Sales Comp Guy
The Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Job Descriptions
Job Descriptions Matter: Here’s How to Write Them
Job descriptions may seem like a mundane step in the hiring process, but they’re actually so much more. Not only are they the first point of contact between you and a prospective employee, they also serve as a structure for your compensation plans over the long-run by clarifying the role, supporting diversity and equity standards, and communicating the company values. All of these aspects of a quality job description build a strong sense of trust and rapport with your employees.
Right now, it’s an employees’ market. Job seekers have a choice in where to work and they’re doing their research. According to a Glassdoor survey, among the top five things job seekers are looking for in a position summary are details on 1) compensation, 2) benefits, 3) company background, 4) what makes the company an attractive place to work, and 5) the company’s mission, vision, and values.
With all of that in mind, I believe it’s best to get it right from the beginning. In this post, I’m not going to go through the aspects of an appropriate job posting. You can find templates and you likely already understand that you’ll need to include educational requirements, work experience, duties, and other expectations In order for it to be meaningful for any job seeker.
Instead, I’m going to focus on the description or summary of the position itself. Here are some do’s and don’ts of writing a job description or position summary.
DON’T: Copy and Paste
Whether it’s a similar job from a site like Indeed or Monster, or an old job description from last year, don’t do it. Someone else’s job description isn’t going to convey the unique culture of your company. And an old job description from your old company isn’t going to be up to date.
Quick anecdote: One job seeker recently applied for a position. The job description stated it was a mid-level position, but when applied, interviewed, and received an offer, she was surprised to see an entry-level salary offer. When she pressed the company, they told her they were seeking an entry-level position which was clearly incongruent with how the company represented themselves and the job. Needless to say, everyone’s time was wasted. The employer didn’t get the employee and the employee will remember that feeling of bait and switch. The entire situation could have been prevented if more time was spent on the job description.
As I mentioned, this is your first point of contact with your prospective employee. You want to make a good first impression and set them up with the right expectations. This is your chance to convey your company culture, mission, and values. Be conversational and incorporate your personality (which is also a part of your culture). If you don’t consider yourself a good writer, enlist help from a trusted colleague or employee to help you get the voice right.
DO: Plan for the Future
It’s always a good idea to hire with a plan in mind for the future. Your job description should reflect the growth potential of the position. It’s usually a good idea to hire at the low end of the growth curve and give your new employee a path to develop their career.
When hiring a salesperson, you have a lot of financial planning to do before putting out a job description. Ideally, that salesperson is going to be a primary factor in the growth of your company, so you not only need to figure out what you want them to do today, but also how they can evolve as your company scales.
Read more about getting started with sales compensation here.
DON’T: Oversell Your Compensation Plan (unless it’s just that good)
If you can’t pay your salesperson a half a million dollar a year base salary plus 50% commissions, that’s okay. I don’t think anyone can. But don’t lead your prospective employee to believe that’s a possibility.
Pay transparency is a touchy subject and one that is evolving rapidly as more and more information on pay ranges becomes easily available on sites like Salary.com and Glassdoor. The first thing you need to do is assess where you are on the pay transparency journey and where you want to be. You don’t have to be fully transparent, but you need to be prepared that if you don’t control the story of your compensation plans, someone else will.
Make sure you can at least give your prospective sales person an idea of whether there will be salary, variable pay, or some combination of each.
DO: Be Aware of Unconscious Bias
Language is a complex thing, and it pays to do a little research on limiting terminology. Unconscious bias is almost inevitable and it simply requires being a little more purposeful about how words are used.
You can find examples of job descriptions containing unconscious bias on blogs like this, but when it comes to posting for a sales position—which has traditionally been a male-dominated role--you may want to avoid using overly masculine language such as “guys” and “aggressive.”
Be sure to have your HR department read through the job description, and if you don’t yet have an HR team, consider hiring an advisor to help you craft the description as carefully and clearly as possible.
Ultimately, you want anyone who gets past the job description to the application process to be in agreement with your job duties, company values, compensation plan, and everything else. Think of it like a long-term dating profile. If you really want to attract the right candidate for the position, you need to be as honest and clear as possible with your description.
