Standout Job Description Template (Free download)

Looking to expand your team? Our free job description template can help you outline the role you’re looking for and your ideal candidate. 

Get started and download the template today by filling in the form on the right.

What is a job description?

A job description or position description (JD or PD) should be a comprehensive document that gives your incoming job seekers a deeper understanding of the role they are applying for.

Job descriptions are a crucial part of the recruitment cycle as they help you reach the right person seeking employment, increasing the quality of potential employees applying for the position. Different from an employment ad, where you would provide a more top-line description of the role, a position description is a more formal document detailing the role, the company and job responsibilities.

What makes a good job description?

A perfect JD should leave the job seeker knowing that they are definitely right or wrong for the role. It should take a deeper dive into the skills required and share insights about how the role fits into the wider company and aligns with company values. A good job description should also give the applicant the knowledge they will need to undertake the rest of the recruitment process.

Remember: Job descriptions are not just designed to help an incoming applicant understand a role better. The position description will be referred to by the staff member throughout their employment and will be consulted when it comes to probation, performance reviews and any promotion or growth negotiations. For this reason, an effective job description should be as detailed and as relevant as possible.

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What’s in the job description template?

Need a great job description for incoming applicants? This template has all the information you need to put together an ideal job description.

This job description template covers the key elements of a good job description and includes:

• Easy-to-edit job description format
• Job title and position summary
• Company culture, mission and values
• Team structure
• Role responsibilities and job duties
• Role expectations and skills required
• Selection criteria and work experience needed

This template is fully customisable to the needs of your business, and includes helpful tips on what to write and how to write it.

Why job descriptions are legally required in New Zealand

As outlined in the Employment Relations Act 2000, every employment agreement requires a clear “description of the work to be performed by the employee”. The Employment Relations Act 2000 further states that: “An employer who fails to comply with this section is liable, in an action brought by a Labour Inspector or the employee concerned, to a penalty imposed by the Authority.” 

By having a clear description of the role an employee is performing, you are maintaining legal compliance, while also helping the employee to better understand what’s expected of them. This is important during both the job-seeking process and once you’ve found your successful applicant.

What should you avoid including in your job description?

We’ve shown you what should be included in a job description. However, there are a few things that you’ll want to avoid including.

These include:

• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Specific operational details about your company
• Information related to future planning (e.g. promotion pathways)

These details should be omitted as they could become outdated in the future. A job description should only include current role responsibilities, rather than any role functions that may be required in the future. 

How long should a job description be?

Less is more when it comes to a job description. Here at Employment Hero, we like to keep things concise. We’d recommend keeping a job description to 10-15 key duties, to make sure the description is easily understood and highly relevant. 

If your job description is long and confusing, it can put potential candidates off. It can also present legal risks down the line, if you accidentally misrepresent the requirements of the role within the job description. 

Keeping things concise gives you the best chance of attracting the best talent for your company, while managing compliance. 

Should you list KPIs or goals in the job description?

No, you shouldn’t include KPIs or goals within the job description. A job description forms part of an employee agreement and should be considered an overview of the role’s requirements. 

KPIs are more fluid, and will evolve with the goals of the company, as well as the employee. If you do include KPIs in the employment agreement, and you subsequently need to update those KPIs, then you’ll need to update the entire contract every time.

Instead managers can more effectively manage their employee’s progress towards their KPIs by conducting regular check-ins and performance reviews. This gives both the manager and the employee the flexibility to alter the KPIs as needed, while also keeping everyone involved accountable.

What role does company culture and employer branding play?

While a job description should include information about your company’s values, culture, and mission, a job description shouldn’t be a marketing piece.

Naturally weaving in information about your company is recommended when putting together a job description but this shouldn’t be your entire focus. Instead, your job description should be clear and targeted, allowing you to attract the right talent.

How often should you review and update job descriptions?

Periodically revisiting your workforce’s job descriptions should form part of your processes. This helps to ensure that job descriptions are aligning with the realities of what each employee is doing as part of their role. 

It’s especially important to revisit job descriptions when an employee’s responsibilities have changed by more than 20% to avoid legal and operational misalignment.

How specific should you be when listing skills and qualifications?

When listing out what skills and qualifications you’re looking for, you should separate them into two lists: essential and desirable. This will help you easily identify candidate suitability without encouraging discrimination. 

What goes into an essential list and what goes into a desirable list will depend on the specific role. For example, if you’re advertising for an entry-level role, then having a certain level of experience may be desirable but not required. 

However, if you’re hiring for a leadership role, then relevant qualifications and leadership experience will likely be essential. We don’t recommend trying to cram everything into the essential list though. You don’t want to discourage job-seekers that might be a good fit, but may not meet one or two of the essential criteria.

When should you write the job description in the recruitment process?

Looking to kick off the recruitment process? It’s a very exciting time, especially if you’ve been in need of workforce reinforcements for a while! It can be tempting to jump straight into the process but before advertising you’ll want to write the job description first. 

The job description can help align your team on what’s needed to bolster current operations, ensuring everyone’s on the same page. People might have different ideas on the role requirements and if this spills over into the actual recruitment process, finding the right candidate may prove to be difficult. 

By having a defined job description that everyone agrees on before you start advertising, finding your next top performer will be a little easier.

How should your job description support onboarding and performance management?

The job description you’ve written for your job advertisement (and subsequently, the employee agreement) should form the basis for the onboarding and performance management process. 

By referring back to the job description as your new hire settles into their role, you can set probation benchmarks, map out performance reviews and align expectations for the new hire’s performance over time. 

While employees might not always refer back to their job description after being hired, it can serve as a useful way to understand whether they’re meeting the expectations that were placed when they were hired. And if they’re not performing as expected, you can provide support to help them excel.

What’s the difference between a job description and a person specification?

While a job description and a person specification can both help when you’re hiring for a new role, they serve slightly different purposes. Here’s how they differ.

A job description includes:

• The duties and responsibilities performed as part of the role
• Who they’d report to within their company
• A description of the company

A person specification includes:

• The skills, behaviours and qualifications that you’re looking for in the ideal candidate
• The behaviours a candidate would need to demonstrate to succeed in the role

Both should form part of the recruitment process. By developing both, you’ll have a standardised way to measure a potential candidate’s aptitude for a role, while also ensuring that there is a defined list of requirements and responsibilities once they’re hired.

Find the right employees for the job

Ready to find your next top performer? It all starts with a great recruitment process. Discover how you can make your next recruitment push your best yet through our comprehensive hiring guide with the help of an employee recruitment software!

Get started on your hiring process and download the job description template.

The information in this article is current as at 25 August 2025, and has been prepared by Employment Hero Pty Ltd (ABN 11 160 047 709) and its related bodies corporate (Employment Hero). The views expressed in this article are general information only, are provided in good faith to assist employers and their employees, and should not be relied on as professional advice. Some information is based on data supplied by third parties. While such data is believed to be accurate, it has not been independently verified and no warranties are given that it is complete, accurate, up to date or fit for the purpose for which it is required. Employment Hero does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such data and is not liable for any loss or damages arising directly or indirectly as a result of reliance on, use of or inability to use any information provided in this article. You should undertake your own research and seek professional advice before making any decisions or relying on the information in this article.