Harsh truth time: the majority of job descriptions I see suck.
Too often, they read like overhyped snake oil or come across as just a bunch of bulleted needs and wants that feel more like a grocery list. That grocery list might be intended for the lovely meal you plan to cook, but without knowing what that dish is supposed to be, it’s just a bunch of ingredients. It’s the same when candidates read job descriptions. They learn the “ingredients” of what the job entails, but they don’t see how it all fits together to form a “dish.”
To attract talent, you need to create a greater vision of how the role you’re hiring fits into your organization so you can attract the right talent. Doing so also helps the right person get excited about the impact they will have if hired. The better a prospective employee can envision themselves in the role, the better chance you have of enticing them to join your organization—and to stay.
Take Time to Consider
Before you write the job description, here’s a few critical considerations to think about.
Internal considerations
- Hone in on exactly what problem your company needs to solve, not just for today, but how the role will evolve over the next year.
- Have true clarity on what success means.
- Calibrate your team on who and how to interview.
External considerations
- Clarity around what it means to work for your organization and adherence to your core values.
- Help your candidates understand the challenges you are asking them to take on, so they can determine if they are up to the task.
- Understand how they will be measured once they are hired.
- Provide a vision of how they will impact your organization. Success Staging
Success Staging
A good job description covers more than the day-to-day tasks that will alleviate their current pain points. It also outlines what success looks like when a person has been in the job for a year or even longer. This is what Success Staging encompasses. Success Staging is a more comprehensive way to think about a job description.
Here are some questions you can use to understand how a role fits in the overall picture of a company:
- What is the vision for the role?
- What impact does the role have on the company?
- Without having this role, how does it negatively impact your company?
- Who will they interact with—what people (by title) and/or departments?
- What type of person do you want to attract?
- What are the unique challenges they will be faced with? Do not be lighthearted on this part.
- How do your core values play into this role?
- What does success look like after the first three months?
- What does success look like after six months?
- What does success look like after nine months?
- After twelve months, what will they have accomplished?
The most important aspect of this part of the job description is outlining the role’s expectations over twelve months, broken down into specific time increments. When you break it down in this manner, the path to success becomes more easily determined. Explain what accountability looks like by providing specifics on how an individual will be measured and giving a behind-the-scenes view of expectations.
Finally, no job is perfect, so talk through what some of the challenges look like. Be candid. Losing someone six months into a role because you didn’t fully explain what they would be up against is an exercise in futility.
It’s Worth the Time!
You might be thinking: that’s going to make a long job description! Yes, it will—but it’s worth it. Job descriptions should be more than just a list of tasks or requirements. They are a powerful tool for attracting the right talent, setting clear expectations, and aligning new hires with your company’s unique vision and culture.
By taking the time to craft detailed, authentic job descriptions using the Success-Staged approach, you’ll not only improve the quality of your applicants but also set the stage for productive interviews and successful long-term hires. Remember, in our world of small businesses and start-ups, every hire counts.