Job Description: Just Do It

Job Descriptions, the good, bad, and the ugly

The job description will come in all shapes and sizes. The job description will reinforce the company’s culture. Many folks think that leadership shapes the culture of the company or the department. I agree. Leadership is only part of the equation. I believe that company culture “CAN” start with the job description. This is based on years of experience. I can write two different job descriptions for the same job, and depending on the way we write that description, depending on what we emphasize and what we describe, we can attract different candidates.

Write an outgoing, hipster job description, mention beer Fridays, and there will be a result. We will attract candidates, and we will weed out others. Write a conservative job description that lacks personality, and our hipster will probably pass. I am not saying one is right or wrong. That will depend on the culture you are trying to hire for.

What kind of candidate are we seeking?

If you are hiring for a creative agency, this may be a consideration. The description will affect your candidate funnel. You get what you measure, and you will hire those you attract. The job description is the “top of the funnel. ” We can influence the top of the funnel and stack the odds in our favor to hire and create the company culture we want. I was reminded of this when I was asked to review a Head of HR job description.

A few of the bullet points read as follows:

• Ability to add and subtract two-digit numbers and to multiply and divide by 10’s and 100’s.
• Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; educates others on the value of diversity; promotes a harassment-free environment; Builds a diverse workforce.

Seriously?  This is the job description for the Head of HR position. Two thoughts:

• You can’t make this shit up.
• How do you interview for these skill sets without sounding like a dumb ass?

Interview Questions

• “Here is my first question. What is 23 plus 42?”
• “Question number 2. As an HR professional, can you give me an example of a time when you showed cultural sensitivity in the workplace?”

First, we must ask ourselves, “Who is responding to this job posting?” If I were being “tested/interviewed” for these skill sets, I would ask myself, “WTF is this?” I either have my work cut out for me, or I am going to be reporting to a dumb ass. Either way, I am not getting excited about the opportunity. HR sets the tone for a specific company culture when we attract and then pass to the hiring manager candidates that respond to this “bait.” What candidates will become excited during an interview that asks for basic arithmetic? 

Some job descriptions will sometimes have a lot of detail. This extra detail can be used as a reference in a few situations:  

• Assessing skill sets against compensation bands
• Or when a couple of managers pore over each bullet to determine if an employee is fulfilling the job requirements. In other words, they are trying to decide whether they can fire the employee.

Imagine a situation where a manager would exclaim:

“Johnny can add two-digit numbers.  Check the job description on file; we may need to give him a raise!”

The bullet points I listed at the beginning of the post are a little too specific. I think Nike got it right with the following, and I wish I could use this as the first bullet for our job descriptions:

JUST DO IT!

Another version could read something like this:

This is your new job description

With the HR job description I mentioned earlier, I was handed a job description filled with minutia and bullet points. I thought most should be ripped out of the document. In total, there were five bullets under the Benefits section, including these condensed snippets:

• Maintains and controls all confidential employee benefit files under lock and key.
• Assists employees with benefits during the decision-making process.

OMG! Really?

There were also sections listed under the categories of Strategic HR, Recruiting, Employee Relations, etc. . . . Ok, you get the point.  I won’t bore you anymore.

Yes, it might be easier to fire an employee when we have a checklist of details to compare behavior. “Check the job description. Johnny is doing X, but he isn’t doing Y or Z.  We can let him go.”

I believe that this managerial mentality will result in a defensive employee mentality. A typical response may be: “Hey, you wanted me to add two-digit numbers; you didn’t say anything about subtracting two-digit numbers. That isn’t part of my job description.” The guy with this answer is killing the company culture.

My suggestion for the Benefits section was to simplify the following:

• “Responsible for all facets of the benefits program, including but not limited to health benefits, 401K, and the HRIS.”

After the edits, we took a 2-½ page job description down to less than 1 page. This may seem like a vague job description to some, but everyone wants to be treated with respect. Spelling every detail out is what we do for children. Treat employees like adults; you can expect adult behavior. (You may not get it, but you set expectations for it.) Treat employees like children, and you will be rewarded for childlike behavior.  Consequently, the company culture follows. 

The job description will attract what you advertise for!

I get that this may not be right for every company. I also get that we need to train on skill sets specific to the company or the industry. What I want to avoid with job descriptions is getting too specific and describing what should be “a given” for any individual position. 

Targeted Job Description

Some folks feel that since this is the top of the funnel, we want to attract AS MANY applicants as possible. This mentality makes the job description look like it is working. My philosophy is that I would instead create a specific ad for a particular personality and skill set. I may receive fewer resumes, but these will be targeted candidates that are a much closer fit. I can WEED OUT specific candidate mentalities from the application process, and more importantly, we can attract specific mentalities with creative job descriptions. 

Three job descriptions for the same role

I was asked to hire three different Executive Assistants at a prior company—the hiring execs we were hiring for had very distinct personalities and requirements. I aimed to hire a specific personality and skill set for each executive. Consequently, we wrote up three different job descriptions. I am confident that each EA we brought in would ONLY be successful interviewing and working with their specific Exec. Swap the candidates around, and the Exec would question my competence. 

Next time you are looking to hire for a specific culture, personality, or skill set, move away from the generic corporate job descriptions. Get creative with your job descriptions, and you may be pleasantly surprised by who you attract!

See you at the after party,

HRNasty

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