IT vacancies lacking descriptions: recruiter

More precise job descriptions would benefit industry

Local IT firms could get better productivity out of new employees if they improved on their position descriptions and induction processes, says a local IT recruitment company.

Nine of 10 vacancy requirements that come to Recruit IT don’t actually have a job description, says Wellington-based John Wyatt, director of Recruit IT. In many cases, information about the position is contained in less than 10 words, he says.

This isn’t so much of a problem to the recruitment company, which often knows its clients well enough to be able to identify the technical and “softer” skills required for the role. But for candidates, detailed job descriptions would be beneficial, says Wyatt.

A job description shows a good element of forward planning, he says. It means that an organisation has sat down and determined what its needs are going forward and, based on that, created a position description.

“To a candidate, that markets the organisation well,” he says.

A job description can also be used as a competitive advantage. If a candidate is looking at several positions, they may be more likely to go for a role where they know what they are in for. Employers stand to gain from this from a productivity point-of-view as well, he says.

“If an employee knows where they are going, what they are doing and what their employer expectations are from day one, then it could easily add 10 percent to their overall productivity rate,” Wyatt says.

In general, the IT industry is more reactive than proactive when it comes to recruiting staff. IT organisations often react to a need as opposed to forecasting, he says.

The induction process is also an area where local organisations could also improve. Particularly in the developer environment, the "here is your chair and away you go" mentality is common, he says. The process when a new employee comes onboard is often very similar to bringing in a contractor — there is a need for a solution and the company simply brings someone in who can build that solution.

While the technical requirements are often there, for example “we need a .NET developer”, the softer components of the role, information about the company and the environment the candidate will be working in are generally absent, he says.

A reason for this could be that many people in leadership roles today have come from a technical background. where detailed job descriptions have not been seen as important.