Creating the Best Java Developer Job Description

There is high demand in the industry for Java developers.  Many stay on the lookout for their next big challenge by joining and contributing to the success of inspiring organizations.  Now the question is: how can you stand out from the crowd and capture their attention, making them excited to speak to you? As easy and simple as it may sound, creating attractive and effective job descriptions is an art not all hiring managers and organizations master. This article will teach you to craft the best Java developer job description to make your role stand out from the competition.

Key Elements in the Best Java Developer Job Descriptions

Inspiring purpose

Many software engineers – and especially younger generations – long to make an impact and contribution.  Many look for organizations that have a higher purpose beyond making money.  Your vision and mission must be clear and inspiring to them.   They are likely to also seek alignment with their own values and purpose. The stronger the alignment, the higher the odds of getting them to consider your organization for their next chapter.

Contribution and growth

The impact their contributions will have by joining your organization is also something that must be highlighted and discussed during the hiring process. Java developers take their growth and development seriously and tend to be motivated by opportunities for continuous learning and innovation. They may appreciate organizations that promote a culture of experimentation, provide resources for staying updated with new Java releases and best practices, and encourage participation in conferences, workshops, or hackathons.

Clear expectations

To get engineers excited about a job they first need to understand what they will be working on. Be clear on the projects, the goals and roles & responsibilities. Be honest and authentic. 

Autonomy and mastery

These elements are key to intrinsic motivation. Stressing the level of autonomy they will have in their  job and how they will be able to use their current knowledge and expertise (in addition to growing new competencies) is likely to have a positive influence on their excitement and curiosity levels.

Exciting challenges and projects

Needless to say, the more exciting, challenging or innovative the projects the higher the odds of getting the engineers excited about the role. If they can also see a clear alignment with their own mission or personal goals then the odds might play in your favor!

Needs for Java Developers

Collaborative environments

Many Java developers thrive in collaborative and Agile environments. They may be interested in working on projects where they can actively participate in cross-functional teams, engage in pair programming or code reviews, and contribute to Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban.  Similarly, they will be attracted by organizations that encourage the participation in open source projects and communities that allow them to collaborate with other developers and make a meaningful impact in the Java ecosystem.

Cutting edge technologies

Java developers often enjoy working on projects that involve the latest technologies and frameworks. If your projects leverage Java 8+ features, microservices architecture, cloud-native development or emerging technologies like blockchain or machine learning be sure to mention those.

Targeting the right skills

Java developers will be looking for opportunities to leverage their skills and for opportunities to work on things they are passionate about. Be specific about what the role entails and what they will be working on. Things you might want to highlight in your job description are: 

• Frameworks and libraries:  Mention specific frameworks and libraries they will be working with, things like the Spring framework, JavaFX, Hibernates, etc.
• Scalability and performance: If the job involves fine-tuning code for better performance or building high-performance systems, handling large data sets, or working on distributed computing. Java developers who are passionate about optimizing code and designing scalable architectures will be intrigued by such opportunities.
• Enterprise development: If the role  involves building robust, scalable, and secure enterprise applications. Java developers with experience in enterprise development frameworks might find this particularly interesting.
• Backend development / server side tech: If the opportunity involves working on backend systems, RESTful APIs, web services, or server-side application development. Java developers with experience in building scalable and reliable backend systems will be attracted to such opportunities. 
• Integration with other technologies:  Anything that involves working with various technologies and systems and integrating them into cohesive solutions.

Crafting Your Java Developer Job Description 

It is important to view your job description from the engineers’ lens and focus on “what’s in it for them”. It is not about what you want to say, but what you think they will want to read. Similarly to how an author or marketer would approach its content strategy, as the author of the job description you must understand your target audience and what they want. The more you are clear on their needs, desires and aspirations and pain points, the better you can tailor your job description to address them. 

As you write your Java developer job description:

• Make sure to include information about your organization, specifically about your culture,  mission, vision and values. You need to sell the company before the role.
• Separate your must have requirements vs. nice to have requirements, while being mindful of not having too many.  It may discourage some people from applying
• Be clear on what the job entails in terms of roles and responsibilities.  Emphasize how they will contribute to exciting and innovative projects ahead  
• If you can share information like the size of your team, your past achievements, or the milestones you have reached, this will give engineers a feel about their future contribution and opportunities for growth.
• Make sure to include learning and growth opportunities.  If you have learning stipends, mentoring or coaching programs, mention them.
• If you have benefits, mention them too. Attractive benefits include things such as:
  • Unlimited PTO (personal time off)
  • Health-insurance benefits (with family coverage) 
  • Work life balance | wellness programs
  • Remote first benefits
  • Team building events
  • Committees and employees resource groups

Additional tips and considerations

As you get close to having your final work of art, use this checklist to validate that it is ready for prime time:

• Include legal & DEI verbiage
• Add gender neutral requirements
• Use inclusive language (refer to this article for additional tips on inclusive language)
• Avoid using words such as: man-hours, ninja, hacker, digital-native, competitive, crazy
• Use ‘you’ in your sentences instead of they or the candidate
• Make your tone / visual layout and message reflect our company and your team values and culture. Pay attention to: 
  • Spelling mistakes and syntax errors
  • Inconsistencies 
  • Acronyms and abbreviations (avoid them)
  • Overall layout & visual appearance (mismatched fonts, unwanted spaces, nb of colors)

• Consider using videos or testimonials
• Most importantly, try to stay away from lengthy and overwhelming descriptions. Crisp and concise job descriptions are harder to write but definitely make a lasting impression!