How to Write a Job Order That Attracts the Right Candidates

The most common brief we receive for a domestic-worker role: "Female, Filipino, experienced, honest, good with kids." For a factory role: "Male, 25–40, experienced in manufacturing, fit and healthy."

These briefs aren't useful. They describe most of the available pool and give no basis for prioritisation. The result is a longlist that's too broad, a shortlisting process that takes several rounds instead of one, and placements that miss on culture fit or on a requirement the employer never mentioned.

A better brief takes about twenty minutes to write and can save weeks of recruitment time. Here's what it needs.

Be specific about what the worker will actually do day to day. "Domestic worker" is a category, not a role. The same title can mean:

A caregiver for an elderly parent with dementia — requiring patience, basic medical knowledge, and comfort with clinical hygiene tasks.

A housekeeper in a large property with formal entertaining — requiring professional cleaning standards, care of fine items, and discretion around guests.

A family assistant in a household with young children — requiring strong instincts with children, flexibility, and willingness to do school runs.

These are three different people. Include in your brief: a daily task breakdown (morning, afternoon, evening), who the worker interacts with (children, elderly, pets), any technical requirements (cuisine type, care certification, driving licence), and working hours with specifics on rest days and overnight expectations.

Distinguish between requirements and preferences — conflating them wastes time.

Hard requirements: certifications (NCLEX, relevant trade certificates, driving licence), language level (specify the test and minimum score, not just "good English"), physical requirements (e.g. able to lift a given weight), and legal requirements (deployable to your country without visa complications).

Strong preferences: experience with a specific type of employer or household, traits you've found correlate with success in your environment, and specific cultural or dietary knowledge relevant to your home.

Nice-to-haves: everything else. Don't put these in your screening criteria — they shrink your pool without improving placement quality.

Also worth stating: whether you accept first-time workers or require prior overseas experience, and your policy on mobile phone use, which is a frequent source of conflict when left unspoken.

The most common cause of candidates dropping out at the offer stage is discovering the package differs from what the brief implied. Be explicit about:

Basic salary — state the actual figure, not "competitive." If you're offering above minimum, say so; it matters.

Accommodation — describe it specifically. "Free accommodation" can mean a private room with bathroom or a shared dormitory room. These aren't the same.

Food — meals provided, a food allowance, or self-managed from salary?

Rest days — how many, when, and whether the worker may leave the premises.

Communication — phone use and video calls home, and during what hours.

Contract duration and renewal — the initial length, whether renewal is expected, and the terms.

Emergency provisions — what happens if the worker needs to return home for a family emergency.

The more transparent you are upfront, the fewer surprises later — and the lower the attrition.

Use this as a starting point for any brief you send to Philore or another licensed agency:

ROLE TITLE: [Exact title as it will appear on the job order]

EMPLOYER NAME & COUNTRY: [Full legal name, country, city]

NUMBER OF WORKERS: [Exact number]

CONTRACT DURATION: [Months or years]

START DATE: [Target deployment date]

DAILY RESPONSIBILITIES: [Bullet list — be specific]

PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD / WORKPLACE: [Family members or team size]

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: [Lifting, standing hours, outdoor work]

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS: [List exactly]

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS: [Test and minimum score if applicable]

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: [Minimum, and what kind]

SALARY: [Exact figure in destination currency]

ACCOMMODATION: [Describe the actual housing]

MEALS: [Provided / allowance / self-managed]

REST DAYS: [Number and schedule]

RETURN AIRFARE: [Covered by employer — yes/no]

PHONE POLICY: [Permitted hours and conditions]

This template is available as a downloadable form for Philore employer partners — contact your account manager for access.