## Q: I need to write a job description for the first time and I’m looking for inspiration. Every job description I read is so boring. Have you seen any that stand out?
Founders often say that hiring is their #1 job, but it’s rare that you find a founder who spends as much time on their job postings as they do on, say, their product’s sign-up flow. This feels like a missed opportunity.
Job postings that stand out drive more applications, better applicants, and strengthen your company’s brand. I have zero data to back this up, but I’m certain it’s true. You don’t have many opportunities to break through the noise, and considering the meh’ness of most job postings, putting extra effort into creating a remarkable (i.e. worth remarking about) job posting is a high ROI investment.
Below I’ve collected the best job postings I’ve come across, with notes on why I love them. My hope is that these examples inspire you to level up your own job postings.
If you’ve come across other great examples (including your own!), I’d love to see them. Please share them in the comments 👇
1. Superhuman (link)
What I love about this:
1. Kicks off with a compelling and succinct (just five lines) explanation of the product 2. A clear sense of what the company values — frequent uses of words like “craft”, “impact”, “customers”, “delight”, “deeply understand” 3. Evidence to back up the bold claims, with links to a wall of love, founder’s writing, and their investors’ perspective 4. “Create massive impact” and “Do the best work of your life” — who wouldn’t want that 5. Playfulness and warmth through the use of emojis, language, and non-standard formatting
2. Basecamp (link)
What I love about this:
1. Tells a (great) story 2. Helps you viscerally understand the need for this role 3. The role is explained without using a bulleted list 4. A clear sense of who this role is for, and who it isn’t for 5. Transparency — salary, link to the employee handbook
3. DelightChat (link)
What I love about this:
1. Recognizes and reflects the reader’s reality right in the first line 2. A screenshot of the product 3. Humor and personality throughout — conversational language, emojis, color, jokes 4. Non-boiler-plate values and culture, which quickly tell you if it’s a fit for you 5. Step-by-step details on the interview process
4. Mighty (link)
What I love about this:
1. A succinct and compelling explanation of the product right at the top 2. An immediate sense of the large impact you can have 3. Instead of telling you what they’re looking for, describes what the current team is already like 4. Specific examples of cool technical work 5. An in-depth FAQ covering every question you may have, with lots of transparency
5. Levels (link)
What I love about this:
1. A two-sentence tl;dr summarizing the company, role, and opportunity 2. You quickly understand why this product (and company) is important 3. A clear sense of what the role is 4. “Why you may NOT be excited about us” 5. Details on the interview process
Honorable mentions:
A few more excellent job descriptions to inspire you:
- Growth at Amie
- Cowpoke/Intern at Lowercase Capital
- Huntsville, Alabama, Police Department
- Airbnb job posting on Quora in 2010
- Jr. Conversion Copywriter at Conversion Crimes
And of course, the classic:
Takeaways and inspiration for your job postings:
1. How might you describe your product and business in just a couple of sentences, while making it more compelling? 2. How might you communicate your company’s culture and values without simply itemizing your culture and values? 3. How might you make it apparent who this role is for, and NOT for? 4. How might you use screenshots or videos to show, not tell? 5. How might do something totally different?
Have examples of other great job descriptions? Please share 👇
That’s it for this week! May you have a productive and fulfilling week 👋
🔥 Job opening of the week: Lead Product Manager at Nacelle
Join one of the fastest-growing SaaS start-ups — Nacelle is looking for hardworking and intelligent people who have a passion for headless commerce.
Additional opportunities:
1. Product: Rocketplace, Transform, UserLeap 2. Growth: BasisOne, Prenda, SpaceX Starlink 3. Design: Ashby, Berbix, Instrumentl, Office Hours, Levels, Primer, Runway, Watershed 4. Engineering manager: Cerebral 5. Frontend engineer: Levels, Practice 6. Backend engineer: Driveway, Pogo, Reclaim, Transform 7. Fullstack engineer: Alloy, Cascade, Centered, Icebreaker, Iggy, Primer, Runway, Snackpass, Stytch, Sunroom 8. Mobile engineer: Primer, Roo, Stytch
🧠 Inspiration for the week ahead
1. Watch: Tadpoles: The Big Little Migration
[Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S-lZtE1J6M) 2. Listen: Katie Haun on the Dark Web, Gangs, Investigating Bitcoin, and The New Magic of “Nifties” (NFTs) by Tim Ferriss 3. Read: American Idle by Eugene Wei
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Sincerely,
Lenny 👋