Coaching Employers on Realistic Job Descriptions

Recently we received a call from a long time client, asking for advice. They were short staffed on their IT team and opening up a new position.

“I’d like someone with Windows and Linux server skills, know some code to help the developers with automation, but also work with the data in our ERP.”

(You probably just put them into the 'unrealistic hiring manager' bucket, but this was a teaching moment.)

Here’s how I responded..

“I could start sending résumés of people I think are right, then by the 4th or 5th interview, everyone’s frustrated and wanting to reassess.

Forget about the skills you’re looking for and let’s reverse engineer this thing.

What do you see this person contributing to when they walk in the door?

Then, what would you love to see them accomplish over the first 12 months?

Look at all the projects on your whiteboard along with the skills and abilities of your current team. What competencies do you need more (or less) of to get those projects done?

What would this new hire have to do to exceed your expectations, and if they did, what direction could they be promoted into?

Chew on all that and call me back when you’re ready to map this out.”

It gave them a new perspective on how to define what they really need and shave off the rest..