Job Description Writing

Parent: Writing and Documentation · researched 2026-05-29T19:03:21.717Z· 8 sources · 10 concepts · skill job-description-writing

A job description is a marketing document, a legal document, and a filter — at the same time. It must attract candidates the company wants, deter candidates who would be a poor fit, comply with US pay

Overview

A job description is a marketing document, a legal document, and a filter - at the same time. It must attract candidates the company wants, deter candidates who would be a poor fit, comply with US pay-transparency law in 15+ states, and avoid language that systematically suppresses applications from underrepresented groups. [source]

1. The structural skeleton: what you'll do / what we look for / what we offer

What you'll do - Responsibilities. Day-to-day work. Outcomes the role owns. [source]
What we look for - Requirements split into must-haves (3-5 dealbreakers) and nice-to-haves. [source]
What we offer - Compensation range, benefits, growth path, working model. [source]

2. Responsibilities vs requirements: keep them separated

Responsibilities describe what the person does. Verbs in the present tense: "Design and ship," "Mentor," "Own." [source]
Requirements describe what the person must already have. Adjectives and nouns: "5 years of," "Experience with," "Familiarity with." [source]

3. Must-haves vs nice-to-haves — and the application-gap evidence

Cap must-haves at 3-5. A must-have is a dealbreaker - if the candidate doesn't have it, you won't hire them. [source]
The evidence: Women apply for jobs only when they meet ~56% of listed requirements vs men at ~52%. Long requirement lists deter applications from underrepresented groups more than from majority groups (Bohnet 2016). [source]
Heuristic: If your must-haves list has more than 5 items, ask which two you'd drop. Then drop them. [source]

4. Inclusive language: the gender-coded word audit

Textio's research found that gender-coded language measurably skews who applies. [source]
Masculine-coded words to avoid: aggressive, ambitious, analytical, assertive, challenge, competitive, confident, decisive, determined, dominant, driven, fearless, forceful, independent, ninja, outspoken, principled, rockstar, self-reliant, superior. [source]
Action: Run the JD through a tool like Textio, Gender Decoder, or Datapeople. Aim for balance or feminine-leaning if the role is historically male-coded. [source]

5. US state pay-transparency laws (as of 2026)

States requiring salary range disclosure (verify before posting): [source]
California (15+ employees) - required [source]
Colorado (all employers with 1+ CO employee) - required [source]
Illinois (15+ employees, effective Jan 2025) - required [source]
Massachusetts (25+ employees, effective Oct 2025) - required [source]
New York - required statewide [source]
Washington (15+ employees) - required + benefits description [source]
Practical rule: If you post a JD that may be viewed from any of these jurisdictions, include a good-faith salary range. [source]

7. DEI-friendly criteria

Age bias signals: "digital native," "energetic," "fast-paced young team." [source]
Education bias: "degree from a top university" - replace with the actual skill. [source]
Cultural-fit signals: "must love startups," "we're a family." These select for sameness. [source]

Anti-Patterns

Rockstar / ninja / guru / wizard / superstar / 10x. Gender-coded and exclusionary. [source]
The 20-item must-haves list. Cap at 3-5. [source]
"Competitive salary." Non-compliant in 15+ states. [source]
"Digital native" / "energetic" / "fast-paced young team." Age-coded. [source]
Years-of-experience inflation. "10+ years of React" - React is 13 years old. [source]

Compliance Checklist (US, 2026)

[ ] Salary range posted if applicants in CA, CO, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NJ, NY, VT, WA, or DC may apply. [source]
[ ] Benefits summary included (required in CO, WA). [source]
[ ] Equal-opportunity statement included. [source]
[ ] Reasonable-accommodation contact provided. [source]

References

Textio - Language in your job post predicts the gender of your hire [source]
Iris Bohnet - What Works: Gender Equality by Design (Harvard, 2016) [source]
Paycor - 2026 Pay Transparency Laws by State [source]

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