5 Questions to Answer in Every Job Post: An Easy Audit

When it comes to hiring a new position, if you don’t define what you need clearly— for yourself or the candidate—you will not be able to hire that person. A qualified candidate who reads unclear, lengthy, wish-list requirements won’t apply. Candidates see them as unrealistic or overly restrictive.

So how do you define the merit of a candidate? How do you know if someone is qualified? Copy and paste some AI-generated job post and hope for the best? That does not work. Qualified candidates aren’t going to guess.

Honestly, I think this approach has become prevalent across corporate America. Too many employers copy and paste a previous job post they like or generate an AI version that’s not quite accurate to the role. They then wonder why the candidates aren’t what they need. Simply put, hiring managers haven’t created enough clarity about whom they need before the hiring process begins.

Creating More Accurate Mandatory Requirements

The easiest way to define the skills you need for a job is to start by making a list of tasks this person will do all the time in this position. Then work backwards from that list of tasks.

Ask questions like:

• What does someone need to know to complete that task?

• What kind of person enjoys the responsibilities of this position?

• How did they learn certain skills?

For example, if one of the tasks is “call cold leads,” maybe the requirement is: “You like talking on the phone, or you have work experience where at least 50 percent of your job was to pick up the phone and call people.” Be specific with these details.

But there is also such a thing as being too specific in a job post. We’re not hiring unicorns. As recruiters, you must have an internal unicorn flag. Sometimes, the skills and experiences they want just don't exist in one person or career path. You must be the guide and consultant, not the order taker, when it comes to over-the-top requirements for a new hire.

5 Questions to Answer in Every Job Post: An Easy Audit

When you do a final review of the job post, be sure it answers the following questions to create clarity about what you really need.

1. Aptitude: What does the candidate know how to do?

2. Tools: What tools do candidates know how to use, and for what purpose?

3. Leadership: Will a candidate lead a team, and, if so, of what size?

4. Autonomy: Will the candidate work independently, teach others, or work under the guidance of someone else?

5. Communication: To whom do they present ideas? With whom do they attend meetings?

When you’re drafting a job post, look out for issues like including exaggerated years of experience. And, just because two candidates did the same job for a year doesn’t mean they necessarily did the same work. As hiring managers, we should only consider the experience that applies directly to the work of our position, not a generic degree or made-up number of years.