A job profile is a document written by an employer that contains relevant information regarding an open job position. Employers create job profiles to improve their odds of attracting desirable candidates. Properly describing a job's duties and requirements in the job profile usually increases the odds of attracting candidates that are properly qualified for the respective role. From the candidate's viewpoint, job profiles can help determine whether applying for a certain role would be an appropriate career move.

Some of the most common elements of a job profile are:

Job title: It mentions the exact name of the open role.

Job summary: It outlines the main aspects of the open role, including detailed descriptions of the duties and responsibilities it implies.

Job requirements: It shows the company's expectations regarding the ideal candidate, such as the skills and characteristics they need to have, the degrees and certifications necessary for successfully performing the role and the years of experience they have in roles with similar responsibilities.

Company information: It gives details regarding the hiring company's area of activity, its history, the history in which it operates, what its goals and mission are and their most important clients and partners.

A job description is a document written by an employer that contains specific information regarding the main duties and responsibilities of an open position. The employee who's in charge of overseeing the recruiting process usually creates the job description, with the company's human resources department or external recruiters helping with the wording and its exact contents.

Description of tasks and responsibilities: It clearly outlines all the actions that relate to the employee's performance in that specific position, including technical aspects of the role, experience requirements and managerial responsibilities, when applicable.

Job authority and responsibility: It represents the exact limits of the authority the respective employee has over other employees and the amount of responsibility they have for the finished product or service.

Schedule and behavioral expectations: It discusses all details regarding the employee's schedule, potential penalties for not respecting it and the behavioral standards required when dealing with coworkers and external parties.