The Importance of Job Descriptions in International Rec

Posted on: 10.04.2011    19:48:51

This subject comes up time and time again and in a way part of the failure must lie at our door in that as an international Recruitment Agency we have failed to get the message across to future clients that we can’t optimally service there needs unless they provide a quality job description.

If you look at the candidate side of the equation when we receive “get us job mate” type emails with no details we tend to smile inwardly at the lack of professionalism but when it comes to hirers wanting a team of people, a head hunting brief or simple recruitment for a fee you would expect a higher percentage of quality job descriptions than you get.

In 2009/2010 we monitored incoming job descriptions are 86% were non-existent, incomplete, or an extract from an in house document with no sense of marketing appeal to potential clients.

So what does good look like?

Most job descriptions I have seen focus on two areas:

• the responsibilities of the position (the present) and
• the experience or credentials required (the past).

But the best candidates are not looking to repeat past accomplishments. They are looking for new challenges and opportunities to grow and advance (the future).

If you want to attract the best and brightest talent, you need to focus on what the candidate can expect in the future should they accept the position, not just what is involved on Day One.

You need to market to them , just as much as they need to market to you.

There are plenty of free resources that you can use . Invest the time in getting your job description right – it is the way to avoid making recruitment errors especially if you are using an international recruitment agency to find a key employee..

 

Author: Chris Slay

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