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The Job Description Series

A job description is not a compliance document. Built right, it is the same instrument you hire against, onboard against, manage against, and, when it comes to it, part ways against.

11 parts · about 39 minutes end to end · Read in order, start to finish

  1. 1 Antique engraving illustration. An empty picture frame leaning against a column, a chisel and mallet beside it, the wall behind still blank and uncarved. Why Job Descriptions Fail Job descriptions fail because they list activities, not what must be achieved. Done right, they're a leader's sharpest tool for hiring and hard conversations. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  2. 2 Antique engraving illustration. A compass rose embedded in the gear-work of a clock movement, direction and mechanism fused, suggesting navigation as an operating system rather than an occasional gesture. Connect Mission, Vision, and Values A job description that reads like an island tells candidates what they'll do, not why it matters. Connect every role to mission, vision, and values. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  3. 3 Antique engraving illustration. A job description scroll unrolled to reveal two columns: the left dense with task verbs, the right sparse with outcome statements, the difference sharp and deliberate. Define Outcomes, Not Tasks Job descriptions that list tasks instead of outcomes measure activity, not contribution. You can manage subcontractors all day and still miss schedule. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  4. 4 Antique engraving illustration. A blueprint with one elevation drawn in full architectural detail and an opposing elevation left as a rough pencil sketch, the honest and the idealized views of the same structure on one sheet. Sell and Unsell the Role A job description written like a brochure attracts people sold on the glossy version. Selling and unselling honestly filters for those who thrive in the actual work. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  5. 5 Antique engraving illustration. An archers target with a single arrow struck in the bullseye, mounted at the far end of a long vaulted corridor, a faint trajectory line running back through the hall. Define Success Most job descriptions stop at activities and vague traits. The 30/90/365 success framework tells candidates and leaders exactly what winning looks like and when. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  6. 6 Antique engraving illustration. A brass plumb bob hangs motionless from a knotted cord, its point resting above a squared timber beam. Manage to the Job Description Most job descriptions go into a folder the day someone signs. The document that defined the role should run every review, every coaching conversation, and every raise that follows. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 4 min · Sep 2025
  7. 7 Antique engraving illustration. A contract scroll unrolled to its final clause, a quill poised above the termination paragraph, a plumb bob beside it confirming the line runs true and clear. Hard Conversations and Termination A well-written job description turns termination from a gut-call into a documented conversation. Hard conversations need a clear anchor, not a personal one. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  8. 8 Antique engraving illustration. An architect's drawing frame mounted on a wall, a finished elevation pinned inside it, a compass and set square laid on the sill below. Design the Role First Seven installments of job description building come together here into a single role design framework any construction leader can apply to any position. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 3 min · Sep 2025
  9. 9 Antique engraving illustration. A stack of document pages pressed under a steel straightedge, corners squared, a draftsman's compass measuring the top margin. Example Job Descriptions Most construction JDs are compliance checkboxes or marketing fluff. This post shows what outcome-based JDs look like, with full examples for a PM and Superintendent. Job Descriptions & Role Design · 6 min · Sep 2025
  10. 10 Antique engraving illustration. A detailed job-scope scroll unrolled vertically, a pair of calipers aligned along its margin measuring the depth of each line item. Interview to the Job Description A strong job description is useless if you don't use it in the interview. Give each interviewer a category. That builds comparable evidence and ends the scramble. Interview Design & Strategy · 4 min · Sep 2025
  11. 11 Antique engraving illustration. A job description scroll unrolled and anchored by a mallet and a level at opposite ends, serving as the literal foundation of a small model frame above it. Onboard to the Job Description Most onboarding stops at paperwork and introductions. Onboarding to the job description turns success metrics into a living 30/90/365-day roadmap from day one. Onboarding & the First 90 Days · 4 min · Sep 2025
Start with part one