Job descriptions are crap
What hiring managers leave out and what YOU can do if you do not match the job description entirely
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Job descriptions are crap. Buckle up, this topic makes me mad.
Here is how job descriptions really get written at a big company:
“I need to fill out a form for Finance and HR to get a position opened.
So, I am going to cut and paste whatever I have handy into the blanks.”
Don't believe me?
I once explored open roles live on a show and found a job description that has part of a standard rejection letter pasted into it.
Of course, some people do a better job than that — they take the process seriously and try to thoughtfully write down what they think is needed for the role.
But then what happens?
The requisition winds its way through an approval process, taking between weeks and months to finally be published.
Meanwhile, the needs of the team evolve.
By the time the interview happens, the author of the job description has forgotten what they wrote. Or, someone who had nothing to do with the job description is the one giving the interview.