Finding new talent to add to your school’s faculty and staff can invigorate programs and inject new ideas to counter old problems. But how do you attract the best candidates to your open positions? Why, with your job posting, of course! Your listing is your first chance to attract and impress the sort of teachers and administrators your school desires.
But the first step in writing a job description isn’t writing at all. First, you must collect all the important information job seekers care about, and present it in a way that’s easily understandable and attractive to the best candidates. So, before you set your fingers to the keyboard to craft your job description, make sure you can answer these crucial questions.
- Who would the candidate report to? Who—if anyone—would report to the candidate? By identifying the reporting structure of the position, you can determine what sort of titles and experience you should ask for in the job description.
- What would the candidate’s primary responsibilities be? While there can be many periphery tasks that a candidate might be expected to perform, usually there are one or two primary tasks you need this person to accomplish. A good exercise is to list every possible task you plan on asking the successful candidate to handle in this role. Then, pick one or two responsibilities that are foundational to the position, with the others prioritized below those fundamentals.
- What skills or certifications do candidates absolutely need for success? You’d love it if a Master Gardener with dozens of horticultural awards to his or her credit applied for your groundskeeper position. However, by asking for someone with 20 years of experience crafting topiaries, perfectly qualified candidates with less experience or fewer skills might not apply. (Professional recruiters say that organizations that post excessive required skill listings are "hunting for the purple squirrel"—they're looking for candidates who either don't exist or would never apply for the position as described.)
- What benefits will your school offer a candidate in this role? In addition to base compensation, benefits also include health insurance, 401k, paid time off, and professional development opportunities. You should determine how this role should legally be advertised in terms of full-time or part-time, salaried or hourly. (Your school’s lawyer can assist with this part!)
- What should candidates know about your school? Of course, it’s important for candidates to understand your school’s mission and vision. That said, how does this job’s function support that mission? How might a successful candidate carry out the school’s vision? Be clear about your expectations to ensure mission-appropriate candidates apply.
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for School Heads Vol. 12 No. 8 Everything But the Kitchen Sink: Five Common Job Posting Mistakes
Private School News Vol. 12 No. 2 Twenty-Five Off-Limit Interview Questions
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 7 No. 5 Ask Michael: Effective Recruiting on a Budget
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 39 No. 11 Hiring, Preparing, and Training Staff for Your Summer Program
