One of the things I genuinely enjoy about talking to people is hearing their real-life experiences. These conversations not only help me learn new perspectives but also guide me in building better solutions for future teams. A few months ago, I came across an interesting message in a professional WhatsApp group.

A hiring manager shared a concern, "I've been trying to fill a Chartered Accountant (and some detailed role name) position for my startup for three months, but I'm not getting any suitable candidates. If you have any 4-5 years experienced CAs in your connections, please refer them to me." During that time, one of my CA friends was looking for an opportunity, so I messaged her (the hiring manager) and asked if we could talk.

While talking to her, she said she had been receiving more than 40-50 candidates each week, but none of them cleared the technical round. Thus, she was frustrated and wanted to close the position as early as possible; she had to fill 4 positions and wasn't getting a single person.

When I shared my friend's CV, she said he wasn't a fit for the role and the role needed specific experience in some XYZ tool (Sorry, I'm not good at memorizing). Knowing that, I then asked her, "So do you mean you do not receive candidates who have proficiency in that XYZ tool for ABC kind of use cases?" to which she said yes.

I asked her if she wrote the JD on your own.

She said, "No, I was busy with some project work, so I asked one of my teammates to write it for me."

Curiosity feeds the cat :-D , and I asked if we could review the JD together and if you aren't getting relevant candidates, then the problem must be in the JD as well.

She asked, "How much time will it take?"

I said not much if you are clear about what kind of person you are expecting in your team to work with. We decided on a time, and after 2 re-schedules(Yes, she was busy with some important tasks, she said), the meeting finally happened. It hardly took a few questions and no more than 30-40 minutes to figure out how we could improve candidates' perspective towards the job position while reading the JD.

We went through it line by line:

Why weren't candidates clearing the interviews?

She explained that most lacked experience with specific tools relevant to her company's fintech background.

Were these tools mentioned in the JD?

She said she mentioned them, while it was just a single line with a few tools and few+1 commas. :)

Is there anything to do with the fintech background of the candidate?

She said, "Yes, candidates who have used these tools in a fintech company will reduce their learning curve at our company, so we are expecting candidates with knowledge of tools in accordance with our use case." This wasn't mentioned anywhere in the JD.

Together, we revamped the JD. We clarified the tools the ideal candidate should know, added fewer points about how the ideal candidate should be, provided company-specific use cases that the candidate would be working on, and emphasized the need for fintech-specific experience. Within 30-40 days of reposting the improved JD, she successfully found two qualified candidates (who cleared their technical round; now I don't know if they were placed or not).

And the curious cat in me again woke up. I realized, writing a JD is not just about filling space; it's not about just throwing in a few technical words and lucrative benefits (Life/medical insurance, Lunch, Tons of paid leaves, Flexible work from home).

It's about communicating clearly what the role entails, who the organization is, and what the candidate can expect. I feel we need to think long-term; the person who is going to work with you will surely reshape your thoughts, company's work, and yes, sometimes even company policies if the role is much more senior.

Recently, another friend shared a JD written by a project manager; he said this was the best JD he had come across. And trust me, it was the most impressive JD I've ever seen. Not just line by line, but every word depicted the care, empathy, and emotions the person put into writing that JD. Why? Because it felt like a mini tour of the organization, of the team, of the man himself.

Here's what made it stand out:

Start with Clarity:

The JD began by the man himself, who is he, why is he, how is he, where is he and then outlining what the company was looking for, followed by a detailed (much, much detailed) description of the role and the team's way of working.

Pic: About the hiring manager credit: My friend and the Internet

Candidate Fit:

There was a section titled "Why You Should or Shouldn't Apply." The section was so self-explanatory; you could decide "that's what I am doing," "oh, that I don't want to do," or whatever. It's a self-assessment of the candidate for their fitment for the role and company culture.

Pic: The role

Pic: The Candidate

Company Vision:

The JD described what the company was building, giving a sense of purpose and excitement about what you were going to do.

Culture Highlight:

There was a section where a real employee testimonial showcased the company culture through a Slack DM, which made the JD feel more authentic and personal.

Transparency in Process:

The last but not least section concluded with a detailed interview process, ensuring candidates knew exactly how to prepare even before they applied to the job.

This JD reflected the time and effort invested by the engineering manager who, knowing the team and role inside out, could articulate exactly what they were looking for. It didn't just attract applicants; it created an impression of a thoughtful, people-focused company. And that's what every company is looking for: establishing a brand in front of candidates to attract top talent to work with.

While reading the JD, suddenly one thought struck my mind: isn't the JD the best investment by the hiring manager? It impacts your company brand, it impacts your hiring process (better candidates, faster hiring, less money spent), it impacts the team once the candidate joins and contributes in every sense, and eventually impacts the company's business (hmm, that everyone wants to elevate but very few understand). Yes, you don't need to be in a company's leadership position to drive business. You don't need to be a salesperson to launch an outbound sales campaign to attract more customers. You can be a project manager, engineering manager, or team leader who can directly impact the company's revenue with time invested in writing a thoughtful JD that helps the company have better people to work with.

In recruitment, we often talk about Return on Investment (ROI) and then churn out so many bigger analytics: the cost of job platforms, the cost of ATS, the interviewer's time, the engineering time invested, different platforms used during hiring, the dropouts, recruiters' fees, and what not. But have you ever considered that a well-written JD can have its own ROI and can help reduce all other cascading costs? I don't think many of us do.

A poorly written JD attracts irrelevant candidates or too few candidates, leading to longer hiring cycles and increased costs. On the other hand, a thoughtfully crafted JD not only brings in more qualified candidates but also enhances the employer's brand. It sets the tone for the candidate experience right from the first interaction.

Writing a JD isn't just a task; it's an opportunity. It's your chance to set expectations, showcase your culture, and inspire candidates. Invest time in creating JDs that resonate, and you'll find the right talent faster and build lasting impressions along the way.

After all, a great JD isn't just about filling a role; it's about shaping the future of your team and your company.

Have you ever come across such JDs, such hiring managers, such founders? I'm all ears.