For this assignment, you will create a job description and a performance evaluation document that can be used in identifying a position within an organization and assessing the performance of an emplo
HIRINGWrite a Job Description That Attracts the Right Candidate by Whitney Johnson MARCH , WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES Far too many organizations miss golden opportunities to bring onboard best possible talent for the tasks at hand and those of the future. When i s time to recruit, hire, and onboard, the most common approaches are routine and rote, prone to misjudgment and error. The process is costly and, in the end, unfruitful. COPYRIGHT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This failure begins at the very rst step: writing the job description. As international talent management expert Dorothy Dalton laments, Copy-paste recruitment is generally business as usual in most organization Even if the post was last lled ve years ago, the chance of anyone thinking it might have to be crafted differently are slim. Generally, the only changes I see are to inflate the qual cations If you think the job yo re hiring for has t changed in the last ve years or even in the past year then i s probably just about the only thing in your organization that has t. And the practice of over- inflation of job qual cations often discourages desirable candidates to apply candidates with potential who wo t be easily bored in the role. So instead of leaning on this these approaches, learn to pinpoint what you really need from a new hire in order to properly compose and position the job description. Here are four suggestions:Know what you need now, but also envision the future. Think of the job as an s-curve, with lots of room to grow in the role at the low end of the and high pr ciency but little potential at the top end. In most cases, I advocate hiring someone who will onboard at the low end and enjoy an enthusiastic and extended growth experience, with a commensurate level of job engagement, satisfaction, and productivity as they ascend the curve to reach high pr ciency. Sometimes, however, you need a sharpshooter with the expertise to solve a pressing problem. You ca t wait for them to grow. The tradeoff is that they will quickly move on, either to another organization or to a new challenge in yours (if one is available for them) and you will need to hire again, hopefully for a longer tenure.
Before writing the job description, think about what will best serve the organization in both the short and long term. In some cases, it may be more appropriate to contract a gig worker to solve the problem and hire an employee for longer-term growth.
Understand the hiring context. Evaluate the role in the context of the team in a large organization, or in the whole organization if your workplace is on the smaller side. Filling a job is a growth opportunity for the business, not just for the individual; the best t is found when it captures growth for both. You can better align your job openings and descriptions with what your business needs by better understanding your current roles.
For example, we consulted with a company that had motivated mid-level managers who were nonetheless uncertain about opportunities for advancement. This was especially true for people who had worked in the organization for more than 10 years. As the company developed new jobs to be lled, we recommended that they survey a targeted group of individuals related to the role they were hiring for. In the survey, they asked people to outline what they actually did versus the job description for their role. Questions included: Why do these differences exist? What has motivated or COPYRIGHT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. required them to do things differently than their job description would suggest? What tasks are associated with the standard phrase and other jobs as spec ed What challenges have they faced and overcome to be successful? How is success gauged what are the metrics used? And, nally, how long have they been in this role?
The results of this type of survey can identify roles that need to be trimmed or pruned out altogether.It can facilitate proper allocation of valuable human resources and help identify opportunities for internal movement and advancement of proven talent. You may even nd you do t need an external hire at all, or that you need to hire for something different than the vacant position.
Ultimately, you will be properly informed when writing the job description if you know what current employees are doing and what they want to be doing. The gaps will reveal themselves.
Avoid limiting language.
As I noted earlier, the goal of a job description is to invite applicants. To do this successfully, avoid limiting language. Gender-biased language , for example, is known to discourage possible candidates.
This is perhaps especially true of women when language is overly masculine (examples include words like outspoken competitive and ninj ). But it is not limited to them. Men are also discouraged by feminine language nurturing collaborative or loya ), particularly in postings for traditionally women-dominated jobs, like nursing.
Similarly, careless language can discourage minority applicants or unconventional ones such as on-rampers (how would a term like career-oriente sound?), gig workers seeking traditional employment (ditto), or even entry-level workers (very discouraged by the word experience ). If a job really does t require two years of prior experience, do t claim it does. If yo re trying to diversify your workforce (and I hope you are) then include language spec cally inviting diverse interest. For example, We are committed to diversity in our workforce Kristen Pressner, the global head of human resources for Roche Diagnostics, advocates that we flip it to tes our language: If you are a man, how might your language sound to a woman? If yo re white, how might the job description read for a person of color? If yo re a driven career person, would what yo ve crafted invite an applicant who needs to work from home? Also test the language you use with a diverse group of individuals before you post. They can help illuminate your blind spots.
Think about meaning.
People want to contribute, to feel energized and passionate about what they do. They want to be inspired by ideas that can help solve problems and meet needs. This does t necessarily mean changing the world or addressing cosmically important issues. But it does mean believing that we are making our corner of the world happier, brighter, and safer in some small but sign cant way.
It is critical that organizations ensure the roles they are hiring for are quality opportunities for meaningful work, personal growth, and impact. This needs to be conveyed through the job description and even into the interviewing process. For example, Chatbooks is a company that helps people create printed scrapbooks from their Instagram photos. Rather than focusing on spec c skills, 4 COPYRIGHT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. they use words like high-performance creativity grown up and optimisti to describe their values and the kind of candidates they are seeking to employ. When you hire an individual whose values align with the purposes of your organization, i s a win-win. Craft the job description to invite those people to apply.
When you get a job description right, you provide an opportunity for your next employee to assume market risk to play where others in your organization are t, utilizing their distinctive strengths.The odds of success are much higher than if they face competitive risk, battling for turf with entrenched players in your organization. The right t means that a new hire has room to grow; when your employees grow, so does your organization. Whitney Johnson is an executive coach, speaker, and innovation thinker recently named one of the most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50. She is the author of Build an A-Team from Harvard Business Press and the critically acclaimed Disrupt Yourself . You can download the first chapter of Build an A Team here . 5 COPYRIGHT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2020Harvard Business Publishing. AllRights Reserved. Additional restrictions may apply including theuse ofthis content asassigned coursematerial. Pleaseconsult your institution's librarianaboutanyrestrictions thatmight applyunder thelicense withyour institution.
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