Tag Archives: job posting

Trying to Shortcut the Work

2 Replies

“So, let’s call her right now, offer her the position, straight away,” I suggested.

“But, you haven’t even read the profile,” Kristen protested. Even she could see the absurdity of making an offer before proper due diligence.

“I don’t need to read the profile,” I replied, pressing the absurdity.

“But if you don’t read the profile, how can you know if this person will be able to do the job?”

“Excellent question. How can we know if this person will be able to do the job if we don’t have a role description to help us read the profile?”

“Well, we have the job posting.”

“Kristen, I read the job posting. There is more on company benefits than there is on expectations. It appears to me that you are trying to shortcut the work required in this hiring process.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to do the work, I just don’t have the time. I have a lot of other important things I need to be doing,” Kristen insisted. “Writing a role description takes a lot of time, and I am sure HR has one that is pretty close.”

“It’s not that you don’t have the time. You have as much time as you need. It’s just not a high enough priority.”

Do We Really Have To?

Leave a reply

“Before I look at the personality profile, let’s take a look at this job posting and see if we can create a job description that will help us,” I insisted.

“Do we really have to?” Kristen pushed back. “You know, if we don’t make a decision quickly, I’m afraid this person might take another job. That’s why I asked you to come in this afternoon, to look at the profile assessment.”

“So, you would rather make a wrong decision this afternoon than a better decision tomorrow.”

Kristen was exasperated. “I don’t think we can wait until tomorrow. I told the candidate we would call her with a decision before the end of today.”

In a Hurry to Hire

Leave a reply

“Here it is,” Kristen announced. “I couldn’t find the job description, but here is the job posting that we put on the internet.”

“So, you don’t know if you have a job description?” I asked.

“You know, we were in such a hurry to get this posted, I don’t think we actually wrote a job description.”

“So, how will you evaluate the candidates who respond?”

“That’s why I asked you to look at the profile assessment. Everything is there. That’s why I think we have a good candidate,” Kristen curtly replied.

“Oh, really,” I mused.

“Yes, based on this personality profile, I think this is someone I could really work with.”

Attract the Right Candidates

Leave a reply

“Our problem is, we don’t have enough candidates respond to our job posting,” lamented Joanna. “Or the people who show up aren’t even close to the type of person we need to fill the position.”

“Let’s see,” I asked.

Looking for a construction Job Superintendent with 3-5 years experience. Must have positive attitude and ability to relate to building owners. Knowledge of permitting process in South Florida helpful. Health insurance and 401k. Must be a team player.

“And how would you describe the current pool of applicants? Do they have the required experience?”

Joanna nodded, “They have 3-5 years experience, but they aren’t very energetic. They wouldn’t last around here for more than a week.”

“Tell me Joanna, what kind of energy do you have in the posting? Does the writing portray the sense of urgency that goes on around here? Let’s put a little zip in the step.”

Commercial contractor in South Florida looking for a top-flight Job Superintendent. Our clients demand a quick-response person in this critical position. We work under tough building codes with stringent enforcement, so ability to get along with inspectors is important. Aggressive compensation and benefits package are part of the deal. Send us your resume or apply online through the employment section of our website. We need you now, let us hear from you today.

What’s the Rush?

1 Reply

Sam was in a hurry.

“What’s the rush?” I asked.

“I gotta get this job description to HR. We agreed to get the job posted by this afternoon. Short and sweet,” Sam replied.

“Short and sweet?” My eyebrows lit up.

“Yeah, I have been really busy on a couple of field projects. So, I wrote a couple of things down, then added a sentence about – any other duties that may be assigned. It’s not great, but all I have time to get done today. I can explain the rest of the job during the interview. Not enough time today.” Sam stood there, waiting for my response. A wink, or a shrug. Anything that would get him off the hook.

“Not enough time today, or it just wasn’t a high enough priority?” I pressed.

“No, no, no. It’s a high priority, just not enough time today,” Sam hoped I would smile, or nod. Any acknowledgement on my part would be taken as acceptance that the crappy job he did, writing the role description, was okay.
_________
Mark your calendars. Hiring Talent Summer Camp is coming. Orientation starts July 6, pre-registration open now.

How to Hire an Energetic Project Manager

Leave a reply

“We think our problem is not having enough candidates respond to our ad in the newspaper,” lamented Joanna. “Or maybe it’s just that the people who show up aren’t even close to the type of person we need to fill the position.”

“First, let’s look at your ad,” I said, reaching across the desk.

Looking for a construction Project Manager with 3-5 years experience. Must have positive attitude and ability to relate to building owners. Knowledge of permitting process in South Florida helpful. Health insurance and 401k. Must be a team player.

“And how would you describe the applicants you are getting? Do they have the required experience?”

Joanna nodded, “Oh, yes, they have 3-5 years experience, but they aren’t very energetic. They wouldn’t last around here for more than a week.”

“Tell me Joanna, what kind of energy do you think you have in the ad? Does the writing portray the sense of urgency that goes on around here?”

“Well, not really,” she replied.

“Let’s try to put a little zip in the step.”

Commercial contractor in South Florida looking for a top-flight Project Manager. Our clients demand a quick-response person in this critical position. We work under tough building codes with stringent enforcement, so ability to get along with inspectors is important. Aggressive compensation and benefits package are part of the deal. Send us your resume or apply online through the employment section of our website. We need you now, let us hear from you today.

“Now, that’s better.”