Why a good job description is your key to successful recruitment
/We all implicitly know the truth of the saying that people are what make a place.
Yet the one piece of recruitment ammunition that can help businesses to find those people – the trusty job description – is often the most neglected first step in that process.
Business executives and HR experts have increasingly questioned the job description's usefulness in the hiring process, and it’s easy to understand why: for both hopeful candidates and workers, the specifications, details, and phrasing in job descriptions are frequently causes of bias, misunderstanding, and annoyance.
It’s also true that new methods of working frequently cover more ground than can be concisely explained in two pages.
But if we can modernise job descriptions to make them relevant in contemporary workplaces, they still have an important role to play in successful recruitment.
When properly written, job descriptions serve as a crucial roadmap for businesses to achieve their strategic objectives. Used well, they drive engagement and development, and can significantly influence the course of younger, smaller businesses.
Good job descriptions draw applicants who share the goals, values, and culture of the organisation.
By concentrating on the abilities that foster and nurture success in the role instead of focusing on arbitrary norms and proxy requirements (such as education or experience) that have limited predictive value, high-quality job descriptions also assist teams in staying true to their core principles of skills-based hiring.
What makes for a high-quality job description?
A well-written job description prioritises content over speed. Time-poor HR teams may be tempted to simply dust off an old job description for a comparable post, but ultimately this increases the risk of failing to recruit the proper people or setting unrealistic expectations that may have negative long-term effects.
High-quality job descriptions use evidence-based work analysis data that helps to identify the essential nature of a role.
Using application paperwork, expert interviews, on-the-job observations, surveys, and tasks, work analysts collect both qualitative and quantitative data.
Talent acquisition leaders might benefit from a thorough work analysis for a number of reasons:
· A job description that merely skims the surface of what's required is prone to implicit and unconscious prejudice.
· Job descriptions that fully capture the nature of the work can drive a talent strategy that both addresses current demands, foresees future ones, and attracts candidates who understand how they will fit into your organisation
· Job descriptions ensure a less biased and more equal hiring process that fosters an inclusive company culture and a varied talent pool.
· They also draw in applicants who are a good fit for the position and who share the company's vision, mission, and values.
So, if the job description is so important, how do you go about writing one?
Just as quality ingredients are the foundation of any well-prepared meal, the effort that goes into creating a clear analysis of what you’re looking for is the foundation stone of finding the ideal candidate to deliver that vision.
Here’s a checklist of key things to consider when writing a winning job description.
1. Include a concise statement outlining the goals, values, culture, and unique selling points of your business.
This part should use imaginative and evocative language to explain why the company is a great place to work. This will naturally attract candidates who align more closely with your culture and expectations.
2. Include a job mission statement outlining how the position advances or fulfils strategic goals.
This is important because it tells candidates why this job is important to the company in a straightforward and concise manner. Keeping this guiding message in mind will help you make all the other judgements and decisions associated with the recruitment process.
3. Include a filtered list of important tasks or results from the job.
Defining and shaping the fundamental nature of the work through job responsibilities or results is the crucial objective, here. Sorting the tasks according to their importance and benchmarking them against required competencies will create a clear picture of what’s required from the candidate before they hit ‘send’ on their CV.
4. Include the essential skills in the list of requirements.
The importance of this is often underestimated. This part of the job description immediately makes it very clear to candidates how the organisation would assess them for the position and what skills are necessary for success.
Don't forget to make a distinction between the necessary (or fundamental) and desired attributes – and be sure that what you’re describing as desired isn’t actually necessary – and vice versa.
And as an important footnote here, it’s particularly critical to think about inclusion and diversity in this section because talented people from underrepresented groups frequently exclude themselves if they don't match the requirements in full.
How important is experience?
Experience can be a quick and simple way to gauge a candidate's skills and talents, but after the first year or two, research shows that experience doesn't really matter in terms of forecasting performance at work.
Hiring managers should assess how much experience is necessary and how those experiences might reflect the core competencies expected of the successful candidate.
In a recruitment market that places a high value on DEI and where candidates make decisions based, to a lesser or greater extent, on their impression of an organisation's culture and values, it’s clear to see how well-written, fact-based job descriptions still play a crucial role in successful recruitment processes crucial.
If you’d like to find out more about how Constantia Consulting can guide you and your HR teams on writing job descriptions that attract high quality applicants, please get in touch for a friendly, informal chat.
