David helps every Beacon client sharpen the JD before a search even starts.
Most engineering JDs are a wish list of every skill anyone on the team has ever used. Strong candidates read that as a red flag, not a green one.
See the mistakesResearch consistently shows strong candidates self-select out when they don't meet every listed requirement. A long list shrinks your pool before anyone even applies.
"Work on our platform" tells a candidate nothing. What will they actually own, ship, or be accountable for in the first six months?
Engineers want to know what they'll be working with and at what scale. Omitting this reads as either not knowing or not caring.
Increasingly a dealbreaker. Candidates skip listings without a range rather than waste time finding out later.
Separate "must have" from "nice to have" and keep the must-have list to 3-5 real requirements. Describe the actual problems the role will solve in the first six months, not a generic mission statement. Name the stack. Post a real comp range. A tighter, more honest JD attracts fewer but far more qualified applicants, which is the actual goal.
A shorter, more specific job description gets you fewer applicants and a much higher percentage of them worth talking to.
David helps every Beacon client sharpen the JD before a search even starts.
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