Working on a Applicant Tracking site this morning for a client, I realized how much I dislike job descriptions. If the goal of a hiring system is to source and select high performers, job descriptions can work against you.
Top people don't need or want a job description to begin exploring an opportunity with an organization. With good candidates going online, the objective of a job description should not be to pre-qualify the person, but rather to generate interest in the position and company.
A job description seldom does this. It's the "buzz" that does - the marketing, the branding, the word on the street. An opening page summarizing a group of jobs with some facts about the company values and attitudes is a good start. These pages should describe the company culture, the importance of high performing talent in the company, something about career opportunities and a few reasons why these open jobs are important to the company's future. By the way, these statements need to be true.
Once you interest a candidate in a class of jobs and the company, then you can begin a the dance of selecting and screening. This is where good career personality tests and job performance metrics can come in - and pay off.
On job descriptions - less in the way of task and responsibility lists can produce better hires. That is, after all, our goal, right?
Top people don't need or want a job description to begin exploring an opportunity with an organization. With good candidates going online, the objective of a job description should not be to pre-qualify the person, but rather to generate interest in the position and company.
A job description seldom does this. It's the "buzz" that does - the marketing, the branding, the word on the street. An opening page summarizing a group of jobs with some facts about the company values and attitudes is a good start. These pages should describe the company culture, the importance of high performing talent in the company, something about career opportunities and a few reasons why these open jobs are important to the company's future. By the way, these statements need to be true.
Once you interest a candidate in a class of jobs and the company, then you can begin a the dance of selecting and screening. This is where good career personality tests and job performance metrics can come in - and pay off.
On job descriptions - less in the way of task and responsibility lists can produce better hires. That is, after all, our goal, right?
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