A Job Description and a Real Job

Why do companies sometimes struggle with finding qualified candidates, whereas many candidates with a great experience cannot nail a job that they seem to be qualified for? A so-called “War for talent” has been a real concern for recruiters lately.

As a matter of fact, you can see positions at some organizations being vacant for quite a long time. And it is not always just about money. Remuneration might be quite lucrative but still is not able to attract qualified candidates. Why?

Amongst other reasons, there is one that hardly has ever been given a proper attention to. Just a quick look at job requirements can shed light on the problem.

Very often job advertisements contain contradictory information, which can confuse potential candidates.

For instance, one organization is looking for an IT-specialist. A job posting states that a suitable candidate should have an experience of working in a large corporation along with a wide exposure to different realms of IT. At first sight, the requirement looks quite legitimate. But you need to know the profession well from within to notice a contradiction. The thing is that large corporations are hierarchically structured with a narrow specialization and a narrow span of control. Even if cross-function is practiced in such organizations it hardly gives you enough experience compared to those working in flatter structures. That’s why specialists with a broad knowledge and experience in fulfilling various tasks rarely come from large corporations.

Small business normally works in a different way. The organizational structure is much flatter and employees tend to have broader scope of responsibilities with interchangeable functions, a higher level of a teamwork and commitment to the final product. Perhaps, they deal with more modest budgets or a different type of clientele compared to bigger corporations but their job revolves around constant knowledge sharing. Structural and procedural flexibility in small companies encourage (sometimes force) quick learning and adjusting to rapidly changing circumstances.

Sometimes technical incompetence of hiring managers might be a reason for unclear understanding of what a job should really imply. While looking for a powerful and attractive language for their ads, the essence of the job remains unclear or poorly conveyed.