Are you among those superheroes working in the field of HR? Have you ever had to create a job ad along with a job description? In this case, the struggle and difficulty of crafting one is more than familiar to you. We know that a job description like any great sales copy, should be engaging, informative and with a strong call-to-action.
Are your job descriptions well-written and up-to-date? Are they detailed enough with essential skills delineation? We have prepared a list of the most common mistakes done when writing a job description. Read on and learn how your organization can generate better results with great hires!
#1 Absence of the Process
Intermittently, companies are not even aware how to create an effective job description. What steps should they take to write a proper job ad and who handles that? Following some kind of a process will make your life much easier! The first step is to create the process that will outline the approach and the main goals. Here are few questions to answer when creating a proper process:
- Why are the existing job descriptions not working?
- To adjust the existing job descriptions or to write the new ones from the scratch?
Tip: using the same job descriptions might cause attracting wrong candidates. It’s advisable to write a completely new job description at least sporadically.
- Who handles writing and publishing job descriptions?
Is the person responsible for that, the right person? Does this person know the requirements and skills necessary for this position? The best way to create a compelling job description is to combine feedbacks from a direct manager and an employee. The manager can describe job goals, while the employee knows routine day-to-day responsibilities.
- What details are essential and which are to drop? Here is the list of the suggested details to include into the job description:
- Title or job code
- Mission Summary – stating how the job fits into the company’s mission
- Working days and hours
- Compensation indicator (that’s optional)
- Essential functions/qualifications – years of experience, education, licenses or other credentials required. List them in the order of importance. It is important to differentiate between the minimum and desired qualifications in order to attract only relevant candidates
- Physical demands such as sitting, seeing, speaking, twisting, lifting, etc
- Required behaviors such as teamwork, dependability, ability to learn, etc
- Supervision – whether there is any or the employee will have full freedom of actions
#2 Grammar Mistakes
Posted job descriptions are representing your organization, therefore even minor spellings and grammar mistakes will render a poor image. To save yourself from the embarrassment, proofread everything you publish before going live. There exist many tools for that, as for instance Grammarly (free of charge).
#3 Web Optimization
Most job descriptions are now published online, hence it’s critical to mention the key elements that are worth considering before going live: headline, titles, keywords and SEO optimization. Being the first interaction touch point the importance of a headline is essential. Still, it’s quite common that the headline is forgotten or left for afterthought. The same applies to keywords used in the post. Accurate keyword selection helps with online exposure and helps to attract more candidates.
#4 Neglecting Legal Issues
The last but definitely not least! It is critical that legal department checks the ready job ad for any possible legal issues. The consequences might be quite costly for the company. Likewise, the responsible person would be putting his career at risk.
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