Companies may be in a hiring mode (or at the very least, a “semi-hiring” mode), but what are the types of jobs that they’re attempting to fill?
According to recruiting industry trainer Doug Beabout, CPC of The Douglas Howard Group, many of them are attempting to fill positions that are, well, not conducive to being filled.
“They’re trying to fill jobs that are completely and organizationally unique to their company,” said Beabout. “That’s the byproduct of a decade of reductions, layoffs, and downsizing.
“As a result, companies have transferred the responsibilities of those they’ve let go to their existing employees. That’s complicated their roles and changed their job description. Now those employees have left, and companies are trying to find somebody to fill a very unique role. There’s never been a template that’s allowed companies to do that in a consistent manner.”
According to Beabout, what companies need in a situation like this is a consultant, a recruiter who’s willing to be open and frank about the job description.
“These companies really need a person who knows about talent acquisition,” said Beabout. “This person can help the organization see what they have to do and then take action. Sometimes, that means re-writing the job description.”
This, of course, is not exactly a popular option with some hiring managers. However, Beabout has walked away from searches tied to job descriptions that he believed needed to be re-written. That’s because in the vast majority of cases, the hiring manager ends up calling Beabout back eventually, anyway… because the company wasn’t able to fill the position.
How many times has Beabout re-written the job description for one of his clients during the recruiting and placement process?
“I don’t have a search right now that doesn’t have an assignment [tied to it] that I said had to be re-written,” he said.
Job descriptions that are re-written by a talent acquisition specialist (i.e., a recruiter) can result in job orders that are easier to fill… which means placements that are easier to make. How about you? Have you been handed orders with job descriptions that needed to be re-written? How many have you helped to re-write during the past 12 months? And what are the reactions of hiring managers when they’re told that the job description may not be realistic?
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