Over the course of my career and consulting with clients, it is not very often I come across professionals that actually like job descriptions. In fact the mere mention of job description development makes most Human Resource professionals cringe and find reason to change the subject. I, on the other hand, get excited during engagements where clients are seeking our expertise on job description development and documentation. Knowing that my services will have an immediate and positive impact on business operations by simply documenting the company’s jobs provides me with a great deal of satisfaction. While I do not expect everyone to share in my love for job documentation, I do have some good reasons to consider liking them a tad bit more than you currently do.

Organizational growth can be based on a number of different strategies, including growing capacity, expanding or changing customer base, or offering new or upgraded products or services. Further, strategies may be executed using different tools, including organic or acquisition based growth. Regardless of strategy, there are common lessons learned about what works, and what does not work, in successfully driving and supporting organizational growth.

As an HR consultant, almost every leader I have worked for immediately understands the critical importance of recruiting. Yet, throughout these interactions, I’ve been puzzled why a function like recruiting, which is so universally accepted as being essential is generally given such little focus and not nearly leveraged like other key business functions. It's been my experience that initiatives within the recruiting function are almost always reactive. General enhancements, surge support, and third-party recruitment assessments are typically conducted to address deficiencies as opposed to seizing opportunities. Having effective recruiting capabilities and processes can do three major things simultaneously: It can reduce the time to hire; It can generate more business revenue (depending upon the business, of course); and It can be the key business differentiator when it comes to finding qualified candidates in a hot market. Reducing the time to hire metric is important not only to get qualified talent in the door quicker but with an effective team and process in place, it can greatly reduce the amount of time your hiring managers and recruiters spend as well. To the same point, if these open reqs are positions that directly impact your revenue, you want to get them hired and onboarded in a timely manner. In today's market, employers must move fast and they must be intentional about creating a memorable experience to attract and hire key talent. And I think we can all agree that talent is so often what sets a company apart from its competitors.

Picture it: you have just concluded your interview and shaken hands with the ideal candidate who has all of the qualities and qualifications you are looking for in order to fill your open role and you quickly rush back to office to get in contact with your Recruiter to let them know you want to hire them ASAP! You are excited about the possibility of taking your department to the next level and want this candidate to be part of the team. At this point in the process, nothing else is standing in your way right?

As a manager, I’m sure you have brought on quite a few new hire employees. Some of these employees, when beginning employment, can “jump right in” and become a part of the team. However, others may take some time to adjust to the new culture. To assist in culture assimilation and the learning of company policies and procedures, I always recommend creating a mentor or buddy program for my client's new hires. They've already invested a lot of time and resources in finding the best candidates, so by instituting this as part of their onboarding program, they are ensuring a smooth transition and investing in their future success.

Are you are on the job market and need to find a new job? Maybe you have recently been let go, a contract ended, or you are ready to move onto bigger and better things. One of the first things that you may do is to update your resume. Consider your resume as your ticket to your next interview. Before you get that request for an interview, though, your resume is likely going to go through the hands of a recruiter. Most recruiters will tell you that they spend about 15 to 30 seconds reviewing a resume. This means you really need to make sure that your resume is well-organized and easy to read. As a recruiter, if I find myself spending too much time trying to decipher a resume, I will probably just move on to the next resume.