Ask HN: How do I write good job requirements? - avadhoot
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rl3
For software development positions:

Never require a specific length of professional experience unless absolutely
necessary. Instead require experience with certain areas of expertise.

The more specific an item is, the more likely it isn't a requirement and
probably belongs in the "Bonus skills" column.

Avoid being that company which lists three different positions (e.g.junior
dev, dev, senior dev) with the only delineating factor between them being _X
to Y_ years of Rails experience. I see that all the time, and it's a really
good indicator that the company probably sucks to work for since they can't
even figure out how to hire correctly.

Moreover, good engineers are typically stack-agnostic. You'll miss out on
these people if you have narrow requirements.

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srinathrajaram
Job requirements are hard because we try to write a single req for three types
of audience.

1\. A recruiter: Do I have a CV in my DB with these keywords? 2\. A referrer:
Will my friend fit this? 3\. Candidate: What should I know? What should I do?
How much do they pay? Is this the right move for me?

In some forums you just cannot split them up (LinkedIn). In some other, you
can (emails). Try splitting them up. It will be a lot easier.

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whatnotests
Don't: write what the person should do every day/week/quarter.

Do: think what they must not do (b/c there would be problems if they did) and
write what they should do instead.

