Anatomy of a Job Description – Part 2: Your 5-Point Cheat Sheet
When a senior executive is looking to make a professional move, finding a role that’s the right fit and positioning yourself in the right way for that role is essential. The job specification is an essential piece in the successful pursuit of a C-suite position. Following is the 2nd in a 2-part series where I share Secrets from a Search Consultant™ on the anatomy of a job description.
In Part 1, we focused on the key components for any senior executive job specification. Here in Part 2, I share my 5-point cheat sheet for how to use a job descriptions details and insights to your advantage.
5 actions to take once you have the job spec in hand:
- Ask the search consultant who wrote it. Ideally, the lead search consultant wrote a comprehensive job specification after performing due diligence within the organization to fully understand the needs and culture, organizational alignment on the role, and the type of candidate best suited to fill it. More often, the search firm just reshapes a description the company provided, and thus lacks nuances helpful for the candidate. At any point, if someone in the process contradicts the job spec, probe further and fast.
- Check that the job specification is complete. See Anatomy of a Job Description – Part 1: Job Description Essentials.
- Notice what’s missing. If essential elements of the job specification are absent, ask for them. A great spec will address the culture of the organization as well as any issues being faced.
- Dissect the job spec line by line. Notice the order in which specifics are listed—which areas are emphasized or minimized? Such details are telling.
- Identify your strengths and successes relative to each point. Reflect and prepare stories from your experience that will help illustrate these points during the interview process.
As your strategic advisor my mission is to help you better prepare for and script your stories for success at the interview table. ThroughThe Montague Method, I’ll share my Secrets from a Search Consultant™ to help you land your first or next C-suite position. Explore the rest of my website to learn more and schedule a complementary 20-minute exploratory consultation.
