Neil Morelli, Ph.D., Chief I-O Psychologist, Codility.
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After analyzing over 100 startup failures, CB Insights found that 14% occur from lacking the right team. Before you argue those are only startups, a 2020 McKinsey survey of nearly 500 global technology and C-level leaders found that changes to the "talent strategy" significantly impacted their company's bottom line. In short, the people make the place.
Yet, the first step in getting the right people in your organization is often the most underserved: writing the job description.
Lately, HR gurus and business leaders have questioned the job description's value in the hiring process. The requirements, information and wording in job descriptions are often sources of bias, confusion and frustration for job candidates and employees.
Moreover, the new ways of work often extend beyond what can be communicated in two pages. But I argue that job descriptions still matter in today's world of work if we can bring them into the 21st century.
Do Job Descriptions Right
Done right, job descriptions are an essential road map for many people management functions, including recruitment, engagement and development. Job descriptions can have an outsized impact on the trajectory of younger, smaller companies through their talent.
High-quality job descriptions help attract candidates aligned with a company's mission, values and culture. High-quality job descriptions also help teams stay rooted in skills-based hiring decisions by focusing on the skills that predict success in the role, not on arbitrary standards and proxy qualifications (e.g., education, experience) that have low predictive value.
Why An Evidence-Based Approach Works
So, what is a "high-quality job description"? It's a job description that optimizes content over speed. It might be easier to dust off an old job description for a similar role in the interest of time, but not attracting the right talent, or setting the wrong expectations, can have detrimental long-term impacts.
Instead, high-quality job descriptions use data from work analysis, an evidence-based method for discovering and effectively communicating a job's "essential nature" to non-job experts. Work analysts gather qualitative and quantitative data by reviewing job documentation, interviewing experts, observing actual employees performing the work and administering surveys.
A careful work analysis can be helpful to talent acquisition leaders for several reasons:
• Failing to understand a job's actual skill requirements can lead to decisions based on irrelevant factors and outdated or inaccurate assumptions.
• A job description that scratches the surface of what's needed is vulnerable to unconscious and implicit bias.
• Job descriptions that thoroughly understand the work required can power an effective talent strategy that meets today's demands and anticipates future needs.
With an evidence-based job description in hand, hiring managers can:
• Ensure a fairer and less-biased hiring process that is inherently more equitable and supports a diverse talent pool and inclusive organizational culture.
• Attract the right candidates aligned with the role and the company's unique mission, vision and values.
• Significantly reduce the risk of unconscious and implicit bias by directing standardized selection tools, such as assessments, on the skills that matter.
• Improve an understanding of how specific roles fit into organizational priorities over the long term.
How To Craft A Quality Job Description
Like a good dish, well-crafted job descriptions start with quality ingredients; these are the data an in-depth work analysis can provide. Assuming you have these data on hand, here are steps you can follow to build a high-quality job description:
1. Add a clear statement describing your company's mission, vision, work environment, culture and differentiators. This section should communicate why the company is the right one to work for in evocative and creative language. Balanced amounts of realistic and attractive information yield better candidates with higher chances of success once on the job.
2. Add a job mission statement that describes how the job supports or achieves strategic objectives. This statement is critical as it clearly and succinctly communicates to candidates why this job matters to the business. All other decisions can stay oriented with this North Star in mind.
3. Add a filtered list of critical job duties or outcomes. The critical goal is to share the essential nature of the job either via job duties or outcomes. Filter the duties by how vital they are based on the competencies required.
4. Add the critical competencies as qualifications. This section should clearly communicate how the company will evaluate candidates for the role and what capabilities are expected for success. Remember to thoughtfully and accurately distinguish between required (or basic) and preferred qualifications. It’s also imperative to consider inclusion in this section, knowing that talent from marginalized groups often self-selects out if they don’t meet 100% of the criteria.
What about experience?
While experience is a quick and easy way to estimate a candidate's competencies and capabilities, research has found that experience matters little in predicting work performance beyond the first year or two. While it may take time to reduce or remove experience qualifications from the job description, hiring managers need to think critically about how much experience is essential and how those experiences reflect the critical competencies.
Well-crafted, evidence-based job descriptions are still important in today's hiring environment, where diversity, equity and inclusion are paramount and candidates make decisions that are heavily influenced by their perception of an organization's culture and values. Just like your organizational goals, job descriptions should be strategic, dynamic and revisited regularly.
By utilizing an evidence-based, data-driven approach to job descriptions, HR leaders can support their organization's current goals and future state.
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