Use a Simple Checklist to Scope New Job Openings

You want to attract great people to your new opening, but where to start? Use the following as a checklist to scope the job and you are well on your way to finding a great new employee. A great staffing agency or recruiter will ask you these questions before they will forward candidates to you.

Cheat #1: Search an online job board like Indeed for similar roles. While most are written poorly, it’s nice to have a starting point.

Cheat #2: Don’t write, talk! Have a coworker take notes while you describe the position or dictate it into a speech-to-text app. Editing later can be much faster.

1. Job Title
While fancy titles might be fun, qualified candidates must know how to find your job. How would you search for similar positions on Indeed? That’s probably the job title you should use.

2. Location
Be clear about where this person will work. The Internet makes it easy to broadcast your message far and wide, yet most people still prefer to work close to home.

3. Compensation
If compensation may vary depending on individual fit and experience, state a realistic range. Most of the declined job offers that I’ve seen resulted from miscommunication about compensation. Please don’t waste your time, be clear up front.

4. Hours
While business hours are commonly defined as 8 am-5 pm, many companies operate on different shifts and schedules. If your hours are flexible, make sure the applicant knows about this wonderful perk!

5. Experience and Skills
The failure here is often too much or too little. Start by thinking about why your best person is good at their job and what drives the worst performer’s poor results.

Ask for too much and the person you seek might not exist in real life. Recruiters call this “wanting a purple squirrel.” Do they really need five years’ experience in this exact activity, or do they need similar experience and you can train a fast learner?

Ask for too little and you may receive only unqualified applicants. It doesn’t help to have a mechanic apply for a marketing position because they were confused about the job requirements and skills needed.

6. Education
Technical jobs require technical degrees for good reason. I want my physician to have graduated from medical school. At the same time, do not require education that isn’t directly required for the position.

7. Soft Skills
Please don’t say “must be a team player with exceptional communication skills.” Is there really a job where communicating and getting along with coworkers isn’t important? These skills are difficult to define and often better to discern about an individual later in the hiring process.

With practice, you can scope new jobs in minutes. You can do it!