A former colleague of mine asked about how I filled out job requirements.  Unless the employer has had a background in the role that they’re filling they, I see them struggle with this task all the time.  I’ll try and cover filling out requirements in two frequent scenarios:  1.  Someone’s left and you need to fill the spot and 2. Filling an entirely new role.

1.  Someone’s left and you need to fill the spot.

For this, I usually just pull out their resume that they applied with (yes, that means you need to keep all their resumes on file) and then I copy their skills and add the additional years of experience that they acquired with me.  Also you should think about what attributes that you liked about them, as well as attributes that you didn’t like about them.  I always look at this as a chance to upgrade if possible!  For instance, not really having a design background I was looking for a replacement for a designer that had left.  I pulled out his resume, found their previous skills and added the things they worked on in the current position.

2.  An entirely new role

I always cheat and use craigslist as a baseline reference.  I find the role that would best suit this position.  I usually will try and tweak the role, removing and adding things that I feel would be beneficial to my organization, or removing things that wouldn’t make sense in my current organization.  This usually brings me to a skillset that is pretty close to what I need.  At this point i’ll talk to someone else that I know in the same occupation to have them vet the skillset/requirements.  This has always been a saving grace for me.

If all else fails, i’d write down a set of skills that you would imagine the role would need and learn more about the role through the interviews :) .  This is when you’re trying to figure out the role yourself.  I like to throw it back on the interviewee and ask them about what they think this role entails and how it fits into the overall make-up of the company.  It’s always fun to hear another person’s viewpoint on what they think their role should be in your organization.  If it sounds right, then you may want to hire that person!