UNIVERSAL RULES (apply to every job description task)
- NEVER produce a JD with salary listed as "competitive" -- always include a range; omitting the range deters good candidates
- NEVER list more than 5 essential requirements without questioning whether all are genuinely essential
- NEVER use "rockstar", "ninja", "guru" or similar -- these are exclusionary and have no descriptive value
- NEVER omit the equal opportunities statement
- NEVER omit the reasonable adjustments offer -- this is both good practice and a legal requirement in many jurisdictions
- NEVER write requirements in terms of years of experience with a specific tool when you mean proficiency at a skill level
- ALWAYS apply the inclusive language check automatically to every JD
BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION
| Source | Check |
|---|---|
| Conversation | Role details (title, department, seniority level), team context, salary range, location and working pattern |
| hr.local.md | Equal opportunities statement, company description, benefits list, reasonable adjustments wording |
| Prior outputs | /match output if this JD is succession-driven (use the role requirements already defined) |
CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS
Required (ask if not provided):
- What is the role title and seniority level?
- Which team or department is this role in?
- What does this person actually do (the work, not the requirements)?
Optional (ask if context suggests value):
- What is the salary range for this role?
- Is this role remote, hybrid, or office-based?
- Are there specific technical skills or tools required?
If information is missing: Use hr.local.md for company description, equal opportunities statement, and benefits. State "salary range not provided — recommend adding before publishing" in the output.
MANDATORY OUTPUT HEADER
Every output must begin with:
TASK: Job Description -- [Role Title]
DOCUMENT TYPE: Job Description
JURISDICTION: [From hr.local.md or user input]
CONFIGURATION: [hr.local.md loaded / best practices]
SENSITIVITY: ROUTINE
JOB DESCRIPTION WORKFLOW
The Four JD Principles
PRINCIPLE 1: CANDIDATE'S PERSPECTIVE FIRST Write from the candidate's perspective, not the organisation's. "You will own financial analytics and investor reporting" > "Responsible for financial analytics and investor reporting" The candidate asks: "what will I actually do and why does it matter?" Answer that question first.
PRINCIPLE 2: LEAD WITH THE WORK, NOT THE REQUIREMENTS Structure: The work > Impact > Requirements > Offer Most JDs do the opposite: requirements first, work buried at the bottom. Candidates decide whether to apply based on the work, not the requirements. Put the work first.
PRINCIPLE 3: CALIBRATE REQUIREMENTS RUTHLESSLY Separate ESSENTIAL from BENEFICIAL with discipline. Rule: An essential requirement is one where the absence of it makes the candidate unable to do the job. Everything else is BENEFICIAL. Most JDs list 15 "essential" requirements. Most have 3-5 genuine ones. Over-specification deters qualified candidates who don't match every item.
PRINCIPLE 4: INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE BY DEFAULT Apply the inclusive language check to every JD automatically. Do not wait to be asked.
Phase 1: Gather Information
Collect from user or hr.local.md:
- Role title and department
- Work description (what this person will actually do)
- Essential requirements (genuine must-haves only)
- Beneficial requirements (nice-to-haves)
- Salary range (mandatory -- not "competitive")
- Location and working pattern
- Company context (from hr.local.md or user input)
Phase 2: Structure the JD
SECTION 1: ROLE AND COMPANY (2-3 sentences) One sentence on the company (what it does and why it matters) One sentence on the team context (who they work with; team size) One sentence on why this role matters now
SECTION 2: THE WORK (3-5 bullet points) What this person will actually do, day-to-day and longer term. Use active verbs: "Build", "Lead", "Own", "Design", "Analyse" Include: one aspirational element ("you will have the opportunity to...") Avoid: task lists that sound like a job manual
SECTION 3: WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Essential (3-5 items maximum -- enforce this):
- [Skill or quality] -- explain why it is essential if not obvious Beneficial (not required):
- [Items that would help but are not blockers] Character / ways of working:
- [1-2 items about how they work, not what they know]
SECTION 4: WHAT WE OFFER Salary: [Range -- always include a range] Benefits: [Key items from hr.local.md] Location and working pattern Growth / development opportunity (if genuine -- do not fabricate)
SECTION 5: HOW TO APPLY + EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Application instructions Equal opportunities statement (load standard from hr.local.md) Reasonable adjustments offer (always include)
Phase 3: Inclusive Language Check
Apply to every JD without being asked:
REMOVE these words/phrases: Gender-coded masculine: "rockstar", "ninja", "guru", "dominate", "aggressive growth", "crushing it", "killing it", "hunt" Gender-coded feminine: "nurturing", "collaborative" as the only descriptor Age-coded: "young and dynamic", "recent graduate" (unless required), "digital native", "energetic young team" Unnecessary specificity: "5 years in [specific tool]" (replace with "proficiency in [tool category]"); "degree in [specific subject]" unless genuinely required Requirements that mask experience bias: "culture fit" (too vague; replace with specific behaviours); "startup experience required" unless genuinely relevant
FLAG for review: Any requirement listed as essential with a years-of-experience threshold that could be replaced with a skills/competency description. Years of experience predicts tenure, not ability.
ALWAYS INCLUDE: Salary range (or "competitive" is not acceptable -- be specific) Reasonable adjustments offer Equal opportunities statement Hybrid/remote flexibility if it exists
Phase 4: Requirements Calibration Test
Before finalising the essential requirements list: For each "essential" item, ask: "Could a highly capable candidate do this job well without this?" If YES -> move to BENEFICIAL If NO -> keep as ESSENTIAL
Rule: If your essential list has more than 5 items, at least 2 of them are almost certainly BENEFICIAL masquerading as ESSENTIAL.
OUTPUT FORMAT
TASK: Job Description -- [Role Title]
DOCUMENT TYPE: Job Description
JURISDICTION: [From hr.local.md or user input]
CONFIGURATION: [hr.local.md loaded / best practices]
SENSITIVITY: ROUTINE
[ROLE TITLE] -- [DEPARTMENT]
[Company] | [Location] | [Salary Range]
THE WORK
[3-5 bullet points, active verbs, candidate perspective]
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Essential:
- [Requirement -- why it is essential if not obvious]
Beneficial (not required):
- [Item]
Character / ways of working:
- [1-2 items]
WHAT WE OFFER
[Salary, benefits, location, growth]
HOW TO APPLY
[Instructions]
[Equal opportunities statement from hr.local.md]
[Reasonable adjustments offer]
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE CHECK:
[Pass/Fail with specific findings]
[Requirements calibration status]
NEVER DO THESE
- NEVER produce a JD with a salary listed as "competitive" -- this is the single most effective way to deter good candidates
- NEVER list more than 5 essential requirements without questioning whether all 5 are genuinely essential
- NEVER use "rockstar", "ninja", "guru" or similar -- these are exclusionary and have no descriptive value
- NEVER omit the equal opportunities statement
- NEVER omit the reasonable adjustments offer -- this is both good practice and a legal requirement in many jurisdictions
- NEVER write requirements in terms of years of experience with a specific tool when you mean proficiency at a skill level
AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES
- CIPD (cipd.org) — Recruitment and talent planning resources, inclusive recruitment guidance
- SHRM (shrm.org) — Job description toolkit, competency-based job analysis resources
- EEOC (eeoc.gov) — Pre-employment inquiry guidelines, ADA compliance for job postings
- Textio (textio.com) — Research on inclusive language impact in job descriptions
ALL OUTPUTS REQUIRE REVIEW BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE USE IN BUSINESS DECISIONS.