Writing a Great Job Description
Be honest, how many times have you needed to write a job description for an open position, and you just went into an old job description, made a few changes, and called it a day? It’s okay, we’ve all done it…you’re busy. But, be warned: not spending the time thinking through your job description will handicap your entire hiring process going forward.
Below are 3 Things to help you write a great job description…which will lead to great applicants…which will allow you to hire a great new team-member!
1) Remember the point. Before you get started, it can be helpful to keep in mind the purpose of having a job description in the first place. The point is to take anyone who might ever be interested in your open position, tell them about the job, and have them self-select whether or not they are willing & able to do it. You do NOT want everyone applying to your job…you only want those who are willing and able to do it (well)…so you need to be up front about the tasks, requirements and expectations.
2) Think it out. Don’t just make slight changes to an old job description and call it a day (you know you’ve done it). Prior to actually writing anything, sit down (if this person will be working with/for a team, sit down together) and really think through both what kind of personality and what kind of professional experiences your ideal new employee will possess. Do this by asking yourself questions like: Do we need a natural extrovert who can build relationships quickly? Do we need a self-starter who doesn’t need a lot of direction? Do we need someone who follows directions well and doesn’t question authority? What drives me crazy in an employee? What will a typical day-in-the-life of this employee look like?
Once you have the answers to these questions, separate then into a “wish list” and a “must list.” Use your “must list” to build the “Necessary Qualifications” section of the job description. Use the “wish list” to build the “Preferred but not required” section. It is okay to allude to, or even be upfront about personality traits this employee must possess. For example: “The ideal candidate possesses the ability to build relationships quickly with potential new partners,” should prevent any introverts who don’t like meeting new people from even applying and wasting your valuable time.
(Side note: You can teach facts, you cannot teach personality or experiences. Keep that in mind as you build your “must” and “wish” lists. Very often prior experience with your specific issue should fall under “wish” and not “must.”)
3) Be specific. It is important to be as specific as possible when writing the tasks, responsibilities and expectations of the job. This is a big part of getting only the applicants who are willing & able to perform those tasks to apply. If you are hiring a personal assistant, don’t just say “various office and administrative tasks as assigned.” Instead, list responsibilities such as: “Accurately maintain Executive Director’s schedule,” “Prepare clear and concise briefing materials for Board of Directors,” “Maintain the office filing system in an up-to-date, orderly and user-friendly manner,” “Coordinate all staff travel and travel-related affairs,” “Must be proficient in basic computer programs such as Microsoft Office and Internet Search platforms.”
It can also be helpful to be specific about the working environment in the job description. Whether the person will be working alone from a satellite office versus working in a noisy, bustling office can mean the difference between a person being a good fit, and therefore applying, or not.
And while you’d rather be in the position of having too many good candidates than not enough, you also don’t want to spend any of your valuable time reading the resumes of, and interviewing, a bunch of extroverts who prefer working in a team when you need an introvert who can work alone. Especially when that problem could have been solved by having written a clear, accurate and honest job description.