Software engineer job description: How to write an awesome JD + free download

What does a software engineer do? And how do you write a thorough job description that can help attract the best of the best to your company?

These are a just few of the many questions I have answered right here. I have also added a downloadable template of a software engineer job description just for you!

• Download the Job description template for a software engineer now!
• Who is a software engineer?
• What does a software engineer do?
• Best channels to post a software engineer job description
• Things to remember while writing a JD for a software engineer
• Summary
• FAQs

Download the job description template for a software engineer now!

Who is a software engineer?

A software engineer is an IT professional. They design and maintain software for companies. They also programme well-designed code, that can be tested and that is efficient. Software engineers are very often also called software developers.

A software developer is responsible for researching and collecting user requirements to be able to better develop features using various languages such as Java, C++ and so on. They also test whatever code they write to ensure scalability, accuracy as well as quality.

What does a software engineer profile look like?

So after we have seen who a software developer is, let’s have a quick look at what they do. I say quick because here I  have given just a small summary of the daily tasks. You can find more details in the template which you can from here!

• Develop, test and integrate code for new as well as existing features or modules of a company
• They create fault-tolerant, scalable programming
• Test and troubleshoot existing and newly written code to ensure stability and reliability

Best channels to post a software engineer job description

Here are some of the best channels you could consider while deciding where to share a software developer’s JD

1. Job posting websites like Glassdoor or Naukri.com etc.
2. Your own career page on your website (which you can do via our very own Asanify software too!)
3. Share the JD on various coding platforms and/or at competitions
4. LinkedIn is a great platform to hire employees these days
5. If you are considering looking for freshers (whom you might have to train when you onboard them), then you could also either
   • Post on internship portals such as Internshala, hire interns on trial or probation and then take them on full-time if they work well
   • You could also get in touch with institutions that have B.tech or similar courses and hire final year students and onboard them after they have graduated

Things to remember while writing a software engineer job description

Don’t use fancy words in the title 

Software engineer as a term can be very generic. This helps because it’s a common keyword most people use while looking for jobs. So the generic nature makes it easy to find. But it is also very vague. So, to make it more specific in nature, recruiters can add seniority and level of experience as a prefix to the job title.

Terms such as senior experienced etc. This will help you attract people who already have a decent amount of work experience. You could also include specific information like (python proficiency) in the title to attract relevant talent. This will help you go from a generic software developer to something more narrow, while still helping you appear in job searches.

Know the difference between the many IT roles while writing the software engineer job description

Meaning?

Very often people confuse various roles such as 

• Software engineer
• Full stack developer
• Front end developer
• Back end developer
• Product designer
• Software testing and debugging

These are all very different roles with only some similarities. As a result, the job description should also vary accordingly!

Include OKR for a software engineer in the job description

Before we go into an OKR for a software engineer specifically, I’ll briefly explain what an OKR is. OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. Why should you include this in a JD? Because anyone applying for any role should know what the basic objective of their role is and how you plan to measure or track those goals.

An OKR for a software engineer would include the basic objective of why you are hiring them in the first place. Key results or Key Result Areas (KRAs) talk about how the objective will be met, and the parameters to track them

How to set an accurate OKR? Sign up with us as Asanify to find out!

Download the sample job description for this role for FREE!!!

How to write a software engineer job description – Summary

Focus on the following points and you’ll be able to make an amazing job description for a software developer

1. Research industry standards
2. Write an overview of the JD 
3. Add details while focusing on daily tasks, job responsibilities
4. Make a list of the qualifications and expectations you have from the candidate 
5. Write the final job description
6. Post it or relevant portals to start getting applicants

OR you could instead

1. Download our well researched and comprehensive template by clicking here and customize it as you see fit
2. Post it or relevant portals to start getting applicants

FAQs

Not to be considered as tax, legal, financial or HR advice. Regulations change over time so please consult a lawyer, accountant  or Labour Law  expert for specific guidance.