Are you happy with your job?
Lots of people I know aren’t. But when I ask them why they won’t leave, they say all the other roles on offer look crap.
‘But your current job is crap AND they’re under-paying you.’ I said to one.
‘Better the devil you know and all that.’ He replied.
Meanwhile, knock back a shot for every time you’ve heard a business owner say ‘You just can’t get the staff!’, and you’re in for a great night.
But the jobs vacancies aren’t crap, and you can ‘just get the staff’.
The problem is that talented, hard-working people with a skip-load of experience are staying put in positions they hate, all because businesses are failing to glam up their job specs.
So, where are recruiters and HR professionals going wrong?
The number one problem I see is that adverts for jobs are vague, generic, and don’t tell you anything useful or enticing about that specific position at that specific organisation.
It all boils down to BE SPECIFIC.
But I’d be a hypocrite if didn’t elaborate, so:
1. Don’t go ham on hyperbole
Hyperbole is exaggeration; phrases like ‘incredible opportunity’, ‘amazing team’, ‘stunning office’. Incredible, amazing, and stunning to who?
Instead, describe WHY. Like this:
This is your opportunity to join a team that has the time and expertise to nurture your development in the field. We ensure that every day includes time to learn from our experts and peer review network, so that your work is always the best it can be.
Our team comes from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, which gives our business an edge over competitors who tend to only hire industry mainstays. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved over the last year, growing from three to fifteen employees and tripling our market share along the way.
You’ll be working in our [location] office, complete with ergonomic Herman Miller desk chairs, 4K monitors, and scenic views of the city. We’re conveniently located just a ten minute walk from four tube lines and a short journey from the buzz of [local attraction].
2. Don’t boast about basic requirements
If your UK-based business offers…
28 days of paid holiday including bank holidays
At least 3% pension contributions
Statutory Sick Pay
And 26 weeks of maternity leave
… then congratulations, you’re obeying the law!
Of course, I’m grateful such requirements exist. But they’re exactly that — the bare minimum legal requirements. Yet many companies add these to their job specs as if they’re something to get excited about.
If you don’t offer anything different, don’t waste your precious word count mentioning them.
Instead, only list benefits unique to your organisation, and be specific.
For example, instead of:
Flexible hybrid working
Employee wellbeing plan
Regular staff socials
Training programme
Give actual details, like this:
Three days per week working from home, two in the office — and you can choose which days you come in
50% off PureGym membership, the CALM app, and Bupa private medical insurance
One big night out on the company per month, plus weekly trips to the pub on Thursdays
Access to Coursera and internal cross-department mentorship programme
3. Don’t be vague about salary
If the salary section of your job spec says ‘competitive’ or ‘market rate’, consider putting an actual figure.
I get that hiding your budget gives your business more negotiating power after finding a candidate you’re keen on. But it also suggests to applicants that you’re underpaying your existing team and don’t want them to find out, which is naturally a bit of a turn-off.
And most people agree. 62% say they're more likely to ignore a job posting if it doesn't disclose the salary. Whatever ‘more likely’ means.
Much as the corporate world likes to pretend that everyone does their job purely for the sheer thrill of it, it’s important not to dance around the fact that salary is perhaps the biggest incentive to work. After all, in the words of Adam Smith, ‘It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest.’
With that in mind, if you can’t give an exact number, at least give a range. ‘£25,000-45,000 depending on experience’ is much better than nothing.
4. Don’t bother with unquantifiable demands
For jobs that don’t require a specific qualification, you often see requests like ‘You should be brilliant with numbers’ or ‘The right candidate is excellent at SEO’.
‘Brilliant with numbers’ could mean anything from knowing how to use Excel to having a PhD in Euclidean geometry. And what are the signifiers of someone who is ‘excellent’ at SEO?
Again, be specific. If you’re not sure what to put, ask yourself what that skill actually involves, or why it’s important.
For example, instead of the above, say:
Our perfect data analyst candidate has experience with using conditional formatting, VLOOKUP, and Power View to create clear charts that everyone across the business can understand.
One of our biggest goals is to improve our search engine ranking, so you’ll be using Semrush and Hubspot to help us get to the top of page one.
5. Above all else, don’t spam clichés
Let me guess, your business is a ‘dynamic market-leader’ and you’re looking for a ‘passionate team player who works hard and plays hard’? Join the club.
Almost every job spec says stuff like this. Who wouldn’t want to hire a ‘motivated go-getter’ or someone who’s ‘results-oriented’?
As such, it’s meaningless. There are few ways to demonstrate these qualities as a candidate, so there are few ways to assess candidate suitability based on them.
Aside from that, saying that your staff need to be ‘hard-working self-starters’ to fit into your ‘fast-paced’ environment isn’t particularly enticing.
To me, it suggests you want a compliant workhorse to use and abuse, not a trustworthy new member of the team, valued for their contributions.
People want a challenging, fulfilling, rewarding job, not ‘hard work’ and stress.
Even if the job is stressful, be specific about how, and why it’s worth their while. For example:
We work late (10-11pm) around twice a month the night before a pitch to ensure we nail it, with dinner and subsidised travel for the team on these occasions.
As our events coordinator, conference days will feature early starts and late nights. However, we offer the subsequent morning off in lieu to catch up on rest.
Just remember, if in doubt, BE SPECIFIC.
Much as it feels good to perfectly demonstrate your brand’s personality via its job specs, the information you give and how you frame it is much more important.
Don’t worry too much about tone of voice, and focus on giving readers the most accurate, positive, helpful picture of what the role will entail.
Do this and you’ll be surrounded by self-starting, hard-working, rockstar wizards in no time. Actually, that reminds me: none of that, please. If you’re asking for a ‘market automation jedi’ or a ‘UX ninja’, have a word with yourself.