First, answer a few questions.
- Will this job description be used primarily for internal reference or to advertise the job to candidates?
- How much liability mitigation are we trying to do vs attraction of quality candidates?
- What do we want this description to say about the company?
- How narrowly do we want to define the role? How do we build in flexibility for good candidates who are not identical matches to the description?
- What is our hiring emphasis on skills vs attitude?
Culture Starts With You
Companies are ultimately reflections of their owners. Consider what it is about your core values which influence your culture which influences your operations which influences the daily workflow, which influences how people are treated, and consequently, how they feel about working there. People want to be proud of their work and company. What will your firm contribute to their life?
Management Is the Product
People quit their managers, not jobs. So, logically, people are retained by their managers.
Quality of management is THE problem to solve in business and communicating the quality of your management to candidates starts in the job description.
The Two Traps to Avoid
The two pitfalls most job descriptions fall into is (1) an exhaustive list of abstract skills and (2) a list of non relational “perk” benefits. These are unimaginative and mostly unhelpful since they do not deal with how the job will improve someone’s life. Not to mention most jobs have fairly consistent ability requirements and anyone skilled in that arena will know if they are qualified. The rest can easily be screened out.
Think about who you are as an owner and leader and what kind of meaning that has for employees. Once you get all these things worked out in your work worldview it will be very easy to explain why someone should come work for you. Your vision for your contribution to their life will be clear and attractive.
The short version.
- What should a job description say to attract quality candidates?
- It should communicate how the job will improve someone's life and what the quality of your management means for them, not just list requirements. People want to be proud of their work and their company, so the description should show what your firm will contribute to their life. Once you have worked out your own vision as an owner and leader, explaining why someone should come work for you becomes easy.
- What are the two biggest traps in writing a job description?
- An exhaustive list of abstract skills and a list of non-relational perk benefits. Both are unimaginative and mostly unhelpful because they say nothing about how the job improves someone's life. Most jobs have fairly consistent ability requirements anyway; anyone skilled in the arena already knows whether they are qualified, and the rest can be screened out.
- Why does management quality belong in a job description?
- Because people quit their managers, not their jobs, which means people are also retained by their managers. Quality of management is the central problem to solve in business, and communicating that quality to candidates starts in the job description.
- What questions should I answer before writing a job description?
- Five: Is this description for internal reference or to advertise the job? How much is it about liability mitigation versus attracting quality candidates? What do you want it to say about the company? How narrowly should the role be defined, and where is the flexibility for strong candidates who are not identical matches? And is your hiring emphasis on skills or attitude?
