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Writing an Effective Job Specification: Catching a Candidate's Eye
07 Oct 2008
Composing a successful job specification is a highly skilled activity that is often underestimated by some in the pharma recruitment industry. While quality consultants like Hays Pharma train staff to make the most of the opportunities that creating job specifications present, they can be viewed by some industry recruiters as a necessary evil amid a busy schedule, boring or a low priority by those whose job is it to write them.
However, an effective job spec is a valuable tool for the recruitment company, the client and the potential candidate. It is often the initial point of contact between all parties and can be a remarkably effective marketing device if people spend more time on them. As the first introduction to a company, it should encompass brand awareness and absolutely has to be top notch and high quality.
They must be presented professionally – always spell-checked and proof-read for grammar and punctuation, for example. Legal requirements, for example regarding discrimination, should be carefully handled. These are professional documents and should convey the professionalism of both the recruitment company and its client, as they will appear in various locations across the web, on jobs boards as well as on the consultant company's own site.
As a prime vehicle for job search and recruitment, the internet obviously generates a lot of competition for jobs and candidates, which is more acutely felt in pharma. Reuters recently reported that a consultant hired by InterActiveCorp to assess potential markets for web investment by the company had noted that job recruitment had potential for growth.
Care should be taken in the composition of a job description to ensure it does not vanish beneath a sea of similar ones.
Fundamental to this is an understanding of the way that potential candidates search for jobs on the internet. Some are fairly passive browsers, while others are more actively seeking the next move in their career: a job spec should appeal to both types.
Essentially there are six key components that must be included in a good job description: overview, key responsibilities, required skills and experience, education and knowledge needed, personal attributes and closing date.
It must appeal to a potential candidate and from the introduction, the scene should be set: why is this company better, why is this job more interesting than the others, what makes it different? Usually the recruitment consultant will not reveal the identity of its client, but the potential candidate should be tempted by the description of the company they might like to work for.
The key responsibilities offered by the role must be clearly and concisely presented, preferably in bullet points for easy access and providing a seamless transition into the next section: the skills and experience that are essential to the role. This part will be more expansive the more senior the position, but care should taken not to make this part lack-lustre if the job is targeting graduates.
Next the educational and industry achievements should be listed, leading into personal attributes, which should include something interesting and related to the job being advertised.
Lastly, the contact details of the consultant dealing with the job: importantly, error-free and including a named contact.
Paying attention to detail when creating a job spec is an indication of good practice that both potential clients and candidates will judge and act upon. In the words of business entrepreneur, author, supermodel and actress Kathy Ireland: "Don't just work for the money; that will bring only limited satisfaction."