70% of Candidates Judge You Based on Your Job Description — Here’s How to Get It Right

What if your job ad is costing you your dream hire… before they even apply?

📉 A recent study found that 70% of job seekers form their first impression of a company based solely on the job description. Not your website. Not your Glassdoor reviews. Your job ad.

That means no matter how great your company culture is, or how exciting the opportunity may be, if your job post is vague, confusing, or generic, you’re turning top talent away.

In today’s competitive hiring market, your job description is your first pitch. It either attracts the right candidates or repels them.

So let’s break down exactly why job descriptions matter more than ever — and how to write one that attracts the right people (and filters out the wrong ones).

🧠 Why Job Descriptions Matter in Modern Hiring

With global hiring trends leaning more toward remote work, international sourcing, and asynchronous communication, the job description becomes the foundation of the recruitment experience.

It’s no longer just a formality. It’s your brand voice. Your expectation-setter. Your candidate filter.

Key industry reasons why job descriptions are make-or-break:

• They define your employer brand to passive candidates
• They affect your applicant quality and volume
• They impact your searchability and SEO visibility on job boards
• They influence diversity and inclusion through language

According to LinkedIn, the quality of a job description directly impacts the number of qualified applicants by 2.5x. That’s a big deal.

✍️ 5 Common Job Description Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

❌ 1. Too Generic or Vague

“Dynamic team player needed for fast-paced environment” — but what does that actually mean?

One of the biggest turnoffs for candidates is a job description that says a lot without saying anything specific. When companies use boilerplate text that could describe any role at any company, they miss the opportunity to stand out and connect with the right candidates.

Why it hurts your company?

• You attract underqualified or irrelevant applicants who don’t fully understand the role.
• Candidates with serious potential scroll past, unsure if it’s worth their time.

How to fix it:
Be detailed about daily tasks, goals, and tools the role involves. For example:

“You’ll manage inbound customer queries via Intercom, resolve technical support issues, and work cross-functionally with the product team to improve user experience.”

The more clarity you provide, the more aligned your applicants will be.

🎯 2. Unrealistic or Overloaded Requirements

Requiring “10 years of experience” for a mid-level role or a laundry list of niche skills for an entry-level position only pushes great candidates away.

Why it hurts your company?

• Talented individuals self-eliminate, thinking they aren’t qualified, especially women and underrepresented groups, who statistically apply only when they meet 90–100% of the listed criteria.
• You may end up hiring someone who checks boxes on paper but lacks practical fit or long-term potential.

How to fix it:
Split requirements into two categories:

• Must-Have Skills: Critical to performing the role
• Nice-to-Haves: Teachable Bonus Skills

This signals to applicants that you’re realistic and open-minded — a trait strong candidates value in a company.

📉 3. Dry, Overly Corporate Language

Let’s face it — no one gets excited reading:

“We are seeking a results-oriented individual to liaise interdepartmentally and execute synergistic strategies…”

Corporate jargon creates distance between you and your audience. Candidates are human, and the best ones want to work with companies that sound human, too.

Why it hurts your company?

• It makes your company feel robotic or outdated
• It hides your culture and personality, two big decision-making factors for top applicants

How to fix it:
Write how you’d speak to someone at a networking event.
Keep it professional, but conversational. Use real words. Share your mission in a tone that matches your culture — friendly, fast-paced, creative, bold, etc.

Example:

“We’re a fast-growing SaaS company looking for someone who’s obsessed with clean code and loves tackling product bugs before users notice them.”

🧭 4. No Clear “Why” Behind the Role

Every role exists for a reason. And top candidates want to know what they’re building toward.

Why it hurts your company?

• Without context, the role feels mechanical — just another job, not a meaningful career move
• Candidates don’t understand how they’ll contribute to the bigger picture, which can hurt engagement and retention later

How to fix it:
Include a section in your job ad that explains the impact of the role. Answer questions like:

• Why is this role critical now?
• What business problem does it solve?
• What would success look like in 6–12 months?

Example:

“You’ll be the first designer on our team, helping define the visual identity of our platform from scratch as we prepare for X.”

This adds purpose and makes the opportunity more compelling.

💸 5. Lack of Transparency Around Salary and Benefits

Still avoiding salary ranges in your job descriptions? That might be why you’re seeing poor-fit applications or ghosting.

Why it hurts your company?

• Candidates today expect transparency, and companies that avoid sharing salary data are often seen as lacking trust or fairness
• It wastes time on both sides when expectations don’t align

How to fix it:
Share a salary range, or at minimum, provide clarity on what determines compensation (e.g., location, seniority). Don’t forget to mention non-monetary benefits like:

• Remote work policy
• Flexible hours
• Learning budgets
• Equipment or wellness perks

Transparency builds trust — and attracts candidates who are aligned with what you offer.

📈 Final Thoughts: Your Job Description Is Your First Impression

In a global, remote-friendly hiring world, your job description is your handshake, your pitch, your elevator speech — all in one.

If it’s vague, outdated, or hard to understand, you’re sending the wrong message to the right people.

But when written well, your job ad becomes a magnet, pulling in aligned, motivated candidates who know exactly what they’re signing up for.