You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
Hello and welcome back to Business English Pod for the second in our two-part series on recruiting.
Today, we're going to focus on developing the job description.
Before we get started, a quick reminder that this lesson, along with hundreds of others, is available as a free download from the BEP website.
Premium members can also access a PDF transcript and online quizzes for every lesson.
If you'd like to take a free trial to preview some of these extra resources, just head over to.
In the current business climate, the competition for talent is fierce.
People looking for work have an array of choices, and because company loyalty isn't what it once was, people are apt to change jobs every few years.
For these reasons, companies have to stay sharp when it comes to recruiting, not to mention retention.
So how can you find the right person for a job?
Well, that begins with understanding the job itself.
In our last lesson, we looked at how to identify needs and changes to a role.
Once you've done that, you'll be able to develop a suitable job description and progress onto the hiring phase of the recruiting process.
Developing the job description will require you to outline duties and responsibilities, as well as key qualifications for the role.
You'll also have to describe the required experience and personality fit.
And in the modern workplace, you'll likely find yourself discussing in-person versus virtual modes of working.
In today's dialogue, we'll rejoin Steph, an HR manager, and Maya, a recruiter, as they talk with Josh.
Josh is a marketing manager who's looking to hire a new brand manager.
They've discussed the role's changing needs and now they're putting together a job description.
As you listen to the dialogue, try to answer the following questions.
One, what are the minimum qualifications for the role as far as education?
Two, how many years of management experience is required for a successful candidate?
Three, in terms of personality fit, what two characteristics does Josh say are desirable?
All right, we've got some responsibilities listed.
Anything to add?
Let's see.
Team management, strategic campaign development, monitoring industry trends and forecasting.
And yeah, we'll need to add tracking KPIs and internal reporting.
Standard stuff.
I've got some language on that we can pull from another JD.
So does that take care of the overall areas of responsibility?
I believe so.
Perfect.
And what were you thinking in terms of qualifications?
Bachelors at minimum.
MBA would be a plus.
Extensive knowledge of marketing strategy, along with analytical and problem-solving skills.
Okay, this is good.
And experience?
What are we looking at here?
I think for similar roles we've set a minimum of seven years, with at least three in a management position that work Josh.
For the basics, yes.
I'd also like to see some specifics around software and such as in proficiency with standard marketing suites.
Maybe give some examples, like HubSpot or Bitrix24.
And does that cover the digital experience you mentioned, or is there more to it than software?
Well, there's also the whole SEO and analytics aspect.
I can send you some verbiage on that.
Great.
And just because we're on the digital side of things, I meant to ask what's the current in-person versus virtual requirement?
It's a bit different team to team, right?
Yeah, pretty mixed.
We've had a hybrid thing going on, but I'd like to tighten up on that and have everyone in the office at least three days a week.
And I was thinking the manager should be four days.
That's not going to be easy from the recruiting side.
Just saying.
Well, we'll have to see.
But that's not the only thing.
In terms of fit, I think we need a strong leader.
Gutsy.
Not sure if you can put that in a JD or not, but a real team player.
And empathetic, because working with a younger team these days demands that.
Yeah, that's a whole other conversation.
But good point.
I'll be sure to highlight that.
Now let's go through the dialogue again and look at the language and techniques our three colleagues used to discuss the job description.
We rejoin the conversation as Steph digs deeper into the main responsibilities of the role.
All right, we've got some responsibilities listed.
Anything to add?
Let's see team management, strategic campaign development monitoring, industry trends and forecasting.
And yeah, we'll need to add tracking, KPIs and internal reporting.
Every job description will have an outline of the responsibilities and duties or the main tasks the employers will have to do.
You'll notice in Josh's list that most of the duties include a verb such as monitoring, tracking or reporting.
Even when a verb isn't used, the responsibility will indicate an activity, like development.
What are some other ways we can outline duties and responsibilities?
Let's try some more examples, and notice how each one involves an action or activity.
This position will need to support the operations manager and do all scheduling.
The role involves marketing strategy and campaign management.
Major duties include software development and technical support.
The main responsibilities will be developing and delivering training programs.
Now let's hear how Steph responds to Josh's list.
Amaya asks about another essential component of a JD or job description.
Standard stuff.
I've got some language on that we can pull from another JD.
So does that take care of the overall areas of responsibilities?
I believe so.
Perfect.
And what were you thinking in terms of qualifications?
Bachelors at minimum.
MBA would be a plus.
Extensive knowledge of marketing strategy, along with analytical and problem-solving skills.
Maya's question is about qualifications, which are qualities, skills or achievements, especially educational ones, that people need for a job.
Josh describes the education required by naming several types of degree a bachelor's, which is a basic four-year degree, and an MBA or Master of Business Administration, a more advanced degree focused on management.
Josh also names some key areas of knowledge and skills that the brand manager would need.
Of course, there might be many qualifications that would be beneficial, but at this point they're identifying what is required of the position.
Let's run through some more ways of listing key qualifications for a position.
Qualifications for the job include strong relationship skills, an MBA and management experience.
Successful applicants need training in accounting software and a desire to work in a fast-paced environment.
What we'll need is a first aid certificate and a commercial driver's license.
There's another key element that every job description will identify.
Let's hear Meyer explain what this is.
Okay, this is good.
And experience?
What are we looking at here?
I think for similar roles we've set a minimum of seven years, with at least three in a management position.
That work, Josh?
As you can hear, this particular aspect of the job's description is experience.
Specifically, this refers to work experience.
When we talk about experience, we frequently talk about a couple of different things.
For one, we might mention an area or type of work.
