So often managers cannot clearly explain what kind of person they need to fill a position. They call up the recruiter with a new position but with very little in the way of competencies or specific job duties. The typical phone call goes something like this: “I want to open up a req for a webmaster.” Recruiter says, “Okay. Can you tell me what this person will be doing?” Manager: “They’ll be working on the corporate web page – you know, revising the code, updating the look, and that kind of stuff.” Recruiter: “What specific skills should they have?” Manager: “Oh, I don’t know. Probably should already be a web master somewhere. They should have at least 3 years experience and a degree in computer science.” And so forth. . . Unfortunately, not very helpful. Kind of like telling the used car salesman that you want a big red car with low mileage. As a recruiter you have to have a process for getting the information you need from the manager. Here are a handful of suggestions about how to construct a better job description than you usually get – but be warned: none of these are easy and all will require you to invest some time and energy into understanding your managers and your company better.
If you find that the profile you develop is way off base from the hiring manager’s perception, be sure to sit down and go through the discrepancies step-by-step. Work out why the manager’s perception is so far off from want you found and try to get the manager to accept – even on a trial basis – a new set of criteria. This is one of the most common issues recruiters face and to be successful you have to be able to negotiate and sell to the hiring manager.
