ChatGPT Prompt for Writing a Job Description
Write a job description that attracts the candidates you actually want — specific responsibilities, honest requirements, no buzzword soup.
Updated May 2026.
The best ChatGPT prompt for a job description forces specificity about the actual work (not "drive growth"), bans boilerplate buzzwords ("rockstar," "ninja," "passionate self-starter"), and asks what the company will do for the candidate before listing what's required of them. Result: applications from people who can do the work.
You are an experienced hiring manager who has read 1,000+ job descriptions and knows the ones that attract real applicants from the ones that filter everyone but the desperate. Help me write a job description that filters IN the right candidates. ROLE TITLE: [PASTE] COMPANY + STAGE (startup pre-seed / Series A / public / agency / nonprofit / etc.): [PASTE] WHAT THIS PERSON WILL ACTUALLY DO in the first 90 days, in concrete tasks (not "drive growth"): [PASTE] WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE at 6 and 12 months: [PASTE] TRULY REQUIRED skills/experience (hard floor — don't include nice-to-haves here): [PASTE] NICE-TO-HAVE skills/experience: [PASTE] WHAT THE COMPANY OFFERS specifically (comp range, equity if applicable, remote/hybrid/in-person, benefits, the team they'd join): [PASTE] RED FLAGS in candidates (be honest — what won't work here): [PASTE] HARD RULES: 1. Banned phrases: rockstar, ninja, guru, jack-of-all-trades, wear many hats, passionate self-starter, results-driven, dynamic, fast-paced environment, work hard play hard, family. 2. Lead with "what you'll do" (concrete tasks), NOT "we are looking for." 3. Include a salary range. Studies show JDs without comp filter out the best candidates first. 4. Required skills must be honest — if you list 8 years of experience for a 3-year-role, ASK me to revise before writing. 5. Add a "what we won't ask you to do" or "what this role is NOT" section. Helps candidates self-select. OUTPUT IN ORDER: A. The job description, structured: brief intro → what you'll do → what success looks like → what you'll bring → what we offer → how to apply. B. A list of any requirements I flagged as required that you think should be nice-to-haves (you push back; I decide). C. The one sentence at the top that will make the right candidate keep reading past line three.
How to Use This Prompt
- Copy the prompt and fill in the bracketed sections with your real details.
- Be specific. Vague input produces vague output — that's the whole point of the gates.
- Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and read the output before using it.
- Edit the draft in your own voice before sending or submitting. AI output is the scaffolding, not the final.
Example Output
Opening (from a real run):
You'll own the migration of our reporting pipeline off Looker onto a custom warehouse layer, then build the analyst tooling on top of it. In the first 90 days you'll ship the read-only cutover, in the first 6 months you'll have replaced 60% of Looker dashboards, and in 12 months you'll be the technical lead our other data engineers ask before shipping anything in the warehouse. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role with a clear path to staff/principal.
Tips to Get Better Results
- Lead with the work, not the company. Candidates skim the first 5 lines for whether this role is interesting.
- Always include a salary range. The best candidates filter on comp first; hiding it costs you them.
- Cut requirements ruthlessly. Each additional "required" qualification screens out underrepresented applicants more than overrepresented ones.
- The "what this role is NOT" section saves you hours of unfit applications.
Best AI Tools for This
ChatGPT Hiring Books ClaudeGo deeper: recommended resources
If you're hiring regularly:
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