It s Time for a Job Description Makeover. A Whitepaper from Experience, Inc.

Transcription

1 It s Time for a Job Description Makeover A Whitepaper from Experience, Inc.

2 How Job Seekers Rate Job Postings Basic qualifications (83%) Responsibility (74%) Fit with skills (72%) Written clearly (63%) Corporate culture (47%) Company reputation/ethics (46%) Career advancement (45%) Career paths (44%) Professional training (36%) It s Time for a Job Description Makeover Did you know that when faced with two different descriptions of the same job students and recent graduates will apply for the job that more clearly explains how the position will benefit them, rather than what they will contribute to the company? Experience Inc. s Job Description Makeover Survey of 117 students and recent graduates in 35 states revealed insightful information that will help employers looking to attract entry-level, college-educated talent in today s market. (For more details on the results of this survey, see the Appendix.) Many job descriptions do not appeal to students and recent graduates Experience s Job Description Makeover Survey results provide an insiders view on how to enhance your entry-level recruitment program starting with one of the most basic recruiting tools your job descriptions. To find out how effective actual job descriptions ranked among students and recent graduates Experience asked survey respondents to rate five real job descriptions written and posted by national, high-profile companies. The job descriptions included positions in the following roles: engineering, sales, accounting, project management and business analysis. What students and recent graduates value most in job descriptions In Experience s April 2007 College Graduate Career Survey, respondents said they were looking for careers that offer long-term professional growth based on these top criteria: Employee benefits (35%) Work life balance (34%) Fit with their skills (73%) Company reputation and ethics (70%) Career advancement and opportunities (70%) Location (66%) Professional development/training (66%) Overall (55%) Combined good and excellent ratings of job description. How companies fared In the Job Description Makeover Survey, respondents said companies were good to excellent at including skill requirements ( fit with skills ) in their job descriptions but were only fair to poor at providing information about company reputation, career advancement and professional development. This demonstrates many missed opportunities for recruiters who are looking to appeal to candidates principle decision factors: Fit with skills (72%) Company reputation and ethics (46%) Career advancement and opportunities (45%) Professional development/training (36%) (Location was not rated since it was always included in the posting.) The content that received the highest rankings (meaning they were rated either good or excellent ) were: Basic qualifications (83%) Responsibilities (74%) Fit with skills (72%) This is consistent with a company-centric approach which focuses on what companies need or want from candidates. It s Time for a Job Description Makeover

3 In contrast, the areas of the job description that needed the most improvement were: Professional training (36%) Employee benefits (35%) Work-life balance (34%) These results suggest that employers do not focus enough on what they can offer candidates. Organizations can really stand out from the crowd if they answer this question for candidates: what s in it for me? especially in regards to work-life balance and benefits. Open-ended questions provided specific details on what students and recent grads are looking for in job descriptions. Here are the highlights: Responsibilities and requirements are most important: Students and recent graduates are looking for a realistic fit between their skills and the job responsibilities and requirements. These sections of the job description should be clear, succinct and include details about job location and average hours expected. Benefit information and concise descriptions are just as critical: Substantive information about the company as well as concrete overviews of benefits and salary ranges are also important to students and recent grads. Job descriptions should be concise, compelling and easy to understand. Companies should explore more ways to stand out: Identify opportunities for advancement and training that your company offers. Shift your focus from what you want to what the applicant is looking for in a job. Tips for making your job description more effective While over 80% of respondents indicated that the sample job descriptions provided good to excellent detail in terms of basic qualifications, there was ample room for improvement in most other areas. The following job makeover tips come directly from the suggestions of students and recent graduates. 1 Job Description - Make it real, succinct and understandable The job description section should provide a short company overview relative to the position, including information relating to the industry, how the role fits in the overall organization and reporting relationships. Respondents were adamant that this section should not read as a public relations piece. Avoid a false happy picture and meaningless clichés, such as, You can expect it all at our company. Another tip was to include details such as location, number of hours expected and the amount of travel involved with the position. As with any part of the job description, make the copy easily readable and understandable. Use bullets when necessary and avoid acronyms. Some direct quotes include: Job postings should be like news articles just the facts. Just like a resume, bullet points are helpful in reading through all of the extra words to see what really sets each employer apart from another. Just like a resume, bullet points are helpful in reading through all of the extra words to see what really sets each employer apart from another. It s Time for a Job Description Makeover 3

