Job Description Template

This free job description template helps US small businesses write down what a job is before they hire for it. It covers the job’s details, overtime status, pay range, a short summary, the key duties with the share of time each takes and which are essential, and qualifications. It also has the physical requirements, working conditions and an equal opportunity statement. Download it as a Word file to type into, or as a PDF to print.

What you get

A five-page PDF, sized for US Letter paper, and an editable Word file:

• Pages 1–2: the blank job description to fill in.
• Pages 3–4: the same template completed for a fictional landscaping company, so you can see what good answers look like.
• Page 5: notes on overtime status, pay range laws, essential functions and wording, with links to the sources.

Page one has the job title, department, who the job reports to, location, schedule and the date it was written. It also has tick boxes for employment type, where the work is done and overtime status, plus the pay range and benefits. Then come a ruled box for the job summary and a key responsibilities table with “% of time” and “Essential” columns. Page two covers qualifications (required or preferred), physical requirements with how often each applies, and working conditions. It ends with an equal opportunity statement you fill in and sign-off lines.

What a good job description includes

• The work, in order of importance. Lead with the duties that make the job what it is, not the ones that are easiest to describe.
• The share of time for each duty. It shows what the job really is, and it’s evidence of which duties are essential.
• Essential duties marked. Decide which duties the job can’t do without before you advertise.
• Only the qualifications you need. Every “required” item is a reason to turn someone away. Make sure you can explain why it matters.
• Honest physical demands. How much, how often and where: “lifts up to 50 lb several times a day” beats “must be physically fit”.
• The pay range and overtime status. Decide them now, so the ad and the offer match.

How to write a job description

1. Talk to whoever does the job now, or did it last, and look at what the work really involves.
2. Write a two or three sentence summary of why the job exists.
3. List six to eight key responsibilities, most important first, with a rough percentage of time for each.
4. Tick the duties that are essential to the job.
5. Add qualifications and mark each one required or preferred.
6. Fill in the physical requirements and working conditions.
7. Tick the overtime status, add the pay range and benefits, and fill in the equal opportunity statement.
8. Have someone approve it, then use it for the job ad, the offer letter and reviews.

Completed example

The example in the download is for a landscape crew lead at a fictional landscaping company in Washington State. It’s a full-time, on-site, non-exempt job with an hourly pay range and a short list of benefits. Six duties add up to 100% of the time, and five of them are ticked as essential. The physical requirements give real weights and frequencies, such as lifting up to 50 lb often. Working conditions cover weather, noise and early starts. It was written and approved before the job was posted, so the employee line is still blank.

Job description template for Word

The Word version has the same sections as the PDF. Type into the blank fields and table cells, tick the boxes, and replace the highlighted [placeholders] in the equal opportunity statement with your business name and contact. Add or delete rows in the responsibilities table to fit the job, and save a copy for each role. Keep the master blank, so every new job description starts from the same structure and your job descriptions stay consistent across the business.

Pay ranges and pay transparency laws

Some states require a pay range in job postings. For example, California Labor Code section 432.3 requires employers with 15 or more employees to include the pay scale in any job posting. Washington’s RCW 49.58.110 requires the wage scale or salary range and a general description of benefits from employers with 15 or more employees. Colorado has similar job posting rules. Check your state and city before you post.

Essential functions and physical requirements

Under the ADA, the EEOC considers your judgment and a written job description prepared before advertising or interviewing as evidence of a job’s essential functions. It also looks at how much time is spent on each one (29 CFR 1630.2(n)). Mark the essential duties honestly, and describe physical requirements as what the job needs done. Job ads must not show a preference for, or discourage, applicants because of a protected trait, such as asking for “recent college graduates” (EEOC).

When to get advice

Get advice before you call a job exempt from overtime if you’re unsure the duties and salary qualify (Department of Labor). Do the same before you list a requirement that could screen out people with disabilities or older workers.

Not sure what your state requires in a job posting? That’s what hrsupport.io is for: HR answers for your state, with the law behind every answer.