Your job description is often the first interaction a candidate has with your company. In a market where top IT professionals receive 5-10 recruiter messages every week, a generic or poorly structured job post will be scrolled past in seconds. Yet most companies treat job descriptions as an administrative formality rather than a critical piece of recruitment marketing. Here is how to write job descriptions that make the best candidates stop, read, and apply.
Why Most IT Job Descriptions Fail
Before we look at what works, let us understand what is broken. The most common mistakes we see in IT job descriptions fall into a few predictable patterns:
1. The laundry list of requirements Listing 15-20 “required” skills tells candidates one of two things: you do not know what the role actually needs, or you are looking for a unicorn that does not exist. Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications, while women tend to apply only when they meet 100%. An inflated requirements list actively discourages qualified candidates, especially from underrepresented groups.
2. Copy-paste from other companies We have seen job descriptions that mention technologies the company does not even use — because someone copied a template from a competitor’s posting. Candidates notice these inconsistencies, and it signals organisational sloppiness.
3. No information about what the person will actually do “Work on exciting projects in a fast-paced environment” tells a candidate nothing. They want to know what their first week looks like, what problems they will solve, and who they will work with.
4. Missing compensation information In 2025, salary transparency is not optional. Job posts that include salary ranges receive 30-40% more applications according to LinkedIn data. Candidates who do not see a range assume the worst.
The Anatomy of a High-Performing Job Description
Here is a structure that consistently outperforms generic templates:
1. A Clear, Searchable Title
Skip the creative titles. “Code Ninja” and “Rockstar Developer” do not show up in search results, and they make your company look unserious. Use standard industry titles that candidates actually search for:
- Good: Senior Backend Engineer (Python/Django)
- Bad: Software Guru — Backend Magic Maker
- Good: DevOps Engineer — Cloud Infrastructure
- Bad: Cloud Wizard Level III
Include the primary technology in the title. A “Senior Engineer” posting gets lost in the noise. A “Senior Engineer (React/TypeScript)” gets clicks from the right people.
2. A Compelling Opening Paragraph
Your first paragraph should answer three questions: What does the company do? What is this team building? Why does it matter? Keep it to 3-4 sentences. This is your pitch, not your company’s Wikipedia page.
3. What You Will Do (Not What We Need)
Frame responsibilities from the candidate’s perspective. Instead of “The candidate will be responsible for,” use “You will”:
- You will design and build the core API that powers our payment processing platform, handling 10,000+ transactions per second
- You will lead architecture decisions for our microservices migration, working directly with the VP of Engineering
- You will mentor 2-3 junior engineers and contribute to our engineering blog
Specificity is everything. “You will work on backend systems” is forgettable. “You will build the recommendation engine that serves 5 million daily active users” is compelling.
4. Skills: Must-Have vs Nice-to-Have
Separate your requirements into two clear categories:
Must-have (limit to 5-7): These are genuine dealbreakers. If someone cannot do the job without this skill, it belongs here. Be honest — does the candidate truly need 8 years of experience, or would 4 years with the right intensity suffice?
Nice-to-have (3-5): These are genuine differentiators, not a second list of requirements. Candidates appreciate the honesty, and it expands your applicant pool without lowering the bar.
5. What We Offer
This section is your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Be specific and genuine:
- Compensation range (including equity or variable pay)
- Benefits that matter to engineers: learning budget, conference allowance, hardware choice
- Work arrangement: remote, hybrid, or office — and be honest about expectations
- Career growth: Is there a promotion framework? Mentorship? Lateral movement?
Writing Inclusive Job Descriptions
Inclusive language is not about political correctness — it is about accessing the widest possible talent pool. Here are practical steps:
Remove gendered language. Tools like Textio and Gender Decoder can scan your descriptions for unconscious bias. Words like “aggressive,” “dominant,” and “ninja” skew male. Words like “collaborative,” “supportive,” and “nurturing” skew female. Aim for neutral language that describes the work, not a personality type. Building your employer brand as an inclusive workplace amplifies the impact of inclusive job descriptions.
Focus on outcomes, not pedigree. “B.Tech from a Tier-1 institution” excludes self-taught engineers, bootcamp graduates, and professionals from non-traditional backgrounds — many of whom are excellent at the job. Replace pedigree requirements with demonstrated skill requirements.
Include an equal opportunity statement. It is not just legal compliance. A genuine diversity statement signals to candidates from underrepresented groups that they will be valued.
Be explicit about flexibility. If the role supports flexible hours, remote work, or part-time schedules, say so. This is particularly important for attracting working parents, people with disabilities, and candidates in different time zones.
Salary Transparency: The Competitive Edge
Let us address the elephant in the room. Many Indian companies resist publishing salary ranges because they want negotiating flexibility. Here is why that strategy backfires:
- You waste time interviewing mismatched candidates. Without a range, you will interview people whose expectations are 2x your budget. That is wasted time for everyone.
- Top candidates skip opaque postings. The best engineers have options. They prioritise companies that respect their time with upfront information.
- You create internal equity problems. When salaries are negotiated without a published range, you end up paying different amounts for the same role based on negotiating skill rather than merit.
If you cannot publish an exact range, publish a band: “18-28 LPA depending on experience.” That is enough to set expectations and attract the right tier of candidates.
Optimising for ATS and Search
Your beautifully crafted job description is useless if candidates never see it. Optimise for discoverability:
- Use standard job titles that match how candidates search
- Include relevant technology keywords naturally throughout the description
- Avoid images-only or PDF-only postings — they are invisible to search engines
- Post on multiple platforms: Naukri, LinkedIn, AngelList (for startups), and relevant tech community boards
The StakTeck Approach
At StakTeck, we have analysed thousands of job descriptions across our permanent staffing and contract hiring engagements. The pattern is clear: companies that invest 30 minutes in crafting a thoughtful job description fill roles 40% faster and see higher acceptance rates.
We work with our clients to refine job descriptions before we begin sourcing. This upfront investment in clarity saves weeks of wasted interviews and ensures we attract candidates who are genuinely excited about the role — not just applying to everything that matches a keyword.
Quick Checklist Before You Post
Before publishing your next job description, run through this checklist:
- Does the title include the primary technology or domain?
- Is the opening paragraph specific to this role and team?
- Are responsibilities written from the candidate’s perspective (“You will…”)?
- Are must-have skills limited to 5-7 genuine dealbreakers?
- Is a salary range or band included?
- Have you removed gendered or exclusionary language?
- Is the work arrangement (remote/hybrid/office) clearly stated?
- Does the “What We Offer” section include specifics, not just platitudes?
The best job description is one that makes the right candidates excited to apply and the wrong candidates self-select out. It is a filter and a magnet at the same time. Get it right, and your entire hiring funnel improves.
Related Reading
- Why Employer Branding Is Your Best Recruitment Tool — Your job description is part of a broader candidate experience that shapes your brand
- The Complete Guide to Technical Interview Processes — What happens after candidates apply matters as much as the job post
- Our Services — StakTeck helps clients refine job descriptions and source the right candidates
