Writing job descriptions that engineers actually read

Most engineering job descriptions are written for an ATS, not a candidate. They lead with a company mission statement, bury the salary, list 22 requirements, and end with a vague paragraph about “joining a dynamic team.” The engineer reading it has already clicked away.

Here is what actually works, and why it works.

What must every engineering JD include?

Every engineering job description must include the salary range upfront, the actual product or project name, the team size and reporting line, the location and working pattern stated honestly, and the whole document must sit under 600 words. “Competitive salary” and “exciting aerospace projects” do not attract engineers with options, specificity does.

1. Salary, upfront.

Engineers are busy. They are reading your advert on a lunch break or between meetings. The first thing they want to know is whether the role is worth their time. If you are not willing to publish the salary, your competitor is, and they will get the application.

A salary range is fine. “£45,000 to £55,000 depending on experience” is clear, honest, and filters for the right candidates. “Competitive salary” tells candidates you are either embarrassed about the number or that you want to lowball them later. Neither impression helps you.

2. The actual product, project, or technology.

“Working on exciting aerospace projects” tells an engineer nothing. “Supporting structural analysis for Airbus A320neo wing assembly” tells them exactly where their skills apply and whether they want to do that work.

Name the technology stack. Name the product family. Name the programme if it is not commercially sensitive. Engineers who have used CATIA V5 and are reading a JD that says “experience with CAD software” will not apply. They will assume it is SolidWorks or some package they do not know. Specificity reduces ambiguity and increases applications from qualified candidates.

3. The team.

Who does this person report to? How big is the engineering team? What is the experience level of the colleagues they will work alongside? A graduate joining a team of 40 experienced engineers has a very different career trajectory than a graduate who will be the second engineer hired. Both can be attractive, but candidates need to know which one they are applying for.

One or two sentences on the team structure is sufficient. It does not need to be an org chart.

4. Location and working pattern, honestly stated.

“Office-based with some flexibility” means something different to every hiring manager. State how many days on-site per week. If the role is fully on-site, say so. Engineers who are commuting 90 minutes each way to discover the role is five days on-site when the JD said “hybrid” do not become good employees or long-term hires.

5. Under 600 words, total.

Engineers read technical documentation for a living. They value clarity and efficiency. A 1,500-word JD signals that your organisation has poor communication standards, or that nobody who understands the role was involved in writing it.

A before-and-after example

Before (extract from a real JD, lightly anonymised):

“We are a fast-paced, forward-thinking organisation dedicated to delivering excellence in all areas of our business. We are looking for a talented and motivated mechanical engineer to join our dynamic team. The successful candidate will be passionate about engineering and will have a proven track record of delivering results in a fast-paced environment. You will be responsible for supporting the mechanical engineering team in delivering high-quality solutions to our customers…”

After:

“Mechanical Engineer, Derby. £42,000 to £50,000. On-site 5 days, Derby city centre.”

“You will be working on fuel system components for the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engine, specifically on analysis and tolerance stack-up for high-pressure fuel manifolds. Team of 12 mechanical engineers, reporting to a principal engineer with 15 years in aero-engine design.”

The second version takes 15 seconds to read and tells a qualified candidate everything they need to decide whether to apply. The first version takes 3 minutes and tells them nothing.

What should you cut from a JD?

Cut “fast-paced environment”, “team player”, lists of 20 requirements with half marked desirable, company mission statements at the top, and generic benefit lists covering pension and 25 days holiday. YP Recruitment sees application rates rise materially when JDs are cut to five genuine non-negotiables and held under 600 words total.

“Fast-paced environment” — every job description says this. It communicates nothing.

“Team player” — if this needs to be stated, the culture is either broken or the role is not for a team player.

Lists of 20 requirements, half of which are “desirable.” Pick the five things that are genuinely non-negotiable. List those. Everything else is trainable or learnable on the job.

Company mission statements at the top. Move these to a short paragraph at the bottom, or remove them entirely. Candidates can visit the website. They opened the JD to learn about the role.

Generic benefit lists. “Competitive salary, pension, 25 days holiday, flexible working.” Every company offers this. If you have genuinely differentiated benefits (share scheme, BUPA, above-market pension, sabbatical policy) name them specifically. Otherwise, cut the list and use the space for something useful.

What is one practical step to take?

Before posting any engineering JD, have an engineer who does not work in HR read it and ask whether it tells them what the job actually is. That single 10-minute check catches the vague phrasings, missing specifics, and cultural boilerplate that suppress application rates below 600 words.

Before you post any JD, ask an engineer who does not work in HR to read it. Ask them: “Does this tell you what the job actually is?” If the answer is anything less than yes, it needs another draft.

For more on working with YP Recruitment to attract and convert engineering candidates, including how we brief roles and what a strong candidate brief looks like, see how we work. We also recruit across engineering recruitment and manufacturing recruitment, so if the role sits at the intersection of both, we can advise on how to position it for the right audience.

If you have a role to fill and want us to review your JD before you post it, get in touch. It takes us ten minutes and it can materially change your response rate.