What is an efficient & effective way to attract the right employees to your company? Have accurate & updated job descriptions.
Often, when writing the job description and job postings for a job, HR can sometimes forget that the candidates judge themselves literally against the job before applying for any position. Auto-generating a job description with AI using a few keywords might not be the best-case scenario if you need a qualified employee for any position at your company, especially in positions that are highly specialized and require a certain set of skills.
Let’s examine the problems that can be faced by both the employee and the employer because of inaccurate job descriptions.
Cost-effectiveness
If you write an inaccurate or generic job description, you may be able to attract several potential employees but they may be missing the skills needed to perform in the role. This is an area often overlooked before the hiring process and once the employee is on board, the actual role requirements come as a shocker to the employee. Most of the time due to misleading job descriptions; people apply for a job and even get hired but later find themselves incompetent for the role. This impacts the financial status of the company as they are left with only two options; either to start the hiring process from scratch or to train the new employee for the actual job. This can cause the company time and financial loss.
Legal Implications
Companies can experience legal implications and lawsuits because the job description does not match the actual role that is to be filled by the new hire. Inequality in pay and work can disrupt employees, which could lead to lawsuits being filed and hiring contracts being scrutinized by the legal gaze.
Lack of Role Clarity
When someone is hired based on an inaccurate job description, it’s common for critical tasks to be overlooked. Misleading descriptions may cause new hires to prioritize the wrong tasks, ignoring more important responsibilities. This can lead to confusion for the employee and result in wasted time and resources for the company.
Misrepresented Company Culture
No new hire would like to feel misplaced, left out or disconnected from their fellow employees. Wrong, misleading or inaccurate job descriptions may portray a company culture that is inaccurate concerning the nature of the actual job. It will create confusion and disruption among new and old employees, misrepresenting the work culture completely to not only the employees but to the market as well. A good example of this is a hybrid work environment where employees are able to work from home as well as from the office. If this is not the case and the job description says otherwise, employees will feel deceived and they even regret their decision to join.
Misleading Skill Requirements
Applicants can over analyze the job posting and judge themselves before even applying. Most people get overwhelmed if there is an exaggeration of the skillset required and do not bother applying. Overstating or understating a job’s requirements is both harmful. New employees can feel overwhelmed or unprepared for the job while once hired the employees can feel undermined or undervalued, sometimes even demotivated to work altogether.
Workload and Responsibilities
Usually, when you hire a person, they have some perception of the work they are going to be doing and how much of the work they will be responsible for. This perception helps them to prepare for their new job. With an inaccurate job description, they wouldn’t have anticipated the role they would be fulfilling and probably would not be prepared for the workload. This can be because they do not possess the skills required to do the job and the full extent of skills was never mentioned in the job description or the interview. Employees can feel blindsided by their responsibilities and uncomfortable performing certain tasks as they were not prepared for the position.
False Promises/Overstating Opportunities
Everyone likes to feel motivated and grow a career by joining a new workforce. If you overstate the chances of career growth and the number of opportunities present in your company, it will lead new hires to feel stuck and unmotivated. It can also become a legal issue. While protecting the company’s face value is important, it is important to be upfront about the status of your company and the position you are open for. This will avoid confusion and produce more loyal employees.
Employee Turnover
If the job description does not meet with reality, new hires will feel the utmost frustration. No one likes to feel incompetent for the role they were hired for, especially when they are the perfect candidate according to the job description. The feeling of being incompetent, confused and frustrated can cause early resignation by the employee. This will not only hurt the company financially, but it will also put the company’s reputation at risk. Dissatisfied employees are prone to share their experience at your company and it can paint the name of your company in a negative light. It can also cause issues in hiring new people as the trust in your company’s name is eroded throughout the market.
Conclusion
Writing a job description that matches the actual job is as important as anything else in the hiring process. Failing to produce a title-competent job description can cause the company financial loss along with ruining the reputation of your company throughout the market. It is crucial to develop a bond and trust in the market to keep the company in business. If you are a big brand, you cannot afford these small mistakes. These mistakes may seem small but can cause bigger harm to the name and reputation of the company. If you need to update your jobs Mosh JD can help.
