Recruitment

Job descriptions vs job postings: What’s the difference?

Confused between a job description and a job posting? Know the differences between the two and the importance of each.
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Rutvi Dattani
October 23, 2023 at 09:42 AM
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The cornerstone of attracting the right candidates is an accurate job description and an appealing job posting. However, very few HR professionals and hiring managers know the difference between a job description and a job posting.

You may ask, aren’t job descriptions the same as job postings?

Well, NO! The devil is in the details.

These terms are often used interchangeably, but the two have significant differences. We will thus delve deep into those differences, right from their content to their usage and intent.

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What is a job description?

A job description communicates key details about a job opening, including the role, expectations, and skills the employer seeks in an applicant.

The purpose of a job description is to outline the position for which the candidate is applying. It is usually to the point, straightforward, and without creatives, visuals, or other attention-getters.

Specifying the expectations from the candidate and whether their qualifications match the job requirements, a description assists candidates in deciding whether they fit for the position and whether it interests them.

In addition, it clearly summarizes the main goal and purpose of the position. The conditions of employment such as background checks, educational qualifications, licensing and credentialing requirements, description of an ideal candidate, compensation, and more, will be made clear in a job description.
What is included in job description?

What are job descriptions used for?

When a company realizes the need to hire talent for a role or project, they develop a job description as an internal document. Once it has been created and approved by key stakeholders involved, the job description is shared with the organization's hiring team or staffing agency partner involved to create enticing, external job postings.

Therefore, a job description is the first significant step in the talent acquisition process and a job posting cannot be created without a job description.

Want to create effective job descriptions?

JobTatkal’s AI job description feature can particularly accelerate the creation of accurate job descriptions. With only a few inputs about the job role, JobTatkal quickly generates comprehensive job descriptions intended to attract top candidates using GPT-4 and Vertex AI technology.

Here is an example of a job description from JobTatkal that highlights the responsibilities of a senior technical content writer.JobTatkal AI Job Description Generator

JobTatkal AI Job Detail Generator

To learn more about attracting top talent, visit our blog on ‘how to create effective job descriptions’.

What is a job posting?

Once an organization has determined the need to add talent to their workforce and the internal job description has been created, talent acquisition teams will use it to develop an external job posting to promote the role, market the company, and recruit top talent.

Candidates are eager to learn how companies treat their employees and respond to turbulent times. Candidates look forward to understanding what life at the hiring organization looks like. For instance, the dynamics of the job market and work culture have changed post-COVID. Poor crisis management, layoffs, and bad decision making to address immediate concerns during the pandemic, have all contributed to a long-term impact on employer brand by setting a negative precedent.

Job postings therefore play a pivotal role in managing employer branding as they speak about the company's vision, and provide insight into the workplace culture.

What is included in job postings?

Are video job postings in vogue?

Hiring managers may also consider incorporating a video into the job posting. According to Digi-Me, a video job posting has a 53x higher likelihood of showing up on the first page of Google searches. It can increase prospective candidates' understanding of a position by as much as 300%!

CareerBuilder study also reveals that job posts with videos receive 34% more applications than those without.

For instance, Starbucks, a coffee company and coffeehouse based in Seattle, uploaded a video titled “Early Career at Starbucks.” The video is fun and upbeat and focuses on Starbucks interns and full-time employees who are just starting out in their careers.

Takeaways from the video include the fact that employees at Starbucks are encouraged to try new things, their ideas are valued, and there are abundant opportunities for advancement.

The coffeehouse focused on projecting itself as an organization that views its workers as "partners" and strives to create a pleasant, welcoming space where diversity is appreciated and individuals are treated with respect and dignity.

How company career pages and good job postings persuade candidates to apply

A good job posting will strike a balance between including enough information about the employer while being brief and focusing on the role description. Career pages on company websites provide an overview of the company culture and promote it as a healthy workplace. In order to attract top talent, it is imperative to create enticing career pages and job postings that market the organization and welcome its potential employees as valuable assets.

Careers page and job postings by Apple

Apple careers page

Apple careers page

Apple careers page

Apple careers page

apple job postingapple job posting

Careers page and job postings by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

 

TCS career page

TCS career page

TCS job posting

A job description is a subset of a job posting

The primary difference between a job posting and a job description is that the former is always intended to draw candidates, while the latter establishes the specific requirements for completing a task.

A job posting is, therefore, convincing and makes the role look more exciting and interesting. Copywriting plays an important role in making the company seem like an amazing place to work.

In contrast, a job description is more factual and dry. It is only intended to be read by those who will really be performing the work and it forms a subset of job postings.

Both job descriptions and job postings are essential to attracting quality candidates into your workforce promptly and efficiently. JobTatkal helps you create effective job descriptions using its AI technology and lets you create job postings on the platform to match with top talent. 

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India’s #1 ‘active-in-time’ AI-powered job site

Create job postings on JobTatkal to match with top talent!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Job specification vs job description: What's the difference?

A job specification is a list of the skills, abilities, personality traits, and other characteristics that a candidate must possess in order to execute the job. A job description is a written statement of the responsibilities, duties, and functions of a particular job within an organization.

What is the purpose of a job description?

The fundamental job functions, as well as the skills, knowledge, and other qualities required for satisfactory job performance, are outlined in the job description. To ensure that it accurately reflects the employee's actual assigned responsibilities, it should be updated regularly.

What’s the difference between job and work?

Despite the fact that the words "job" and "work" are sometimes used synonymously, they have different connotations. Work refers to the activities that a person undertakes to accomplish a specified objective or outcome, whether or not payment is involved. A job is a defined position or activity that a person performs for compensation.

What's the difference between job description and job posting?

Job descriptions ensure a candidate understands what they should achieve as part of the job they’re applying for. But job postings ensure candidates are attracted to apply for that job and drawn to work for the hiring organization!

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AUTHOR
Rutvi Dattani

Rutvi is a voracious reader and writer, keen on analyzing trends in AI and the evolution of digital space. Deeply passionate about exploring interdisciplinary themes of research, she is fond of networking ideas on human capital formation vis-a-vis the emergence of information technology.

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