Your Job Description Is Your First Interview
A job description is marketing — you're selling your opportunity to candidates. In Tanzania's competitive talent market, a vague or generic posting loses qualified candidates to competitors with clearer, more compelling descriptions.
Nafasi data shows that well-written job descriptions with salary ranges receive 40% more applications and attract higher-quality candidates than generic postings.
Anatomy of a Great Job Description
**Job title:** Be specific and searchable. "Senior Accountant" not "Finance Guru." Use titles candidates actually search for on Nafasi.
**Company overview (2-3 sentences):** What your company does, your mission, and what makes you a great employer.
**Role summary (1 paragraph):** What this person will do and why the role matters.
**Key responsibilities (5-8 bullets):** Start each with an action verb. Be specific about daily activities, not vague descriptions.
**Requirements:** - Must-haves (3-5): qualifications genuinely required - Nice-to-haves (2-3): clearly labeled as preferred, not required
**Compensation:** - Salary range (even a broad one helps) - Benefits overview - Growth opportunities
**How to apply:** Clear instructions and deadline.
**Pro tip:** Read your description out loud. If it sounds like every other job posting, rewrite it with your company's actual voice.
Mistakes That Drive Candidates Away
- **No salary information** — candidates assume the pay is below market - **Unrealistic requirements** — "5 years experience" for an entry-level salary eliminates your best candidates - **Wall of text** — use bullets, headers, and white space for readability - **Jargon overload** — not every candidate knows your internal terminology - **No company information** — candidates want to know who they're applying to - **Too many "must-haves"** — research shows women and minority candidates are less likely to apply if they don't meet 100% of requirements. Be honest about what's truly essential.