One area whereby hiring managers need to do a lot better is job descriptions. While 72 percent of hiring managers believe they are providing clear job descriptions, only 36 percent of candidates say the same.
This job description statistic alone shows that we need to work on constructing better descriptions so that we can make the hiring process more efficient.
Considering there are now 4.7 million people working remotely for at least half of their time in the United States, most businesses will be writing remote job descriptions for the first time or more frequently than they have been before.
With that being said, let's take a look at some of the best practices to follow when writing remote job descriptions in 2022.
#1. Start off by looking at job description examples
There is only one place to begin, and this is by taking a look at some job description examples. By taking a look at some successful examples, you will be able to get an idea of what works and what doesn't.
You will be able to look at these descriptions from an objective perspective. This will help you to understand the sort of structure and language that is the most effective when writing a remote job description.
While you can use these descriptions for inspiration, it is important to make sure you do not copy them word for word. A lot of hiring managers make the mistake of simply copying generic job descriptions and using them as their own. However, this gives no clarity regarding your business or the specific job role that is available.
So, make sure you learn from the job description examples but always add your own unique spin and make every job description hyper-specific to the role in question.
#2.Be specific about the work environment
One of the most important things you need to do is be specific about the work environment. A lot of employees file job listings as being 'remote' when they are actually 'hybrid,' i.e. demanding that the employee comes into the office once a week, for instance.
A remote job is one that is completely virtual. You should be able to manage your entire job from home, meaning you can work from anywhere within the United States or indeed the world.
You should be specific in terms of how this setup is going to work. Do you require your employees to be online at specific times throughout the day? Or, are employees free to work to their own schedule so long as 40 hours are clocked every week?
Do you hold virtual meetings every week? If so, how many? When do they take place? Do you expect remote employees to attend all of them?
These are the sort of specifics that you need to clarify when posting a remote job listing. Some remote workers will be completely flexible, however, others need to work around family commitments. By being specific about the remote work environment, you don't waste your own time or the time of those hunting for remote jobs.
#3.Define what you mean by the term "flexible"
A lot of hiring managers like to include the word "flexible" in their job descriptions. However, flexibility means different things to different people.
For example, your idea of flexibility may mean that workers can take a two-hour break to go to the dentist, so long as they work two hours later that same day or over the weekend. Thus to offer natural work flexibility, you can hire a flexible virtual assistant to manage the work processes.
For your worker, they may assume flexibility means they can work in any configuration of hours they wish, so long as they hit the required time targets per week. Clarity is a must!
#4.Use the correct remote keywords
Just like you utilize often-search and common job titles in your job description, you also need to make sure commonly searched remote keywords are included as well.
Using the correct remote lingo in your job descriptions will help applicants get a better understanding that the role is remote and it helps to make sure your job search is featured in the search engine result pages on the likes of Google.
Some of the most common remote keywords that you may want to add to your job description include the following: home office, virtual, work from anywhere, distributed, remote, work from home, and work at home.
#5.Specify whether any specific equipment is needed
Be specific about the technology your staff requires. Do they need a certain level of speed in terms of their Internet connection? Do they need a specific type of computer? Maybe you require your staff members to use a VPN?
It is vital to be specific about the equipment you are going to provide to your employees, as well as any technical support they are entitled to.
If you expect workers to supply their own equipment, make sure this is clearly specified in the job description.
You also need to specify what software programs people are going to use. While a lot of things are cloud-based nowadays, you may still need staff members to have specific licenses in order to access these tools. Define what they need to have, and specify who is going to be paying for it.
#6.Shine a light on company culture
One of the biggest struggles that remote workers experience is feeling disconnected from the business they are working for.
This is why it is imperative to be clear about company culture. Culture stems from the values you set as a business, so be proud of this and let potential employees know.
Do you have any sort of remote team-building activities you engage in? If so, it is good to include these in the job description.
You should also make sure that you are clear about any mental health initiatives you have in place. A lot of people working from home experience burnout because they end up working extended hours and they struggle to separate home life from business life. So, offering assistance with this can really help in terms of attracting the very best talent.
For example, you could offer mental health days or you could provide virtual therapist sessions for your remote workers.
#7.Be clear about the sort of person you are looking for
One of the biggest issues we see with job descriptions is that there is a lengthy bullet point list of requirements, which can be quite overwhelming.
To avoid this, it is a good idea to break this section up into "must-have" qualities and "nice to have" qualities. By highlighting must-have skills or deal breakers, you can make sure that unqualified people do not apply.
People will realize that they do not have the must-have skills that you are looking for, so they won't bother wasting their time applying.
#8.Create a 'responsibilities' section where you explain what the person will do
Use this opportunity to align any open vacancies you have with your business's goals and why you stand out from the competition.
After all, the best talent is going to be reading this section and they will use it to determine whether or not they should apply for the job role based on the opportunity you are providing to them.
In a lot of ways, this makes the responsibilities section a chief driver of high-quality applicants within your candidate funnel.
#9.Make sure you choose a relevant job title for the description
Last but not least, do not underestimate the importance of creating a relevant job title for the job posting. Use keywords that are relevant to accurately describe the position that is available, making it easy for people to find your application when they are doing a job search on the likes of Google.
In the job title, you should make it clear whether the remote job role is project-based, part-time, or full-time, so that people can immediately determine whether or not the scope is right for what they are looking for.
If the platform you use does not enable you to choose "remote" as the location, make sure you use remote work keywords within the title, for example, home-based opportunity, telecommute, work from home, or remote job. Nevertheless, the vast majority of job posting platforms today do offer a remote job option in the location section.
Use these best practices for writing remote job descriptions
So there you have it: some of the most important practices to follow when putting together remote job descriptions. From doing your research and looking at examples that are already out there to making sure you are clear about the work environment, if you follow the steps that we have provided above, we are sure you will have a much more successful hiring process.