This is not your parents’ workplace. Or your grandparents’. Organizations in 2020 look, feel and operate differently than they did in 1920 and 1950 and 1999. Despite the lamenting of the never-changers, many of these differences have been positive and have made work life more fulfilling and enjoyable. The combination of a generational shift as well as a strong job seekers’ market have put staff in a position to demand more. Employees today are holding out for jobs that they really want, that connect to their values, and that will give them the opportunity to grow. Despite these changes, too many organizations are trying to attract this high-quality talent with the same old, tired practices.
For many job seekers, their introduction to an open position is its job description, found almost exclusively on online job sites. The internet is flooded with these job sites, and these job sites are flooded with these job descriptions. And even though these job descriptions encompass positions at a wide variety of levels in a wide variety of fields, they read almost exactly the same. The format, language and tone follow a type of script, filled with professional language and jargon. The energy is flat with very little personality or sense of organizational culture.
If you haven’t been on a job site lately and you are responsible for hiring, I encourage you to spend some time looking through these job descriptions. What do you notice? Which ones stand out to you? Which ones blend into all the others? As a high-quality candidate, which ones excite you? Which ones turn you away?
There is no law, rule or standard that states how job descriptions must be written, yet most continue to follow this script that is indistinguishable and uninspiring. The script reads something like this:
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Agency Description
- ABC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help first generation students graduate high school and successfully transition into post-secondary education. We are seeking a dedicated, talented program coordinator to support our middle and high school students in their goal to graduate high school. Our program meets Monday-Friday from 3:00-7:00pm. Some weekend hours will be required. This is a full-time position.
Job Responsibilities
- Plan and facilitate daily program activities
- Track daily attendance in organization database
- Help students with daily homework assignments, college applications and scholarship forms
- Plan 3 college visits per year for the students
- Meet with parents each semester
- Attend weekly staff meetings and monthly supervision sessions
Requirements/Qualifications
- BA in education, human services, social work or another related field
- At least 3 years’ experience working with youth
- Experience working with urban youth
- Strong communication skills
- Ability to work independently and with others
- Team player
- Hard worker
Salary
- Salary is commensurate with experience
How to Apply
- Send your cover letter and resume to HR at HR@ABC.com by March 1. No phone calls please.
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If you’ve done any job searching at all, I imagine this sounds at least somewhat familiar. Perhaps you could recite this script in your sleep. As it reads, there is nothing inherently wrong with this type of description but there is nothing all that great about it either. It reads like most other job descriptions- factual, clear and professional- and it lacks any kind of personality or insight into who you are as an organization. It also does not explain why a high-quality staff should choose you over their many other options. If you are trying to attract the best staff you can, why would you want to sound like everyone else?
Don’t you want your organization to stand out?
Don’t you want to distinguish yourself as an organization that talented people want to work for?
There is more to a job search than the job description, of course, but this is the place most people start and you don’t want to lose your best candidates because you have made no effort to attract them. Instead of using the same old approach, why not consider adding some life and personality into your next job description. You can start with the following areas:
ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION
Job seekers know enough to check out your website to learn about who you are and what you do. Instead of wasting valuable space in your job description reiterating what can easily be found online, why not use this space to share what makes your organization stand out? Highlight some of your accomplishments and what you are most proud of. Describe as best you can the culture of your organization, the size, the type of people who work there. You are trying to find people who will thrive in your environment so think about how you can share what that environment is really like.
VALUES
Organizational culture and values are the foundation of any workplace. To be successful, you want to hire and cultivate a staff that share these values. This process begins with the job search and continues all the way through a staff’s exit interview. You want your organizational values to be clear and shared by those affiliated with you. Why not be explicit about what those values are? Millennials, particularly, want to work for places that share their values. Be upfront about these to start the process of attracting like-minded professionals.
GOALS
Much like resumes have transitioned from listing tasks to highlighting accomplishments, job descriptions are a wonderful and natural place to share not just tasks, but organizational goals, both those that have been met and those that are still in progress. Let potential staff know what your organization is striving toward and help paint a clearer picture of your work while establishing a culture of outcomes and accountability. You can also include some of the goals this particular person will be responsible for and whether they will have a voice in creating their own goals (which they should.)
WHAT YOU OFFER
For too long, the power dynamic of job searching has been in the hands of the organization. The traditional mindset has been that job seekers need to impress the organization and not the other way around. Thankfully, this dynamic is changing. Today’s job seekers have educated themselves and want to make sure the organization they choose impresses them too. In order to attract high-quality talent, you need to entice them with what you have to offer them. Your job description is an important way to do that.
WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR
A successful organizational fit has far more to do with shared values and culture than it does with skills and tasks, many of which can be learned. This will not be the case for every skill in every position, of course, but you always want to choose staff who will fit in with your organizational culture, share your company’s mission and work well with your team. As a result, you should focus on what type of person you are looking for in addition to- if not in lieu of- what skills you need.
COMPENSATION
You will save yourself and your job seekers a whole lot of time and money by being upfront with your compensation package. You will also demonstrate that you are an organization that values transparency and honesty (and fair wages). Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of reasons for not publishing salary information in a job description, but I’ve never heard a good one.
THE PROCESS
Too often, job seekers are intentionally kept unaware of the hiring process, and many anxiously and unfairly invest large amounts of time without knowing how much longer it will go on. There is no reason you cannot let job seekers know from the beginning what your process will be and let them decide if they want to proceed.
HOW TO APPLY
With all of the technology we have available, we continue to hold onto outdated, ineffective processes. In the professional world, most job seekers have a LinkedIn page which essentially acts as a resume. Despite easy access to this information, we continue to ask for resumes as our primary way of vetting potential candidates. There are countless ways to adjust your process to alternative methods of receiving information and intent from job seekers. This is particularly effective if you are in a creative field but can be equally effective anywhere. Give your job seekers the opportunity to show you their true selves in a way that they choose. After all, you are trying to discern who this person really is, and what better way than for them to tell you themselves in their own style and in their own voice? Videos, webpages, online presentations and writing samples are just some of the ways. Be creative and let your job seekers be creative too.
BE HUMAN
Though job searching is largely automated these days, we are still dealing with real people who are investing their time and money in an effort to offer you their gifts. Be conscious and grateful for this. Be human. Thank them for their time and their interest in you. Do so sincerely. Communication. Be honest, caring and thoughtful. This is not just the right thing to do, it will help create a positive impression of your organization.
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Below is a modified version of the job description above with the stated suggestions.
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Agency Description
- Our ABC (website link) staff are excited at the possibility of working with you in our college-support program. We have worked in the Baltimore community for the past 15 years serving over 750 students, 95% of which have worked hard to graduate high school. Every year, we help nearly 50 students successfully transition into their post-secondary lives. Our staff are dedicated to our students and families, and we are looking for someone who is driven to empower and support our students and families.
We Value
- Honesty
- Accountability
- High expectations
- Community
- Positivity
Our Goals
- 100% of students will graduate from high school each year
- 90% of students will enroll in higher education within 1 year of graduation
We Offer
- The opportunity to work with amazing students and their families in the Midtown neighborhood
- Monthly in-house professional development opportunities as well as annual conferences
- Weekly supervision where you will receive direct, honest, valuable feedback
- Full health insurance, tuition reimbursement, flexible morning hours and the opportunity to work up to 25% of your hours off site
- Monthly staff meetings where we will support and learn from one another
- Space for your voice and ideas to be heard
- Opportunities for promotion with 6 months of hiring
- The chance to do something impactful and important
- Supportive coaching to help you grow
We Are Looking for Someone Who
- is willing to make mistakes, ask questions, be challenged and grow
- believes in every child’s potential
- wants to learn
- is willing to be coached
Compensation
- The range for this position is $50,000-$55,000 per year. Each year, staff have the opportunity to receive up to 10% salary increases through performance-based raises and bonuses.
The Process
- We anticipate our hiring process to take 2-3 months. If we do not find a match, we will keep looking until we do.
- There are 3 steps to our hiring process- a phone conversation, an in-person lesson prepared and delivered by you to our students, and a panel interview with members of our community.
How to Apply
- Please let us know what about this position appeals to you, what you hope to contribute to our organization and how you hope to grow during the process. You may do this through writing, drawing, video or song. Send all submissions to HR@ABC.com. Be sure to include a link to your LinkedIn page.
- Thank you so much for considering us.
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What do you think? Different, right? What message does this send? Could you feel a shifted energy from the first one? Can you see where this may attract a different type of candidate? Is it the type of candidate you are looking for? Would this type of job description work for your organization? What other sections could you alter to attract who you are looking for? How can you best capture your organization’s vision and culture in a job description? Are you willing to experiment and find out?
Job searching is a time-consuming, arduous, stressful process. For too long, too many organizations have exacerbated this with inefficient, ambiguous hiring systems. Respecting those who show interest in your organization is a shift and a clear way to show high-quality staff that you are an organization worth working for. Throughout every step of your hiring process, be as clear and as fair as you can, starting with your job description. Open your mind to alternative ways to court and attract the high-quality staff you seek. What first step are you ready to make?
