Job Descriptions are worthless!

OK, maybe they are useful for compliance or some HR-related issues. Just not for effective hiring. Why? Job descriptions typically contain things like:

• Roles
• Responsibilities
• Qualifications
• Education
• Preferred Skills

As a hiring manager or executive, you don’t care about any of that.

What you do care about is whether the candidate will accomplish what you want them to actually get done!

That’s why I recommend using a Performance Benchmark instead of a job description to evaluate potential hires. This tool has you focus on why you are making the hire and what you want them to get done. You kn0w, the stuff you actually care about.

Too many candidates have impressive degrees from elite universities, but can’t actually get things done. If you just used a job description, then you’d end up making a bad hire. But, with a performance benchmark and an effective interview, you’re much more likely to pick the best person.

Whether you agree with me or not, please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

The question was:

I am looking for examples to guiding managers on how to perform employee performance evaluations? Something not terribly complex but not beginner stuff either. I need some scenarios that would make a good discussion exercise for “how would YOU rate this person and why?

A lot of managers find performance evaluations hard because they don’t take the time up front to define clear performance benchmarks. The key part of a performance benchmark is to specify 5-7 MEASURABLE Accountabilities — Things you want to employee to actually get done.  For more see:

• Performance Benchmarking Part-1
  
• Performance Benchmarking Part-2

Another important part of a performance benchmark is to specify the required skills and competencies. If an employee has weaknesses in an area that matters for their job, it will be clear that they have a gap and need to take actions to address their weakness.

So, if the manager and employee both have a clear idea of what results must be created and what skills must be developed, the performance evaluation becomes straightforward. Did the employee deliver the results or not?

If there is room for interpretation, then the accountabilites were not measurable or clear in the first place! For most managers, it is challenging the first time they try to create clear accountabilities. Why? Because they don’t really have a clear idea what they want from the employee. Or, maybe, they don’t have a clear idea what their boss wants from them!

We were just looking at Performance Benchmarks and importance of having a clear purpose for the role. Now, let’s look at the other key parts — Results and Special Skills or Competencies.

Performance Results

I think the Results section is the most important part of a Performance Benchmark. It says what you want the employee to Get Done. Not what you want them to do or be responsible for. What Measurable Results do you want them to produce!

Usually, you’ll have four or five specific results. Maybe a couple more, but any more than seven is too many. Make each result clearly measurable, and have a specific time frame.

Here are some example results for a Sales Executive:

• Close $400K in sales revenue within assigned territory in fiscal year 2007.
• Identify and close 6 new customers within assigned territory in fiscal year 2007.
• Respond to all inbound leads within 24 hours.

Of course you have to also have the ability to accurately track each result. The point is that anyone — Employee, Manager, Mail Clerk — Should be able to easily know whether the result was accomplished or not.

Special Skills & Competencies

This is the area for any special requirements. If your new employee needs to have experience in Outsourcing to Far East Manufacturers or Oracle Database Administration, this is where that information goes.

Also, if your company uses some standard competencies like Good Communicator, Persuasive, Team Player, put them here if they are important to the job. If it’s not important leave it out!

Do you know the two competencies most associated with top talent?

• Resourcefulness - The ability to find a way to get something done.
• Self Awareness - Accurate understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They will also know how to leverage their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.

The Performance Benchmark is the cornerstone for any company that is serious about great performance. Use it to evaluate both existing employees and potential candidates.

We’ve established that using Performance Benchmarks is one of the best practices you can adopt. So let’s get started:

I recommend a Performance Benchmark include three key sections:

• Purpose - Overall, why are your hiring a person for this role?
• Results - What results do you expect a great employee to produce?
• Skills & Competencies - What special skills or other characteristics would a great employee need?

Purpose

Why are you hiring someone for this role? Answer like this: “The ROLE NAME at COMPANY exists to ________.” As an example: “The CEO of MyCo exists to grow the company by 15% per year while maintaining 20% profitability.”

Keep it simple and don’t try to cram everything in there. Sure, you want your CEO to maintain compliance with relevant laws, avoid lawsuits, develop people, and a bunch of other stuff. But, what do you really care about? Be Straight! This isn’t the place to sound good! Having a clear purpose sets the context for the job, creates clarity, and helps you get started defining the results you want.

Next, we’ll look at defining and specifying results.

See Part-2 of How to Benchmark Performance.

For evaluating candidates or employee performance, it all starts with a good Performance Benchmark. The Performance Benchmark sets the standard for the job in terms of specific results!

If you want one tip to improve your company, this is it! I’m always amazed how rarely managers create and use Performance Benchmarks. But, Why? I think there are a number of common reasons:

• It’s work to think clearly. Muddled, imprecise thinking is easy. Clear, sharp thinking takes a little work. Not a lot, but enough that we don’t do it sometimes.
• Managers have to take responsibility for doing their job. What if all the employees meet their benchmarks, but the group doesn’t? That means the manager didn’t see to it that everything was assigned and communicated. It’s easier to leave things vauge, so you can always blame someone for the lack of results.
• People sometimes resist being measured — At least at first. Employees quickly start to appreciate clear expectations. And they get a sense of accomplishment from surpassing the benchmark.
• What do you think? Please leave a comment if you know other reasons.

OK, hopefully you’re thinking “I’m convinced I should use Performance Benchmarks”! But, how do you create a Performance Benchmark? Well, that’s tomorrow’s topic…  Stay Tuned!