A bloated requirements list does not signal a serious role, it filters out good candidates before they ever click apply, while a vague one wastes real time in screening calls that a clearer posting would have avoided entirely. The job description is the first, and sometimes only, artifact a candidate sees before deciding whether to spend an evening tailoring an application. Writing one that is specific, honest, and reasonably short is worth more than any amount of polish on the "about us" paragraph.
What changed in 2026
- Pay range disclosure became close to universal. Enough markets now require it, or candidates simply expect it, that most companies default to including a range on every posting rather than deciding case by case.
- AI drafting handles the first pass of structure. Tools turn a rough brief into a formatted draft quickly; the editing pass that removes invented requirements and generic filler is still where the real work happens. For a closer look at those tools specifically, see the best AI job description generators of 2026.
- Bias-aware language checking is now built into most ATS platforms. What used to be a manual pass looking for exclusionary phrasing is increasingly automatic, though it still needs a human decision on borderline cases.
- Shorter postings are outperforming long ones. With more candidates skimming on mobile, a posting that takes three screens to read loses people before they reach the part that would have convinced them.
The sections that matter
| Section |
What it should do |
| Role summary |
State the actual purpose of the role in two or three sentences |
| What you will do |
List real, specific duties, not a generic mission statement |
| What you need |
The genuinely necessary requirements, kept short |
| Nice to have |
Real bonuses that are not disqualifying if missing |
| Pay and benefits |
The actual range and the meaningful benefits, not a vague mention |
| About the team |
Enough context that a candidate understands who they would work with |
Writing requirements that do not filter out good people
Separate must-have from nice-to-have with real discipline, not just a heading. A requirement belongs in the must-have list only if someone genuinely cannot do the job without it on day one. Years-of-experience numbers are a particularly weak proxy: a candidate with four years of deep, relevant experience is frequently a stronger fit than one with the seven years a posting arbitrarily demanded, and the number filters out the first candidate before a human ever reads the resume. The same applies to degree requirements listed by habit rather than genuine necessity for the role.
Inclusive language without losing specificity
Cutting gendered or aggressive buzzwords, terms like rockstar, ninja, or aggressive growth mindset, widens the pool of people who see themselves applying, and most ATS tools now flag this automatically. The mistake worth avoiding on the other side is over-correcting into a posting so generic it says nothing real about the role at all. Specific and inclusive are not in tension; a posting can name the exact project a hire will own without leaning on exclusionary language to do it.
Calibrating the level
A posting titled senior with a description written for a mid-level scope, or the reverse, wastes real interview time once the mismatch becomes obvious. State the actual level and scope plainly enough that a candidate can self-select correctly before applying, rather than discovering the mismatch two interviews in. What gets listed here is also what the hiring panel will end up testing for, so keeping the two aligned matters beyond just attracting the right applicants.
Common mistakes
- A wishlist requirements section. Combining every skill the team has ever wanted describes an ideal team, not one open role.
- No pay range. Beyond the legal requirement in a growing number of places, omitting it just delays a conversation that has to happen eventually.
- Buzzword-heavy with no real duties. A posting that could describe five different companies is not describing this one.
- A title and scope that do not match. It surfaces as a mismatch during interviews instead of before anyone applies, costing everyone real time.
FAQ
How long should a job description be?
Short enough to read on one or two mobile screens. If the role summary and duties cannot communicate the job in that space, the posting likely has too many requirements, not too little detail.
Should every job description include a pay range?
In a growing number of jurisdictions it is legally required, and even where it is not, including one saves time on both sides by filtering out mismatched expectations early.
Is it fine to use AI to draft a job description?
As a first pass, yes. The risk is publishing it unedited, since AI tools reliably invent requirements and buzzwords that were never actually necessary for the role.
How many requirements should a posting list?
As few as genuinely necessary, often five to eight. A long list does not signal rigor, it signals that nobody separated what is actually required from what would just be nice.
Where to go next