Ya Just Gotta Luv Job Descriptions

How many of you read the subject line above and just want to throw up? I mean, the topic of job descriptions was never that thrilling to you while you were employed, and now that you’re in a job transition, with everyone telling you to match up your resume to the job descriptions…well, it just doesn’t sit well with you at all!?

The good news is that you’re not alone! For me, the subject line is dripping with sarcasm – – the opposite is actually true! You see, my history with job descriptions is not a pleasant one. While I was serving as a corporate HR leader, I either had to approve new job descriptions or ensure the process to establish new ones was sound. Yuck! What a pain in the rear!?

How Most Job Descriptions Come Together

Let’s take a quick look at how most job descriptions come together.?First, most job descriptions are painfully written up once, using a format that?is often outdated. Second, job descriptions are rarely updated to reflect what is actually expected from the current supervisor (remember, everyone has a different approach!). Third, when a new role is developed in the organizational structure and a job description needs to be created from scratch, it never is. It’s a CPA job – – that is a Cut, Paste & Assemble exercise using old job descriptions.?Plus, the manager putting together the new job description usually hates doing it (how well do you do with jobs that you hate?). It’s a necessary evil to be done before a job posting can occur, and generally it’s a bunch of gobbledegook cobbled together with words that many people never use outside of the job description! ???

But then what happens next is even more bizarre!?

Despite everything I outlined above, the manager then gives it to the Recruiting Department, and they use the job description as a filter in their Applicant Tracking System (yes, the beloved ATS!). To be more efficient and effective, the ATS can scan hundreds of applications against the job description, or key criteria extracted from the job description, to help screen applicants down to a manageable number for the recruiter and hiring manager.?

So…the primary filters being used to screen out hundreds of people emerge from a process that is fraught with both bad information and negligence.?Sigh. ???

Then, to put icing on the cake, everyone tells job seekers that they should spend hours and hours trying to “crack the code” to ensure their resume/application has as many of the key words as possible to make it through the ATS platform. So, let’s get this straight – Job seekers are being told to shift their resume around to match up with job descriptions that most supervisors won’t even recall having put together.?

One fallout effect of this is that resumes start to just look like job descriptions. Rather than talking about accomplishments, the resume becomes a trite list of tasks. There’s nothing to distinguish applicants from candidates, let alone allow the recruiter/hiring manager to develop a “top 3 list.”?

And then we all wonder why finding the “right fit” is so difficult!?!?The odds are stacked against you!?

How to Break Through the Job Description Morass

So, what’s the answer? Here are three suggestions to break through the job description morass:?

1. Network – – We say this over and over again here at Crossroads.?Filling out applications and trying to match up with an ATS is time consuming and statistically not the best approach.?Networking is the key!?

1. Unique Distinctions – – Rather than just trying to match up to key words in the ATS, put your best foot forward with your unique distinctions. Sell the unique confluence of your skills and experiences, not just some key words most people don’t pay attention to anyway. See our blog on this HERE.?

1. Minimum Match – – Yes, we want to buck the system, but we can’t completely ignore what is in place. As you create #2 above, utilize key word descriptors commonly showing up in job descriptions you’ve seen. However, don’t let the key words concept override what you’re needing to say with unique distinctions. ??

Last, and probably most important on this topic. Don’t let anything, especially job descriptions with all their flaws, distract you from who you are and what God put you on this earth to do. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”?

When you have a masterpiece, you don’t mess with it! If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you’ve been adopted into His family as a new creation…a masterpiece!?Don’t hide who you are in Him behind a fear to match up with some key words.?Trust in the process of representing your best self in Him! He will provide!?

You may never have a “luv” relationship with job descriptions, but you can move through the job transition process with confidence and peace in Him!

Blessings!?

Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.

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