Great Job Descriptions Will Attract Great Candidates

As the late Stephen Covey advised in his seminal book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “begin with the end in mind.”

How does this apply to sourcing job candidates? Any job opening begins with a job description. Write a great one and you’ll attract – and more than likely hire – a great candidate. Write a poor job description and you’ll attract candidates ill-suited to the position.

Read below for some tips on how to write great job descriptions so that you’ll attract great candidates.

  • Watch the “job duties” list. You know what we’re talking about: that laundry list of job duties, requirements and the ubiquitous and wishy-washy “all other duties as assigned.”  Jody Thompson, writing at Blogging4Jobs.com in April, recommends that instead of listing “every activity” the person who fills the position will have to do once hired, craft a job description that “clarify[s] what results are expected.” (Boldface text ours.)  After all, results are what count most in business. How to get those results – the process – should be more flexible.
  • By crafting job descriptions that focus on results, you allow your hires to “come up with amazing new solutions to old problems,” Thompson continues. A listing of job duties tells candidates that creativity isn’t needed, nor is it welcome. A list of duties tells employees that this is the way – and the only way – you’ll do your job. Why should anyone go out of his or her way to do more, according to Thompson.
  • Remember that job descriptions should be used as marketing tools. If you’re writing your job descriptions primarily because your human resources department says you have to, or only because the firm’s attorneys say you must, then you’re missing out on a great opportunity to “sell” the position as well as the company.
  • Do you include a “physical requirements” section of the job description? Thompson wonders if this truly is necessary (particularly for office positions). A too-detailed description of physical requirements (“must be able to sit at a desk for up to eight hours a day”) can be “anything but inviting,” Thompson writes, adding that a too-detailed and restrictive physical requirements section can make your company “sound like a sweatshop!”

If your Inland Empire company is having a hard time attracting great candidates, let Arrow Staffing help. We can take a look at your job descriptions and see where improvements can be made. We also can do the sourcing, resume-culling, background checking, and placing of reliable temporary and direct-hire workers at your company for you. Contact us today.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *