It’s no secret that the recruitment world is heading toward an automation boom. Studies show that recruiters who use automation fill 64% more job roles. 

As explained in our previous blog, mastering ChatGPT can significantly enhance your recruitment process.

The main mechanism a recruiter can use to entice potential candidates for a job is a well-written captivating job description. 

Here we’ll break down the steps in crafting a winning job description with the help of our new best friend, ChatGPT.

We’ll be ‘recruiting’ a Senior Frontend Developer for ‘company’ XYZ Browser, a privacy-first web browser that doesn’t store data or show ads. They’re hiring a Frontend Developer for their new Chrome extension product.

Our input:

"We’re going to write a winning job description for a private web browser company that will entice candidates to apply for the role. The role has come about specifically for the new Chrome extension product and involves building the new Chrome extension for XYZ browser. Generate a job description for a Senior Frontend Developer who is proficient in React, Webpack, Flux, and Redux. Knowledge in building and deploying Chrome Extensions is a plus but not essential. The job consists of responsibilities such as: implementing privacy-centric features within the Chrome extension, utilizing Chrome extension APIs to seamlessly integrate the extension with XYZ browser, developing functionality for users to customize privacy settings and preferences, leading a team of developers, designing and implementing software solutions, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to build out XYZ’s new Chrome extension for our web browser. The role is based in Amsterdam, working a hybrid model of 3 days in the office, and offers compensation of €100,000 per year. There are stock options in additional compensation that are to be discussed and a career path towards a CTO. Specify the qualifications and requirements for the Frontend Developer position. Include details on the desired educational background, minimum years of experience, and any certifications or specialized skills required. The company is a start-up but is a diverse group of people who have excellent experience in building tech products that have scaled significantly. We’re a start-up based in Amsterdam, we have a great company culture and have drinks after work on Fridays and many other social team-building events. Integrate our company's culture and values into the job description. Emphasize aspects such as innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion for the Frontend Developer role. Review the language in the job description and make it more inclusive. Provide suggestions to eliminate any potential biases and ensure that the description appeals to a diverse pool of candidates. Review the job description and provide feedback on its clarity and conciseness. Ensure that the information is presented in a straightforward manner and is easily comprehensible for potential candidates.” 

For better results when prompting, you should consider the following tips:

• Be specific: Specify the information that you want to receive, not just the information that you input into your prompt.
  
  
• Give it Feedback: Don’t be afraid to tell the AI exactly what you were expecting and how it did not meet expectations. It will learn your style and what your goals are in its process

• Break it down into steps: Sometimes, the AI can be overwhelmed with all the information you put into it and like a child, learns better when you break it down into small steps. If you are prompting a large paragraph, of say 600 words, break it down and prompt in 4-6 steps. Example:  Step 1: Generate the job title, Step 2: Write about the job responsibilities, Step 3: Highlight the compensation

The steps to write a job description with ChatGPT

There are several steps we’ll walk through to have a winning job description in the end:

• Step 1: Define the position clearly
• Step 2: Key responsibilities and duties
• Step 3: Specify qualifications and requirements
• Step 4: Incorporate company culture and values
• Step 5: Optimize language for inclusivity
• Step 6: Check for clarity
• Step 7: Refine and iterate

Step 1: Define the position clearly

Start by providing the AI with a clear understanding of the position you are hiring for. 

Specify:

• Job Title: ‘Senior React Frontend Developer’
• The type of company: Give it as much information as you can about the type of company. Talk about the product if it is a tech product. For example, ‘A privacy web browser with a Chrome extension’.
• Key Responsibilities: ‘Leading a team of developers, designing and implementing solutions and collaborating with cross-functional teams to produce the new Chrome extension product’

Step 2: Key responsibilities and duties

Don’t worry, most recruiters aren’t equipped with extensive technical knowledge and have to learn the ins and outs of the job. So if you’re not exactly sure of the responsibilities of a Frontend, Backend, or DevOps developer, you can ask ChatGPT.

Start a new thread, and prompt: What would some key responsibilities be for a frontend developer if they were to work at a privacy web browser company and are in charge of creating the new Chrome extension product?

The result: 

You can then copy excerpts from this thread and feed them back into the original Job Description thread, giving the AI more to work with, or copy some of the excerpts to put into your edit and iteration of the final piece. 

Step 3: Specify qualifications and requirements

Ask ChatGPT to outline the qualifications and requirements for the role, including the educational background, years of experience required, and any specific certifications. 

Example: "Specify the qualifications and requirements for the Senior Frontend Developer position. Include details on the desired educational background, minimum years of experience, and any certifications or specialized skills required."

Step 4: Incorporate company culture and values

46% of candidates in the United States consider company culture as a deciding factor in taking a new job, so be sure to include more than just the salary and compensation. Infuse the job description with elements of your company culture and values as well. Ask ChatGPT to articulate these aspects to make the description more appealing to potential candidates. 

Example: "We’re a start-up based in Amsterdam, we have a great company culture and have drinks after work on Fridays and many other social team-building events. Integrate our company's culture and values into the job description. Emphasize aspects such as innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion for the Frontend Developer role."

Step 5: Optimize language for inclusivity

Ensure that the language used in the job description is inclusive and free of bias. Ask ChatGPT to review the language and suggest improvements to make it more welcoming to a diverse range of candidates. 

Example: "Review the language in the job description and make it more inclusive. Provide suggestions to eliminate any potential biases and ensure that the description appeals to a diverse pool of candidates."

Step 6: Check for clarity

ChatGPT works much better if you provide feedback on or ask it to review the prompts. Ask it to review the job description for clarity and conciseness, ensuring that the language is straightforward, and key information is presented in a way that is easy for candidates to understand. 

Example: "Review the job description and provide feedback on its clarity and conciseness. Ensure that the information is presented in a straightforward manner and is easily comprehensible for potential candidates."

Now we’re ready to feed all the information into the AI and let it work its magic. 

The result:

Step 7: Refine and iterate

ChatGPT may not always produce a finished piece, however, it does produce the bulk of the work (we can’t have it all!). You’ll need to fine-tune the language, adjust details, and incorporate any additional information to finish creating a compelling job description. 

You can even ask ChatGPT for suggestions by prompting: Give a few suggestions on how I can add to the above prompt, making it a final piece. 

Further tips

Create separate threads 

Create and save separate threads for different job descriptions, candidate emails, and new client outreach, this will help the AI remember the successful prompts it gave you and you can reference them.

Maintain the same style 

Try to be as consistent as possible with your language and style, so ChatGPT can take note. Also before prompting you can tell ChatGPT what its role is, the more it hears this the better the prompts will be. For example “Your job is a Python Engineer recruiter.”

Feed it examples 

If you have a really good job description for a role, you can copy and paste it into ChatGPT and prompt something like “Here is a well-done job description that’s for a Frontend Developer. It is formatted perfectly, please give me the same as above except for a Backend Engineer”

Remember, ChatGPT should be treated like your assistant and not your replacement. Harness its power and make sure you are feeding it lots of information to work with and don’t be afraid to critique its responses.