Walkthrough
How to write a job description that gets read
Build a job description from the work itself: the sections to include, the lines to cut and a quick test before posting.
For recruiters and hiring managers
Straight answers for the person running the search
Req Desk covers the working parts of a hire: sourcing, structured interviews, staffing agencies and the software in between. Start with the Desk kit, or pick the stage you are stuck on.
Browse the topic boards
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Sourcing
Finding candidates and building a pipeline before the role opens.
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Interviewing
Structured interviews and scorecards that keep a process fair.
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Staffing agencies
Working with staffing agencies and understanding how their markups work.
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Recruiting tools
Applicant tracking systems and the candidate data they hold.
Desk kit
Reference pages for the parts of a hire that come up on every req. Read a guide start to finish, or keep the glossary and the interview checklist open while you work. The cost-per-hire calculator lives here too.
Run sheet
Structured interview checklist for hiring loops
A before, during and after checklist for interview loops that treat every candidate the same way.
Look-up
Staffing agency fees explained: the common models
The common ways agencies build their fees, who carries the risk in each, and the contract terms that change the real cost.
Term list
Recruiting glossary: terms from intake to offer
Plain definitions for the recruiting and staffing terms that come up on intake calls, agency quotes and ATS screens.
House rules
Our standards: how Req Desk is written and corrected
Who Req Desk is written for, how we handle numbers and the law, and how corrections are made.
Calculator
Cost per hire calculator
Add your internal and external hiring costs, divide by the hires made, and see what each one cost.
Start with the stage you are on
- Write the role down first A clear job description saves effort at every later step. Begin with what the person will do, then trim the requirements to what they truly need on day one.
- Interview everyone the same way Fix the questions and the scoring before the first call. The checklist covers scorecards, panel roles and the debrief.
- Know what an agency will charge Fee models, guarantee periods and the contract terms worth reading before you sign.
- Decode the shorthand Req, time to fill, retained search, knockout question. The glossary explains the words that come up on an intake call.
Cost per hire calculator
Add up your internal and external hiring costs, divide by the hires you made, and see what each hire cost. Runs in your browser; nothing is saved or sent.
What you enter
- Agency and search fees
- Job ads and job board spend
- Recruiting software and sourcing tools
- Referral bonuses paid
- Assessments, background checks and candidate travel
- Recruiter and coordinator pay spent on hiring
- 3 more fields