The team you hire will make or break your startup's chances of success.
As a founder, it's up to you to find and hire high slope people and senior autonomous leaders, the A players who will help you execute, fundraise, and build a team built to scale. One of your most important jobs is to convince the right people to join your mission.
Often, a candidate's first impression of your startup will be the job description (JD) they see. Top candidates have their pick of the litter when deciding who they'll work for, so you need to stand out and show top candidates why you're worth their time.
Without a clear job description, you'll attract the wrong candidates, make gut-based hires, and waste time and money.
If you want to hire the best, you have to prove that your company is best in class. Having a good job description is table stakes.
If you can't define a role, you should not be hiring for it.
Job descriptions often get brushed off as just another box to check in the hiring process. Founders assume that candidates either don't really read them, or don't really care what they say.
While this can be true, it's mostly because candidates are used to seeing JDs full of empty buzzwords. Candidates have been trained to expect useless JDs, so a good JD can make you stand out.
Top executive search firms charge $5k-$10k to create and design best in class JDs, but you don't need to spend anywhere near that kind of money to create a JD that gets the attention of top candidates.
Before writing a JD, you need to know what your company needs from the role you’re hiring for. Start by answering the 14 precruiting questions to know what you need to hire for. These answers will give you > 80% of the information you'll need to write a good JD.
Every JD should include the following three blocks of information:
An example of a good summary view for multiple job listings, via Truora.
R2 Capital makes clear the problem they are solving, the background of their team members, and several links for the candidate to learn more about them.
Detailed doesn't have to mean extensive, and Ontop manages to write theirs without using filler words.
You're not the first founder to write a JD, which means you don't have to reinvent the wheel. I've helped 100+ startups thinking about making early hires, and here's what I've learned:
Starting on a JD with a blank page can be daunting, so we put together a simple template you can copy, paste, tear down, and make your own. Personalize your JD, but make sure to include all the following key points.
Job Title: [Title of Role]
Job Location: [Location: In-Person/Hybrid/Remote]
About [Company Name]
[Company Name] is a [one liner of what your company does today company]. Our mission is to [mention your mission or overarching goal]. We founded [company name] to [the reason why you started the company], we have quickly become a leader in [mention any specific achievements or accolades, or your lofty goals]. Our team is [emphasize real, non-obvious values or principles], and we take pride in [highlight any unique aspects or accomplishments of your company]. Learn more about our journey and how we're making a difference at [provide a link to your company's website or relevant resources].
About the role
We are looking for a [Job Title] who's [one liner description of what you are hiring for]. In this role, you'll be reporting directly to [Direct Manager. For junior roles, you don't need this part].
You must be a [core description of the non-negotiable qualifications and personality traits]. To be successful in this role, you'll need to [description of key ability/skill needed for success].
About you
Must have's:
Nice to have's:
Why [Company name]?
[Provide brief blurbs about the leadership team, about the culture and environment, and about why this opportunity stands out. Link to any team member testimonials]
If a template is not enough, we've listed a few Career pages with job descriptions we really like – use them as benchmarks when writing your own.
A job description is only as good as its reach, and there's no point in writing a good one if candidates never see it.
Once you have a candidate-ready JD, you need to get it in front of the right people. Candidates learn about open roles through many different channels, so make sure to reach as many as possible by:
While the above is general best practice, Talent Acquisition strategy isn't a one-size fits all game:
There is a huge gap between job seekers' and companies' perceptions of JDs. Ask most companies, and they say they do a good job. Ask job seekers, and they say it's a terrible experience. Per HR Drive, 72% of hiring managers say they provide clear job descriptions, while only 36% of candidates say the same.
Writing a clear and direct JD helps you stick out to the best candidates, and it serves as your company's business card in the first interaction talent will have with you.
Just as the best fundraising decks tell a clear and compelling story that flows and makes potential investors jobs easier, good JDs should build a clear and compelling case for why the best candidates should consider joining your team, while repelling any unsuitable candidates. The right JD will start selling your company long before you've personally interacted with the candidate, helping scale your talent flywheel.
Once you've published and distributed your job description, you'll have officially wrapped up your precruiting process, and be ready to start interviewing.
Founder Resources
Founders always hear that hiring great people is one of the most important jobs. Do you want to hire a great team but don't know how to create a process that helps you find, hire, and retain great people? Take a look at this article.
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After precruiting and interviewing you’ll have a finalist candidate who you think will be a good fit. Each step of the Talent Acquisition process leads into the next, with candidate references being the final step of the hiring process.
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