Do Job Descriptions Matter?
We took to twitter to ask an opinion poll, here is what 26 people voted. As you can see, a whopping 96.2% voted that they are important, and could make or break if they would proceed to the application process.
Here are the comments we received from Twitter users!
- “Job ads are important and should never be an afterthought. As others have said, the content should tell readers about the vision and personality of the business. It should also give them all the info they need to decide to apply – including salary, location and responsibilities.”
- “To me, the personality gives a candidate a glance of what the company culture is like, so I think it is important.”
- “personality is so important to determine the company culture. I also think the basics are important, salary and genuine role responsibilities – nothing worse than a long-winded advert and 9 times out of 10 your candidates won’t bother reading it!”
- “Job adverts are so important! I personally like ones that clearly and concisely outline responsibilities and that directly address the candidate reading it (e.g. “You will be responsible for…”)”
- “I think the candidate needs to know they have all the criteria for the job but an ad should also sell the opportunity rather than just a list of duties. What are the perks? What’s the culture like? Can you see yourself fitting in etc?
So, as you can see job adverts are very important if you want to attract qualified applicants that meet your requirements. However, put yourself in a candidate’s shoes, they are going to scan the job description before they settle into them. Would you apply for a job if the advert didn’t accurately describe the role, the company and the responsibilities of the position?
Add personality:
Whether you are writing the job description on behalf of the company, or you are a recruiter it is important to make it personal. Be more creative to grab the readers attention. For example, you could add “your Monday will begin when it’s 9 am, you enter the office, grab your coffee, say hi to your colleagues and get ready for a team get-together to discuss the goals for the week” this already makes you feel addressed and part of the company culture.
Company culture is everything:
A candidate will always ask themselves whether they will be a good fit and really enjoy working for a company. So, it’s crucial to add a flavour of the culture in the job description. Highlight benefits or perks in the workplace, for example, flexible working, remote work opportunities, Friday happy hour. Also, don’t be afraid to add in what the team are like that they candidate will be working with!
Focus responsibilities on growth and development:
Describe the key functions in 5-10 bullet points. You want candidates to be excited about your company and the transformation happening in it, therefore it’s important to explain how their job will contribute to the business objective and how you want them to be part of the long term goal.
Be cautious on your application process: Even the best job descriptions are wasted when a candidate has to jump through 30 hoops to apply. Top candidates value their time and can quickly lose interest if you ask too much for them at an early stage. Therefore, we recommend adding a few screening questions such as ‘do you have 2 years of administration experience? With a simple yes or no tick box will be far more worthwhile to you and them than a 30-page questionnaire where they have to make an account and so on. Of course, once you feel that the candidate is suitable and has a good chance of the next stage then be more thorough in your approach, but do not scare candidates away at the first stepping stone.