These are the patterns that consistently separate JDs that fill the role from JDs that sit open for 90 days. Apply them in order — each one compounds on the one before it.
RULE 01
Lead with the outcome, not the title
Candidates skim. The first 80 words decide whether they keep reading or close the tab.
Start with what the role will accomplish in the first 6–12 months — the problem it solves, the product surface it owns, the customer it serves. Save the company boilerplate for the bottom. A clear outcome statement filters in candidates who actually want the work and filters out everyone else, which is the whole point of the JD.
DON'T
We are looking for a passionate Senior Product Designer to join our growing team in a fast-paced environment.
DO
You'll own the onboarding experience for our 40,000 paid users — shipping a new flow within 90 days that takes activation from 38% to 55%.
RULE 02
Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
Long requirement lists shrink the qualified applicant pool, especially among women and underrepresented candidates.
Pick 4–6 must-haves that genuinely predict success in the role and put everything else under nice-to-haves. Drop the years-of-experience proxy when a skill or portfolio demonstrates the same thing. Be specific: "shipped a B2B onboarding flow that moved activation" tells you more than "5+ years in SaaS."
DON'T
Requirements: 7+ years experience. Bachelor's degree required. Master's preferred. Expert in 12 tools.
DO
Must-haves: shipped a B2B SaaS onboarding flow end-to-end; comfortable working directly with engineers in Figma; data-literate (you can read funnel charts and form a hypothesis).
RULE 03
Show pay, level, and location up front
Compensation isn't a closing detail — it's the single biggest reason candidates apply or skip.
Put a good-faith pay range, the level (IC4, Senior, Staff), and the working location (remote, hybrid, on-site with city) high in the JD. In states like California, Colorado, New York, and Washington this isn't optional — see our pay transparency guide. Even where it isn't legally required, posting pay roughly doubles qualified applicant flow in most studies.
DON'T
Competitive salary. Location flexible.
DO
$165k–$190k base + 0.05–0.10% equity · Senior IC (L5) · Remote within US/Canada, with quarterly on-sites in NYC.
RULE 04
Write like a human, not a brochure
Corporate filler ("synergistic," "rockstar," "family," "wear many hats") is invisible to good candidates and a red flag to great ones.
Use the second person. Use short sentences. Cut adjectives you can't measure. Read the JD out loud — anywhere you'd be embarrassed to say it to a friend, rewrite it. The voice should match how your team actually talks in Slack, not how a 2014 careers page sounded.
DON'T
We are a passionate, fast-paced, mission-driven family of rockstars looking for a unicorn who can wear many hats.
DO
Our team is six engineers, two designers, and one PM. We ship weekly, do async standups, and meet in person once a quarter. You'll be the third designer.
RULE 05
Make the next step obvious and small
If the application takes 40 minutes, your best candidates — the ones with options — won't start it.
Tell candidates exactly what happens after they apply: who reviews it, how long it takes, what the interview loop looks like. Cut every field you don't truly need on the application itself. A 5-minute application with a clear loop converts 3–4× better than a long form behind a generic "Apply now."
DON'T
Submit your application and we will get back to you if there is a fit.
DO
Apply with a résumé or LinkedIn. We reply within 5 business days. Loop is: 30m with the hiring manager → 45m portfolio review → 60m system + collab session with two future teammates.