Start with why the role exists.
In two or three lines, explain the business need. Is the team growing, replacing a specialist, entering a market or building a capability that does not exist today?
Write for a capable candidate who does not know the internal organisation chart. Avoid acronyms and internal language that make the opportunity sound narrower or more complicated than it is.
“We are hiring this person to…” Then finish it with the business problem, customer outcome or capability the role will own.
Write outcomes, not a task dump.
Responsibilities tell someone what they may touch. Outcomes tell them what they are expected to change, deliver or improve. Use three to five outcomes that make the role concrete.
What should be better, faster, safer or more valuable because this person joined?
What should the person understand, deliver or improve early in the role?
What should be true after six to twelve months if the hire is successful?
How will the hiring manager recognise progress without relying on vague cultural language?
Show the scope and level.
Keep the responsibility list focused on the work that takes most of the person's time. Four to six clear areas are usually more useful than fifteen overlapping bullets.
Decision-making
What decisions will the person own, recommend or influence?
Stakeholders
Which teams, customers, regulators or partners will they work with?
Team shape
Is the role an individual contributor, people manager or a blend of both?
Operating context
What markets, budgets, systems, shifts or travel expectations are genuinely part of the role?
Be precise about seniority. A title such as “lead” or “manager” can mean very different things across organisations; the reporting line, responsibility and expected outcomes provide the useful context.
Separate must-haves from teachable skills.
Requirements should explain what is necessary to perform the work, not describe an ideal person who may not exist. Make the trade-offs visible.
Non-negotiable
Skills, experience or credentials directly connected to the role's outcomes.
Helpful
Experience that shortens the learning curve but is not required on day one.
Can develop
Capabilities a well-supported hire can build in the first months.
Use years of experience carefully. Experience is not the same as competence, and an arbitrary number can screen out candidates who have done the work at a different pace or in a different setting.
Show a credible salary and package.
A clear salary range helps candidates decide whether to apply and helps the recruiter search within a realistic market. Explain the base, bonus, allowances, benefits and any meaningful flexibility.
Base
State the expected fixed monthly or annual base range clearly.
Variable
Explain bonus or commission without presenting uncertain amounts as guaranteed pay.
Benefits
Include benefits that genuinely matter to the decision.
Location
State where the role is based and whether travel or hybrid work is part of the arrangement.
Pass context
If overseas candidates are in scope, assess the likely work-pass route before promising it.
For EP-related roles, salary must be considered alongside age, sector, role level and the current eligibility framework. Start with the EP employer guide before publishing a narrow promise.
Keep the job description FCF-ready.
Where the Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirement applies, the MyCareersFuture advertisement should accurately explain the job requirements and salary offered. The hiring entity, occupation, salary and vacancy count need to remain coherent with the later EP application.
The advertised occupation and actual duties should match the role in the EP application.
The entity hiring and submitting the application should be the same organisation named in the advertisement.
Show the salary range clearly and make sure it contains the offered salary.
Keep requirements related to the work and avoid discriminatory restrictions that are not job-related.
The full advertising period, exemptions and record-keeping requirements are covered in the FCF guide.
The job-description template.
- Role purpose: why the role exists and what problem it solves.
- Top outcomes: three to five results expected in the first year.
- Responsibilities: the four to six areas that take most of the time.
- Team and reporting: manager, stakeholders and decision-making scope.
- Must-haves: requirements directly connected to the outcomes.
- Good-to-haves: useful but teachable capabilities.
- Salary and benefits: base, variable pay, benefits and location.
- Hiring process: stages, assessors and expected timing.
- Equal opportunity: a clear statement that selection is based on job-related criteria.
Before publishing, remove internal jargon, check that the salary is credible and ask whether a qualified person can understand the opportunity without needing a private explanation.
FAQ
How long should a job description be?
Long enough to explain the purpose, outcomes, scope, requirements, package and process. Clarity matters more than a fixed word count; remove repeated duties and internal language.
Should we include salary in the job description?
Yes. A realistic range helps candidates self-select and supports a clearer, more credible hiring process. Where FCF advertising applies, the salary in the advertisement must follow MOM's current rules.
Can we ask for a specific nationality or age?
Only requirements genuinely connected to the work should be included. Avoid nationality, age, sex or other non-job-related restrictions and check the current fair-employment guidance.
Does the job description need to match the EP application?
The role, occupation and actual duties should be coherent across the job description, any MyCareersFuture advertisement and the EP application.
References.
This guide is general information for employers. FCF rules, salary requirements and work-pass criteria can change.