4 Vague phrases like build a credible image, enlist appropriate participation and practice company X culture sound good, but tell me nothing about what an employee will actually do or what the company is like Responsibilities - Offer details, not generalities The trick to writing the responsibilities section is to succinctly provide specific details that give an idea of the day-to-day reality as well as the bigger picture. Provide a brief summary of the basic tasks/duties associated with the position. Do not assume the prospective candidate understands your divisions, programs or how various functions interact. Do not use acronyms. Bullet out approximately 6-8 main job responsibilities. It is useful to organize the job responsibilities by topic (e.g., communications, marketing, relationship building) and to indicate what percentage of time is dedicated to that aspect of the job. Vague phrases like build a credible image, enlist appropriate participation and practice company X culture sound good, but tell me nothing about what an employee will actually do or what the company is like. I think responsibilities are most important when viewing a job application. Then a person can see if they are up for the job. If the employer is willing to train, that must be clearly stated. Qualifications/Requirements - Spell it out Students and recent graduates are looking first and foremost for a job that is a fit with their skills. Understanding they are up for the job helps candidates make the decision to apply. Help students do this by highlighting minimum job requirements such as degrees and experience. To avoid confusion in the qualifications section, list a series of responsibilities that require very specific experience rather than overgeneralize the content (e.g., computer literate, able to prioritize, able to communicate effectively). It does not matter how interested I am in a position if a do not meet the minimum requirements. I call this the whammy. I get excited about a position and find out it requires a Masters and 10 years experience. Career Advancement Share stories if paths are not readily available As one of the criteria that students and recent graduates cared about most, providing any information about career advancement can be a huge differentiator for your company. Employees starting out want to know where they can go from that position, what opportunities are there for growth and what next steps might be achievable for them. If specific career path information is difficult to come by in your company, provide examples of how other employees who were in similar positions progressed in the organization. It s good to list all the benefits for the position, but we want to know if there are opportunities for promotion within a position. Benefits & Work-Life Balance - If you have it, flaunt it Students and recent grads tell us that they compare job descriptions based on specific benefits that fit with their lifestyle choices as well as providing work-life provisions. To meet expectations from this generation, employers should be as specific as possible when listing benefits. If you offer tuition reimbursement, state the amount. If you have a training program, list the job titles and career paths that relate to the program. To my generation, work-life balance is going to be very important in determining what career path to go down. 4 It s Time for a Job Description Makeover

5 Overall Survey respondents made a number of general comments about the value of properly communicating what the job offers candidates. Develop job descriptions that focus on both the requirements of the position as well as the desire of today s entry-level candidates for career advancement opportunities. This job description focused on what the applicant could offer the company. I think a section on what the company has to offer the applicant is very important. Have a section about what your company offers employees. Why would I want to work for your company, what are you offering me? There should be a section on what the company has to offer the applicant, i.e., benefits, training, career advancement. Your job description should reflect your brand value why your company is a great place to work. Summary Whether you are recruiting for an internship or a full-time hire, organizations need to reassess how they write their job descriptions to make sure they spell out key benefits for candidates, and not just focus on what the company wants from them. When you consider the investment your company is making in recruiting - from job postings to employment branding to on-campus interviewing you can very quickly see how important a job description is to that process. It s the one form of communications that every candidate will read, and based on that information, decide whether to apply to your organization. Just like Gen Y jobseekers told us in the survey, if your job descriptions are not appealing to their values, then it s time for a job description makeover! It s Time for a Job Description Makeover 5

6 Appendix Survey Methodology Experience s 2007 Job Description Makeover Survey was completed in August The survey was sent to candidates who use Experience s services. 117 students and recent graduates from 35 states completed the survey. Respondents were asked to rate the components of five job descriptions developed by high-profile, national companies. The job descriptions included positions in engineering, sales, accounting, project management and business analysis. The various components they were asked to rate included: 1. The Position What my responsibilities would be if I had this position How this position might fit with my skills 2. Working at the Company What the company s reputation and ethics are What type of corporate culture to expect What kind of work life balance to expect 3. What s In It for Me? What career paths are possible from this position How I could see my career advancing from this position What kinds of professional training would be available to me 4. The Basics What basic qualifications are required (degree, major, skills, work experience) What employee benefits I would be entitled to (medical, telecommuting, flexible work schedule, tuition reimbursement) The job description was written clearly and generally free of jargon 5. Overall Overall I rate this job description 6 It s Time for a Job Description Makeover

7 About Experience Experience is the only university-endorsed career network bridging the gap between college and the working world. Since 1996, we have partnered with universities to educate, assist and inspire college graduates to launch and lead extraordinary careers. Each year our award-winning network connects millions of candidates from 3,800 colleges and universities with more than 100,000 employers. For more information, visit Check out our employer web site at Or contact us directly at or Feedback If you have any comments that you would like to share with us, please your ideas, suggestions or your own tips to We would love to hear from you! Share This Whitepaper With Others If you found these tips helpful, share them with others! Send friends and colleagues to to download a FREE copy today. The Recruiter Newsletter The Recruiter Experience is a free bi-monthly newsletter designed to bring employment professionals like you up to speed on what s happening at Experience and in our industry. Sign up for our newsletter at It s Time for a Job Description Makeover 7

8 Your Access to Millions of College Students and Recent Grads Experience s network of student and alumni candidates is the largest in the nation due to our direct partnerships with college career centers, alumni associations and honors societies. We serve college students and graduates from 3,800 schools and groups across the country. Students and alumni manage their careers through Experience because of the insightful career content and Exclusive Experiences we offer - in addition to the coveted job opportunities our employers post. Find the talent you re looking for. Post, search or brand your company to your targeted candidates. Post to one school, a group or all schools Job packs Search resumes Targeted s Newsletter sponsorship Employer spotlight Content sponsorship Exclusive Experiences Custom surveys To create a free account and get started, visit or contact us at or recruiterinfo@experience.com.