- HR and Engineering often have a disconnect when it comes to job listings and descriptions.
- Job listings are often written to be as generic as possible, which can lead to incorrect or impossible requirements.
- HR may have limited technical knowledge and wants to cast a wide net for applicants.
- Some companies feel that specifying their technologies and requirements tips their hand to their competition.
- A 10-minute phone call from a technical staff member to the applicant can prevent wasted time on both sides and give the applicant a better idea of the position and its requirements.
Job listings are usually written to be as generic as possible. Â The job descriptions often contain incorrect or impossible requirements. Â It seems there are several reasons for this. Â The HR person usually has a cursory knowledge of all things technical. Â HR wants to cast a wide net and get as many applicants as possible. Â Some companies feel that specifying their technologies and requirements tips their hand to their competition. Â In many ways, it delays the inevitable. Â The interviewee must find out the requirements at some point.
Imagine this scenario. Â A company wants to hire for a new postion. Â The job requirements and details are given to HR. Â The requirements get watered down and lost in translation. Â The final job posting ends up saying “Calling all Software Engineers” even though the position is very specific. Â The posting is very nebulous on details despite the details being well known. Â Is the job a junior level position and the applicant is looking for a senior level position? Â Is the position a Senior Level C++ position and the job posting says nothing about C++? Â Did the previous phone interviews and interaction with the company mislead the applicant on the nature of the position? Â The resulting interviews would be wasted time on both sides. Â Worse yet, the company starts to get a reputation about bungling job interviews and wasting people’s time.
I propose a simple 10 minute phone call from a technical staff member. Â The phone call’s purpose is to give the applicant an idea about the position. Â It gives the applicant an opportunity to learn about the requirements and the job itself. Â The phone call would be developer to developer.. It would be conducted by a person as close as possible to the team or team member where the person would work.
This call would prevent the all too often scenario talked about above. Â Wasted time on job interviews hurts both sides. Â The development team and HR waste on interviews. Â The applicant wastes their time instead of looking for another position that is a better fit.
