Misplaced Talent. Ungemah Joe

key ingredients. They want a little of everything, and by the time they are done, they have described a superhuman and written a document that is totally useless for selection and development decisions.

      When writing a job description, I challenge my clients to hone in on no more than six absolutely essential points to include for each key ingredient. Next, I have them describe with as much precision as possible what is meant by that characteristic, to give direction to those responsible for talent management decisions. For example, if I were creating a job description for my favorite coffee shop barista, I might include the following for one of the key activities:

       Key Activity of Pulling Shots

      Prepares to pull shots of espresso by using the portioned amount of coffee from the grinder, tamping the grounds flat, and inserting the filter handle into the group head. Pulls each espresso shot for approximately twenty to twenty-six seconds, watching to see that a rust colored Crema has been produced. Empties the filter handle of the used grinds, wipes clean with a towel, and purges the machine.

      What you’ll notice is that this description captures the essence of the activity from beginning to end, using the actual names of the equipment being used. This level of description would be absolutely the same if I went on to describe the behaviors, skills, experience, and motivation characteristics included in the job description.

      The reality is that most job descriptions I come across suffer from three fatal flaws. I have already mentioned the first, that job descriptions must be focused. Including too many characteristics waters down the effectiveness of the document for identifying candidates who have the greatest fit, as well as which skills and experiences should be nurtured by on-the-job development. Moreover, a lack of focus could interfere with the legal defensibility of decisions, by pulling attention away from critical characteristics onto those with anecdotal attachment to the job.

      Second, the language of many job descriptions is so vague that it renders the document useless. It is no longer surprising to me just how many job descriptions still use phrases like talented, team player, or self-starter. It goes without saying that employers want a candidate who can do the job, get along with other people, and strive to achieve goals. To me, generic phrases like these are a warning that the person who wrote the job description has limited knowledge about the job or has not taken the time to commit his or her thoughts to paper.