I've never hired anyone before and now I need to write a job description. Where do I start so the right people apply?

Example: a complete posting (330 words)

“Part-time Bookkeeper (20 hours a week), Green Fork Restaurants, Denver

Pay: $28 to $34 an hour, depending on experience Schedule: 20 hours a week, flexible; in our Denver office on Tuesdays, remote the rest

About us Green Fork runs three neighborhood restaurants in Denver with about 70 staff. Our books are in good shape, and we want to keep them that way as we grow.

What you'll do - Enter and pay supplier invoices each week in QuickBooks Online, about 60 a week. - Reconcile six bank and credit card accounts every month. - Track tips and cash deposits from each location and flag gaps to the managers. - Send monthly numbers to our outside accountant by the 10th. - Answer supplier questions about payments.

What you need - At least two years of bookkeeping. - Daily use of QuickBooks Online. - Care with numbers and the habit of asking when something doesn't add up.

Nice to have - Experience with restaurants, tips or a POS system like Toast.

What we offer - A steady, part-time role with flexible hours. - A shift meal on office days.

How to apply Send your resume and a few lines about the bookkeeping you do now to jobs@greenfork.example by Nov 13. We'll reply to every applicant within two weeks.”

The numbers (60 invoices, six accounts, the 10th) tell a candidate the size of the job better than “manage accounts payable” ever could.

The parts, in the order candidates read them

Candidates skim a posting the way you skim a menu: title, pay, location, then the list of duties. Put those where they look.

1. Title: the name people search for. “Bookkeeper” beats “Numbers Ninja”, and “Senior” only when it is. 2. Pay, schedule, location and remote rules, in the first lines. 3. Two or three sentences about the team or company. Skip the founding story. 4. What you'll do: five to seven bullets with verbs and numbers. 5. What you need: three to five real must-haves. 6. Nice to have: two or three, clearly optional. 7. What you offer, then how to apply and by when.

As a rule of thumb, 300 to 600 words covers most roles. A longer posting usually means a list of duties that belongs in the onboarding plan instead.

Requirements, pay and wording that cost you applicants

Long must-have lists cut your pool. Some capable people do not apply unless they meet every line, so “5+ years” when you would hire someone with three keeps those people away. Ask of each requirement: would I reject an otherwise great candidate without it? If not, move it to nice to have.

Pay ranges are often required, not just polite. New York City, for example, has required a good-faith pay range in job ads for work performed in the city since November 1, 2022, according to the city's Commission on Human Rights (read 15 Oct 2026). Other states and cities have their own pay transparency rules, so check the rules where the job is based.

Avoid wording that hints at the age, gender or background you picture: “digital native”, “young and energetic team”, “native English speaker” when you mean fluent. Describe the work and the skill. If you are unsure about a phrase, ask HR or an employment lawyer before you post.

What the Anything format does with your notes

Anything works out the text type from your request, so say “job description” or “job posting” in the first line and it follows that type's usual structure. With Length on Auto, write “about 350 words” in the request and it aims for that number; Medium on its own means about 200 to 500 words.

It does not invent duties, benefits or numbers you did not give, so a missing pay range stays missing rather than guessed. If you ask for headings, you get them; the example above uses the plain ones most job boards display well. A light red pen pass removes the phrases job seekers have learned to skip: “fast-paced environment”, “rockstar”, “we're like a family” and “competitive salary” in place of a number.