Secondly, we often identify the number of years that a person needs in a certain field or position.
In Maya's description, you can hear that she identifies both the amount of experience required in the industry overall and how much of that time should have been in a management role.
Let's try some more ways of explaining the required experience for a role.
This position requires seven years in sales and at least three supervising a team.
Experience with web-based bookkeeping systems is a must.
Maya has focused on the length of experience but, as we can hear, Josh would like to see certain technical experience as well.
For the basics, yes.
I'd also like to see some specifics around software and such as in proficiency with standard marketing suites.
Maybe give some examples, like HubSpot or Bittrex24.
And does that cover the digital experience you mentioned, or is there more to it than software?
Well, there's also the whole SEO and analytics aspect.
I can send you some verbiage on that.
Josh explains that the position will require very specific experience in things like marketing suites or collections of software.
Josh also mentions SEO or search engine optimization and analytics or data on user activity.
The job description they are developing will include both the number of years that Maya described and the technical skills described by Josh.
But that's not all.
Often the job description will also identify how and where the activity will take place.
Let's listen.
Great.
And just because we're on the digital side of things, I meant to ask what's the current in-person versus virtual requirement?
It's a bit different team to team, right?
Yeah, pretty mixed.
We've had a hybrid thing going on, but I'd like to tighten up on that and have everyone in the office at least three days a week.
And I was thinking the manager should be four days.
The pandemic fundamentally changed how many workplaces operate.
The biggest shift is toward virtual or online work, whether that's completely online or a hybrid situation with part of the time spent in the office.
Maya's question about current in-person versus virtual requirements is an important one.
With virtual work, we might have a broader range of candidates.
That said, there are many people looking for the mentorship and relationships that can benefit from being in-person.
As you can hear from Josh's response, these requirements are changing and he's asking people to be in person more than previously.
What are some other ways we can describe in-person versus virtual requirements?
Let's try some more examples.
This job involves a minimum of three days in the office per week.
This is a fully remote position working with an international team online.
We allow employees to work from home up to two days a week.
We've moved back to five days a week in the office since September.
What does Maya think of Josh's move to more in-person work?
That's not going to be easy from the recruiting side.
Just saying.
Well, we'll have to see.
But that's not the only thing.
In terms of fit, I think we need a strong leader.
Gutsy.
Not sure if you can put that in a JD or not, but a real team player.
And empathetic, because working with a younger team these days demands that.
At this point, Josh is moving on to discuss not just requirements, but aspects of what we call fit.
Someone who fits a job is suitable not just because they have the right experience and training, but in terms of personality and outlook.
Josh uses words like gutsy or courageous and empathetic, meaning someone who can understand how others feel.
As he says, not all of these aspects of fit might belong in a job description, but they're important to consider nonetheless.
Let's run through some other ways to discuss personality fit when creating a job description.
We really need a salesperson who's outgoing and results-oriented.
A great applicant will have a lot of energy and like to work quickly.
It's important we find a person who believes in our core values.
Now let's hear Steph's final comment on the idea of personality fit.
Yeah, that's a whole other conversation, but good point.
I'll be sure to highlight that.
As Steph says, fit could be an entire conversation on its own.
And that speaks to the simple fact that it's not just about duties and qualifications.
The right person doesn't just have a good resume.
They've also got the right personality, attitude and way of relating to people.
Some of that might appear in a job description, but some of it might be discussed later when you're interviewing candidates.
Now let's practice some of the language we learned in today's lesson.
Imagine you are a manager in a large company.
You're working with your HR director to create a job description for a person to hire and train salespeople.
You'll hear a cue by the HR director.
Then I'll give you a suggestion for what you can say in response.
We'll guide you through each step in the practice and provide an example answer for each response.
Ready?
Let's give it a go.
Could you just describe for me the primary duties and responsibilities of the role?
Start by saying the job involves managing, hiring and training for the sales team.
Answer.
Sure, the job will involve managing, hiring and training for the sales team.
Okay, and can you identify any qualifications for this position?
Now say that you will require knowledge of business to business, sales and current approaches to training.
Answer.
Yes, we will require knowledge of business to business sales and current approaches to training.
And what are you thinking in terms of required experience?
Next, say that the right candidate will have a minimum of five years experience in sales.
Well, the right candidate will have a minimum of five years experience in sales.
That makes sense.
And does this require the person to be in the office five days a week?
Next, say no, but they will need to be in the office at least three days a week.
Answer No, but they'll need to be in the office at least three days a week.
All right.
And is there anything in terms of personality that you'd like to emphasize?
Finally, say that you're looking for someone who's energetic and good working with a team.
Answer.
Yeah, we need someone who's energetic and good working with a team.
Now let's practice some of the vocabulary we've covered in this lesson.
In a moment, you'll hear a series of sentences with a word replaced with a beep.
Repeat each sentence, including the missing word.
For example, if you hear... You can say...
I think my colleagues will agree that I'm a strong team player.
After each response, we'll provide the correct answer.
Let's begin.
Answer After my first degree, I went to business school to study for an MBA.
We have had to make changes to my... based on how my job has changed.
Answer.
We have had to make changes to my JD based on how my job has changed.
I read a lot of news and blogs to stay up to date on the latest...
Answer.
I read a lot of news and blogs to stay up to date on the latest trends.
We've also looked at discussing virtual and in-person requirements, as well as the right personality fit for a job.
For more practice.
Premium members can access the online quizzes and PDF transcripts for this and other lessons on the BEP website.
Not a member yet, then head over to wwwbusinessenglishpodcom and sign up for a free trial to preview some of the extra resources available to members.
Thanks for listening and see you again soon.
