Free HR template
Job Description Template
A job description template is a structured document for defining a role: why it exists, its essential functions, minimum qualifications, physical demands, and work environment. Employers use it for hiring, pay decisions, and compliance. Catapult’s free Word template has eight sections, including an FLSA classification review, plus a 10-step customization guide.
- Word (.docx)
- Hiring
- 10-step customization guide
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What’s included
What’s in the Job Description template
Each section has gray instructions and blue fields to replace, followed by a customization guide and a final quality checklist.
Position header
Title, department, reports to, work location, employment category, schedule, FLSA classification, supervisory role, optional pay grade, effective date, last reviewed date, and document owner.
1. Position purpose
A 2 to 4 sentence purpose statement and 3 to 5 primary outcomes.
2. Essential functions
Five numbered functions with a writing formula (action verb, what is done, and why) and a quality check.
3. Supervisory responsibilities
Direct reports and the people-management authority the role actually has.
4. Minimum qualifications
Education or equivalent, experience, licenses, knowledge and skills, and optional preferred qualifications, with an inclusion check.
5. Physical, sensory, and communication requirements
Functional language guidance and a reasonable accommodation statement.
6. Work environment and schedule
Setting and conditions, attendance, travel, and tools or equipment.
7. Classification and compliance review
Sign-off rows for essential functions, FLSA analysis, physical demands, pay range, and final approval.
8. Acknowledgment
A general description disclaimer plus employee, supervisor, and HR signature lines.
Customization guide and checklist
10 steps from job analysis to maintenance, a recommended internal file set, and a 13-point final quality checklist.
Situations it covers
- On-site, remote, hybrid, or travel-based roles
- Full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal positions
- Supervisory and individual contributor roles
- Exempt and non-exempt positions
- Internal descriptions and the job postings written from them
Checklist
What to include in a job description
- Approved title, department, and reports-to title
- Work location, schedule, and employment category
- FLSA classification, with the analysis kept separately
- Purpose statement and primary outcomes
- Essential functions written as action verb, what is done, and why
- Minimum and preferred qualifications kept apart
- Physical, sensory, and communication demands with frequency
- Work environment, travel, and tools
- Reasonable accommodation statement
- Review dates, owner, and approvals
When to use it
What the Job Description template helps with
Use it when you create a new role, change an existing one, or need a documented record before you post a job.
It helps you
- Write a new role from scratch, or rebuild an outdated description after duties change.
- Document essential functions before you advertise, which matters for ADA accommodation questions.
- Record the FLSA exempt or non-exempt analysis separately from the job title.
- Give recruiting a controlled master to write job postings from.
Who should use it
HR managers, compensation and recruiting teams, and department leaders who own job descriptions, especially at organizations without a standard format.
How to use it
How to use the Job Description template
- Complete a job analysis with the supervisor, an incumbent if there is one, and HR.
- Fill in the position header, using titles rather than names.
- Write the purpose statement and essential functions with the same formula: action verb, what is done, and why.
- Set true minimum qualifications and describe physical demands and the work environment in functional terms.
- Complete the classification review, route for approval, and delete the gray instructions before use.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
Calling every task essential
Essential functions are the fundamental duties, not everything the current employee does.
Inflating qualifications
Extra years or credentials that the work does not need can screen out qualified candidates.
Describing the person, not the job
Write the role as designed, not the incumbent’s strengths or schedule.
Letting the title set exempt status
Classification depends on salary and duties, so document it separately.
Vague physical demands
State what is lifted, how often, and why, instead of general fitness language.
Compliance notes
What to check before you use it
Employment laws vary by state and change over time. These notes are general and point to the official sources.
Essential functions and the ADA
Under the ADA, if an employer prepared a written description before advertising or interviewing applicants, that description is considered evidence of the essential functions of the job.
Source: 42 U.S.C. 12111(8), ADA definitions (U.S. Code, House Office of the Law Revision Counsel)
FLSA classification
A job title alone is insufficient to establish exempt status. The template keeps a separate FLSA review row for that reason.
Qualifications
Keep requirements tied to essential functions. Federal law prohibits discrimination in hiring and every other aspect of employment.
Source: U.S. EEOC, Prohibited employment policies and practices
Not legal advice. This page and the template are general information, not legal advice. For your situation, talk to an employment attorney or HR advisor. Catapult members can bring employment law questions to our advisors as part of their membership.
FAQ
Job Description template questions
How do you write a job description?
Start with a job analysis. Then write a 2 to 4 sentence purpose statement and list the essential functions, each written as an action verb, what is done, and why. Set minimum qualifications, describe physical demands and the work environment, and route the draft to the supervisor and HR for approval.
How do you create a job description template?
Set one standard format for every role: a header with title, reporting line, location, and classification, then sections for purpose, essential functions, qualifications, physical demands, work environment, compliance review, and acknowledgment. Catapult’s template is already built this way.
What are essential functions in a job description?
Essential functions are the fundamental duties of the position, not every task the current employee happens to do. Under the ADA, a written description prepared before advertising or interviewing is considered evidence of the essential functions of the job.
Does a job title decide whether a role is exempt from overtime?
No. Federal rules state that a job title alone is insufficient to establish exempt status. Classification depends on the salary and the duties, which is why the template records the FLSA analysis separately.
What is the difference between a job description and a job posting?
The job description is the internal, controlled record of the role. The job posting is recruiting copy derived from it. Catapult’s guide recommends writing the posting from the description, not using the posting as a substitute.
How often should job descriptions be updated?
Review a description whenever duties, technology, reporting relationships, location, schedule, physical demands, or the purpose of the role materially change, and on a recurring review cycle set by your organization.
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