside usual hours should be explained clearly. Candidates need this information before investing time in interviews.
Promising Benefits You Cannot Confirm
Avoid implying guaranteed promotions, bonuses, or flexibility when they depend on later decisions. Explain approved arrangements and any conditions accurately.
Treating Low Applications as a Copywriting Problem Alone
Review salary alignment, advertising channels, role scope, and application friction alongside the wording. Your guide to addressing low applicant volume provides a broader starting point.
Turn Clear Hiring Requirements Into Your Next Hire
A clear job description gives your recruitment process a practical foundation. The next step is reaching suitable candidates and assessing them against the requirements you have agreed.
Glints TalentHub supports businesses with recruitment advisory, candidate screening, assessments, and offer coordination. For companies building teams across borders, it also provides employment and workforce management services, including onboarding and payroll support.
Explore Glints TalentHub’s Full Talent Solution to see how you can source, hire, and manage your team through one connected solution.
