Building
the Killer Job Brief
By
Randy Quarin
Gone
are the days when companies could dangle job briefs
like big carrots in front of eager applicants and watch
them come running. Just like it takes more than a good
salary to retain top performers, it takes more than
a one-page job brief to attract them to your firm. After
all, a poorly-written job brief is no better than taping
a “Help Wanted” sign to your company’s
front door.
Here
are nine things to keep in mind when building the killer
job brief:
1.
A killer job brief is an opportunity profile,
not a job profile.
A
job profile is nothing more than a one-page job description.
It only considers the needs and wants of a company and
reduces the role to the makings of what it fundamentally
is: a job. An opportunity profile, however, considers
the needs and wants of a top performer looking for an
employment experience where she’s attracted to,
committed to, and fascinated by her work.
2.
It’s a marketing document.
People
like to be sold on things – and your employment
opportunity is no different. Your killer job brief must
brand the position and the company, insofar that it
creates a features and benefits representation of what
the opportunity entails. It must inform, educate, inspire
and generate a visceral response from the candidate.
3.
It’s a business document.
A
killer job brief is a formal and professional business
document that should include an executive summary of
the job opportunity, and overviews of your company and
its industry from both a macro and micro perspective.
The macro perspective holistically markets your company’s
mission, vision, goals, and personnel that contribute
to its success. The micro perspective focuses on your
employees’ own accomplishments at work, and gives
candidates a reason to be inspired by the opportunities
that exist within your firm.
The
brief should also be candid in its representation of
your company as well, and not be afraid to discuss the
challenges of the role or the industry – you don’t
want them to be blindsided by reality.
4.
Begin with the end in mind.
A
killer job brief demonstrates your understanding of
your company’s endgame – its mission and
vision, and how they’re ultimately supported by
the immediate and future hiring needs of your firm.
Include a “career path” section in your
brief that maps out the evolution of this job opportunity
and how you expect the chosen candidate to grow with
your company. It demonstrates “forward-thinking”
on the part of your firm and recognizes your understanding
of the candidate’s interests over your own. Don’t
be afraid to make predictions about the candidate’s
success, either. This will galvanize interested applicants
to step up to the challenge. Remember, you’re
not only hiring for today – you’re hiring
for the future as well.
5.
Be specific.
A
killer job brief is predicated on your company knowing
exactly what it wants in a potential hire. Invest the
time up front to construct meaningful competencies supporting
the hard and soft skills you’re looking for, or
else their killer job brief becomes benign.
6.
Less is not more.
Every
killer job brief should do more than simply rhyme off
the rudimentary responsibilities and required skills
for your role. While these benchmarks are fundamental
to all briefs, its sections detailing a company’s
“key players,” “corporate culture”
and “executive hierarchy,” for instance,
succeed in piquing a top performer’s interest
with their valuable insight. Accordingly, a killer job
brief is comprehensive in nature and often runs multiple
pages in length.
7.
Manage expectations.
Full-disclosure
is a key attribute to a killer job brief looking to
manage a candidate’s expectations. Be explicit
– use the brief to clearly outline your company’s
compensation scheme. Candidates will appreciate your
candour and will be more inclined to take a closer look
at your employment opportunity. Also clarify the interview
process, including information on the number of expected
interviews, who’s conducting the interviews, and
the ideal timing for hire.
8.
Mind the passive job seeker.
Companies
fail to realize that killer job briefs can lure otherwise
uninterested parties to the hiring table. Much is made
about recruiters targeting the top performing passive
job seeker – the individual who isn’t actively
looking for a new job. Most top performers aren’t
looking to come and work for your company; they’re
looking for a reason to be inspired and excited by the
opportunities that exist at your company, and they use
your job brief to accomplish this.
9.
Remember the final sell.
Like
all marketing documents, a killer job brief should conclude
with some sort of compelling action-statement to generate
a response. You want A-list talent to review your job
brief and either accept it or pass it along to someone
else. Also, don’t be afraid to be inspirational
– there are two types of people: those who want
to work for great companies and those who to help companies
become great. And if you’re looking for the latter,
you need to fill your killer brief with encouraging
and inspirational reasons for these individuals to join
your firm.
The
rules of engagement have changed for companies looking
to hire top talent. High-skilled employees are now in
charge of today’s talent-starved labour market
– and it’s not uncommon for a top performer
to entertain multiple job opportunities at once. Make
no mistake, the war for top talent is fierce; but a
killer job brief will distinguish your company as visionary,
intelligent and ambitious – and will attract like-minded
professionals to your front door.
