Debbie Laskey July 8, 2020 
In today’s challenging COVID-19 era, too many people have either been furloughed or have lost their jobs. Therefore, many people have become job seekers out of necessity. But do you know what is missing in most job ads?
Most job descriptions include the standard items. These include a brief overview and history of the organization/business, the title of the supervisor for the open position, the title of the open position, the essential functions for the open position, the qualifications for the position, if any supervisory abilities are necessary for the open position, and sometimes salary and other benefits, as well as instructions for how to apply.
However, I believe that the most important section of a job ad is one that hardly ever appears. The section should be called, “What success looks like.” The sad part is that I have seen this section in ONLY ONE ad in my nearly twenty-year career, posted by a medium-sized nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California – and the ad was not for a position in my industry (marketing).
There’s a big opportunity here. In many interviews, the interviewer often asks applicants to share examples of successful projects or interactions with other teams. But, ask yourself, how often have you, the job seeker, been able to ask the interviewer, “What does success look like here?”
In addition, how often have you, the job seeker, been able to ask the direct supervisor of the open position, “What does success look like here?”
Consider how much easier the entire job search process would be if everyone shared a more transparent perspective as to what they envision success would look like. As a result, the onboarding process would go much more smoothly. The first 90 days would go much more smoothly. The first year and annual evaluation would go much more smoothly. And, most importantly, the new employee would be exceptionally successful because everyone had been up front at the outset as to the goals and objectives for the position.
I challenge all organizations, for-profit and nonprofit, big and small, to add this section to their job ads – especially during these uncertain days. Everyone will benefit!
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Image Credit: Debbie Laskey.
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