Job descriptions: Less "blah blah" and more "ra ra"?
June 20th, 2022
Job descriptions are important. I do understand that many corporates feel they have to standardise them for every role whether senior or junior, but less face it, 90% of the JDs we see are quite dull.
So, let’s explore how companies can make their JDs well, less like JDs!
Here at Recruitment Gamechangers we see a huge number of JDs and most have a familiar theme:
· An overwhelming amount of copy
· Long winded sentences
· A huge list of responsibilities, some really unnecessary
· A list of “essential” and “desirable” skills/ experience required
Of course, when we have a candidate interested in a role, we want to send them as much information as possible about their prospective employer. We have a policy not to advertise the lengthy JD in our ads, and we prefer to adapt them to be more interesting and informative when we send the details out to our candidates.
Here are a couple of ways that we believe companies can improve their JDs.
Amazing to have
Instead of the traditional essential and desirable skills list, why not replace that with an “Amazing to have expertise” or perhaps entitle those with “You’re good at”?
Also, we love seeing short sentences. For example: You think on your feet. You write well. Rather than “we are looking for someone who can solve problems quickly and someone who can demonstrate outstanding communication skills.
Add some humour
We’re not talking about Stewart Francis or Tim Vine one liners, but instead of saying a person requires outstanding presentation skills, make it more light-hearted by commenting “we’d love you to be a fab presenter, but we’re not expecting Ted Talks!
These are difficult times for companies trying to recruit in congested markets, so any possible ways to make your role more exciting and perhaps less stuffy must be worth a try.
If you are in HR or a hiring manager looking to recruit and would like to hear more from us on how we could help you put together a more innovative JD, get in touch with Doug Woodward doug@recgc.com