Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Consultant · Management Glossary
How Do You Write a Job Description for a Small Business?
A vague job ad attracts vague applicants. Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, is a business consultant who helps owners hire for growth, and he starts with the job description. This guide walks through seven steps, from the role's purpose to pay and schedule, using a sample for a residential cleaning company in Sanford, Florida.
Questions? Call or text (321) 948-9588. Dr. Paul answers personally.
Last Updated: 11/07/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Short Answer
What Is a Job Description?
How to write one, in short: state the role’s purpose in two sentences, list its essential duties (confirmed with whoever supervises or does the work), define what success looks like at 90 days, separate required qualifications from preferred ones, and state the hours, work location, pay range, and who the person reports to. The seven steps below walk through each one.
Hired Fast and Regretted It?
In Plain English
One Page That Says What the Job Is
A job description is a one-page answer to three questions. What does this person do every day? What does a good job look like? What do they need to do it?
It is not a wish list. It is the page you hire from, train from, and review from. Without it, each of those steps tends to run on memory and mood.
Watch: Job Descriptions
Watch Dr. Paul on Job Descriptions
Job Description Section for a Business Plan
Why job descriptions belong in your business plan, and what each one should spell out. (3:24)
A Real-World Example
The Cleaning Company That Hired Twice
A residential cleaning company in Sanford, Florida posts “help wanted, flexible hours” and hires the first applicant. She quits after a week when she learns technicians report to the shop at 5 a.m.
The owner rewrites the post from a real job description. It spells out the 5 a.m. shop start, the two-person crews, the daily route, and what a good first 90 days looks like. Fewer people apply. The ones who do already know the job, and the next hire stays.
From Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest
Startup Steve’s Sign
Doctor Owl stopped by Startup Steve’s half-finished barbershop for his usual trim and found a new sign taped to the window. Help wanted. Must be fun!
“Three barbers this week,” Steve said, swinging from the coat rack. “All three left. I don’t get it. This one’s the one, though. I can feel it.”
Doctor Owl unrolled a blank scroll on the counter. “Before the next one walks in, answer two questions. What does this barber do every day? And what does a good barber look like here after ninety days?”
Steve stared at the scroll for a long time. Then he wrote. Open at seven. Six cuts before noon. Sweep between every chair. Know the regulars by name by the end of the first month.
The next applicant, a tidy young badger, read the scroll twice. “Finally,” she said. “Someone who knows what they want.”
This story is one of dozens told across Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series. You just read one from Book 1.
Dr. Paul’s Insight
Dr. Paul’s rule: if you cannot describe the job, you cannot judge who fits it. Write the page first, then hire against it.
Put It to Work
How to Write a Job Description in Seven Steps
- Use a plain title people search for. “Cleaning Technician,” not “Sparkle Specialist.” Applicants search for normal words.
- Write a two-sentence summary. What the job is and why it matters to the customer.
- List the essential duties. Five to seven bullets is a good starting point. Cover the work done most days, plus any important task that happens less often (like a monthly deep clean or a safety check).
- Confirm the duties with the people closest to the work. Ask the supervisor, or the person doing the job now, what you missed and what is no longer true.
- Say what good looks like after 90 days. Two or three results you can see or count.
- Split required qualifications from preferred ones. Keep the required list short; extra requirements can screen out good applicants. Describe physical demands as the actual task, not just a number.
- State hours, work location, pay range, and who they report to. These are details people often quit over, so put them on the page, not in week two.
- Report at 5 a.m.; load supplies and confirm the route by 5:30
- With your crew partner, complete three standard home cleans (about 2,000 square feet, about 90 minutes each)
- Follow the room-by-room checklist in every home
- Photograph finished rooms for the job record, following company procedure and only where the customer agreed at sign-up
- Report damage or issues to the crew lead the same day
- Restock the van at the shop by 1 p.m.
- Passes the crew lead’s checklist on two straight quality checks (passing = 18 of 20 items, with no misses on safety items)
- Completes job records and photo uploads the same day on at least 95 percent of jobs
- Works the full route as a two-person crew without the crew lead on site by week 6
A note on essential functions: describe the job’s essential functions as the real tasks. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers with 15 or more employees must consider reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants and employees. See the EEOC’s guide for employers, and check state rules.
Watch Out
Pitfalls When Writing a Job Description
Corporate templates can bury a five-person shop in language people skim past. Write it the way you would explain the job out loud.
A 20-item list can hide what matters. Keep the essential work up front.
Applicants want them early, and surprises about schedule or pay are a common reason new hires leave.
Jobs change. Review the page once a year, or any time the role shifts.
Why It Matters
Benefits of a Clear Job Description
- Better-fit applicants, because the post tells the truth about the job
- Easier, fairer interviews, since every candidate is measured against the same page
- Clear expectations from day one
- A ready-made base for the 90-day check-in and later reviews
In Your Business Plan
How Job Descriptions Show Up in a Business Plan
Lenders often read the staffing plan next to the projections. When each planned hire has a written role, a pay rate, and a start month, the wage line in your numbers has something behind it.
Sample plan excerpt: Staffing Plan
“Year 1 hires include two Cleaning Technicians at $18 per hour, 40 hours per week, each with a written job description and 90-day standards. The first is hired in Month 2 (11 months of wages, about $34,320) and the second in Month 5 (8 months, about $24,960), for Year 1 technician wages of about $59,280, matching the payroll line in the projections.”
FAQ
Questions Owners Ask About Job Descriptions
What should a job description include?
How long should a job description be?
Is a job description the same as a job posting?
More From the Series
Keep Building Your Business
Every book in Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series teaches one subject through short stories, real terms, and one-page worksheets.
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Dr. Paul is a business consultant and author with 14+ years of experience and 1,000+ written business plans. He works with owner-run small businesses on plans, financial projections, and the systems that let a business run without the owner doing everything. This page is part of the glossary for Management and Leadership for Small Businesses, Book 1 of Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, HR, tax, or other professional advice. Employment and disability rules vary by state and city; for decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.