Crafting an Effective Job Description

The hiring process requires deliberate clarity and precision. A well-crafted job description plays a pivotal role in aligning your business needs with the skills and experience of potential hires.

Creating an effective job description begins by identifying the specific need the new hire will fill. Consider the actual needs of the business. Will your business benefit more from a full-time or part-time, year-round or seasonal employee? Focusing on these aspects ensures the new hire can provide ROI.

Clarity in defining expectations, setting activity targets and establishing performance goals is imperative. For example, if you’re hiring a sales executive, you might set an activity target of 20 sales calls per day and a performance goal of increasing sales by 15% in a year. Clearly communicating these goals to a potential hire ensures alignment and sets the stage for a successful relationship.

Determine and outline the necessary skills, experience and education needed for the role. This helps to narrow down candidates during the resumereviewing stage. For instance, if the job requires managing digital campaigns, key skills might include proficiency in online marketing tools and a degree in marketing or a related field.

Assessing personality traits and work styles that align with your company’s culture can be as important as a candidate’s qualifications. Evaluate intangible characteristics for a harmonious fit within your team. For instance, does the candidate show a tendency to be a good team player and display a continuous improvement mindset?

Taking into account the individual strengths and weaknesses when defining tasks within a job description is crucial. For example, a sales executive strong in building new client relationships may not excel in detail-oriented tasks. Balancing job responsibilities according to natural abilities negates the false expectation of a single person excelling in all areas.

Understanding the distinction between a job description and a job ad is fundamental. While a job description provides a clear understanding of the role’s daily responsibilities and protects the company, a job ad is designed to attract and engage potential talent.

As you create your job description, maintain a professional and informative tone, clearly and concisely encapsulating the necessary information. Following this guide, the journey of creating an effective job description becomes a lot smoother.

Rikka Brandon is a leading recruiting and hiring expert in the LBM industry. She’s the founder of Building Gurus, a boutique training, consulting and executive search firm for building products manufacturers and distributors. She’s also the creator of Hire Power, an on-demand training for recruiting and hiring in the building products industry. If you’re interested in working with Rikka, schedule a call at BuildingGurus.com/Discovery.

Read article #1 in this series from Rikka, “Overcoming the Experience Gap,” in the November 2023 edition of BLD Connection’s Material Matters e-newsletter.

By Melissa Olheiser, OECS