12 Tips To Improve Your Company Description In Job Postings

Though many people only skim the company section of a job posting, there are things you can do to make the most of those valuable seconds job seekers spend reviewing your job description.

We asked 12 leaders to share their top tips on how to improve the company description in a job posting so that candidates want to apply.

1. Focus on the Company Culture

2. Be Transparent and Clear With Who You Are

3. Show How the Job Role Fits into the Company's Mission and Vision

4. Leave Out the Corporate Jargon

5. Highlight the Qualities That Make Your Company Unique

6. Be Transparent About Diversity and Inclusion

7. Show Visuals of What Your Company Truly Is

8. Emphasize Why Current Employees Love Working at the Company

9. Share the Social and Community Impact Your Company is Making

10. Talk About Perks and Benefits

11. Use Gender-Neutral Language

12. Provide a Realistic View

Focus on the Company Culture

One tip for making your company description more appealing to job seekers is to focus on culture. Candidates want to know what it's like to work at your company, and they're looking for more than just a list of perks. Do you have a collaborative environment? Do employees have opportunities to grow and develop? What values does your company uphold? Highlighting these aspects of your company culture will show candidates that you're more than just a job - you're a community. And that's something everyone wants to be a part of.

Antreas Koutis, Administrative Manager, Financer

Be Transparent and Clear With Who You Are

One tip for improving your company's description in a job posting so that candidates want to apply is to be as transparent and clear as possible when describing who and what your company is! Many aspects of a bad company description, and a job posting in general, that tends to drive potential candidates away is the fact that they aren't descriptive and specific. They give a generic, 3 sentence paragraph about the job itself and its responsibilities, the salary, working hours, and nothing else! You should always insert a well-written but brief description of your company's history, values, product or service, and goals! This will let the candidate know exactly who you and what your company is looking for, and they can immediately get on board and apply if they are looking for a company just like yours!

David Ring, Senior Marketing Manager, MCT - Trading

Show How the Job Role Fits into the Company's Mission and Vision 

One tip for improving your company description in a job posting so that candidates want to apply is to make it clear what the company's mission and vision are, and how the role fits into that vision. You can also highlight any unique benefits the company offers, such as an on-site gym or free lunch. By making clear why the company is a great place to work, you can attract talented candidates who are excited about the opportunity.

Admir Salcinovic, Co-Founder, Pricelisto

Leave Out the Corporate Jargon

Focus on the fundamentals - not the fluff. Lots of companies describe themselves with buzzwords that don't actually tell candidates anything about the company. If you want to attract good applicants, then they shouldn't have to go looking for a better explanation of your business. Leave the corporate jargon behind, and use your company description to talk about what your company actually does.

Vimla Black Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, Ourself

Highlight the Qualities That Make Your Company Unique

One tip for improving your company description in a job posting so that candidates want to apply is to make sure you're focused on the most important aspects of the company. A lot of people might think that it's best to list every single thing about your business, but this can actually be the worst thing you can do. Because when you have too many details, your job posting will end up reading like an encyclopedia entry. This will make it hard for candidates to get excited about working at your company, because they'll feel like they're reading a book instead of getting a sense of what it's really like there. Instead, take some time and think about what makes your company unique and special—and then highlight those qualities in your description. That way, candidates will know exactly why they should work with you over any other competitor out there!

Amer Hasovic, Content Writer, Love & Lavender

Be Transparent About Diversity and Inclusion

Always be transparent about your DEI initiatives. This will encourage a broader range of applicants. Further, it will also attract candidates who share the same view, making them more likely to fit in with existing talent. You want candidates who mesh with the culture, not who are solely hired based on their skills and experience. Solicit qualified candidates by clearly posting your DEI initiatives in your company description in a job posting.

Temoer Terry, Partner, The Mommy Care Kit

Show Visuals of What Your Company Truly Is

I cringe when I see company descriptions that discuss what a "fun culture" or "family environment" they have. Every company says that and people who are looking for jobs are going to see the same descriptions over and over. Those terms and descriptions are almost always ignored by potential candidates but what candidates don't ignore are photos. Post actual photos of your office, workspaces, those "fun environments" and maybe the outside of your building. People are curious and I guarantee you posts with photos detailing the business will get much more engagement than those that offer the same old descriptions. Don't describe the perks, show them. Show those cool workspaces off, or state-of-the-art facilities. People will be much more likely to apply when they can visually imagine where they might work.

Seth Newman, Director, SportingSmiles

Emphasize Why Current Employees Love Working at the Company

Often, I find that the issue with company descriptions in job postings isn’t that it’s inaccurate or describes a negative culture—the issue is often that company leaders and hiring teams don’t fully understand what the main draws of the culture, work environment, or company are for candidates and employees. Because they're focused on the wrong things when describing the company, it doesn't appeal to candidates the way it should or entice them to apply. No one knows what makes you a great place to work better than the people who already love working for you. Before you create the job post, reach out to your team and ask what their favorite thing is about working for your company. These are the details you should focus on and emphasize when writing the description of your company for the posting.

Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group

Share the Social and Community Impact Your Company is Making

In sharing the social and community impact your organization derives through its initiatives and programs, you share with candidates how you are more than just a revenue-oriented business. Employees love working for companies where they know that they can participate in socially relevant programs. Even when employees are not directly involved with these initiatives, they draw satisfaction from the fact that their performance and productivity still play a role in adding to this impact. Mentioning your company's commitment to these values will also help attract socially conscious and responsible employees.

Larissa Pickens, Owner, Repeat Replay

Talk About Perks and Benefits

Talking about perks and benefits in your company description is a great way to make candidates want to apply. Mentioning things like 401K, healthcare, and paid vacation days will help show candidates that your company cares about its employees. If you also offer four-day work weeks or flexible hours, remember to highlight them as well.

Burak Özdemir, Founder, Online Alarm Clock

Use Gender-Neutral Language

Without the proper precautions taken into place to ensure you write your job descriptions inclusively, you can end up alienating many potential candidates who otherwise would have been a good fit for the job. One major issue that results from non-inclusive language is gender discrimination. For example, if you write a job description entirely using he/him pronouns when describing the ideal candidate, that will tell female candidates that they are not being considered. Even using language like describing an ideal candidate as dominant, confident, powerful, etc. can unintentionally imbue your job description with coding that favors one gender. Be sure to review your job descriptions for any gender coding before publishing them to ensure that you receive a broad range of applicants with diverse backgrounds and perspectives for your role.

Jonathan Krieger, VP of Sales, Fabuwood

Provide a Realistic View 

Paint a realistic picture of the company in terms that are universally understood... no jargon. Though the goal of a job posting is to “sell” a job, it also needs to accurately describe the job as well. Briefly describe the expectation of this role in relation to the strategic vision of the company. Everyone has the need to showcase their value within an organization and leverage their experience and insight to personally contribute to the strategic goals of the organization. The job description, including the company description, should provide the pathway to success for the incumbent within the role. This in turn will lead to improved employee retention as it will eliminate surprises to the new hire once they start.

Rosemarie Berman, VP of Talent Acquisition and Development, JDXpert