A job search is a process, not something that you invent every morning after a cup of coffee. Evaluating, interpreting and responding to a job description are integral parts of that process. All job descriptions are not created equal.  They vary in format and content and job candidates who learn how this part of the process works will save time and improve their chances of finding that elusive “right” job. Federal job announcements include detailed job descriptions and are often more comprehensive than those found in the private sector.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Job descriptions are simply a concise rendering of the job title, job responsibilities and qualifications. They go by different names: job ads, classified ads for employment, career opportunities and the like.  Sometimes they include a description of the company. They rarely include compensation and benefits, or names and titles of the hiring manager.

Interpreting a Job Description

A candidate’s gut reaction after reading what appears to be an inter­esting job description is to respond with a resume and other requested information without a second thought. This is unfortu­nate because job descriptions exist for a number of reasons, and what you read is subject to misinterpretation. To begin, where do these job descriptions originate?

Job descriptions are written by one of three individuals: the hiring manager, the human resources director, or a recruiter working collaboratively with both. In the federal sector the Office of Personnel Management develops a general description using federal qualification standards for each occupational title and then allows the hiring agency to modify them with specific skills sets needed for that position. Hiring managers write the most reliable job descriptions. They are realistic and portray the position and requirements honestly. It is in their best interests to fill an open position as soon as possible. For them, time is of the essence. Human resources directors write credible job descriptions, too, but many times they lack details known only by hiring manager, the person to whom the job reports. Recruiters sometimes write job descriptions at the request of the hiring manager or human resources director. Usually they are credible documents because the recruiter works closely with the hiring manager and the human resources director.

Are Job Descriptions Realistic?

The job description is written with the ideal candidate in mind, and rarely, if ever, does that person exist. In all of my years recruiting for positions from entry-level to CEO, I have never found a job candidate who met every one of the requirements and qualifications on the job description. Employers always make compromises and experienced candidates know this. If the hiring manager or human resources director did not make compromises, nobody would ever be hired. For example, when you read a job description that says, “four to six years’ experience required” do not disregard it if you have only two years’ experience.

Why Job Descriptions Exist

Job descriptions are written to attract candidates for a job opening for one particular position, or for multiple positions with identical requirements but in different locations. For example, one job description will serve for three sales representatives who will work in different parts of the country.

Also, job descriptions are written because the company needs to avoid the appearance of discrimination, or to meet OEO require­ments, even though the company hiring manager may have already selected an internal candidate. (The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) is a federal government agency that oversees fair employment hiring practices. All companies doing business with the federal government must sign an OEO doc­ument agreeing to meet rigid recruiting and hiring practices.)

Beating the Internal Candidate 

When a job comes open for any reason, the first place a company looks for a replacement is within its internal workforce. Frequently, a company knows the internal candidate who will get the open spot, but writes and posts the job description just the same to meet the OEO and/or other state and federal regulations. After a rea­sonable amount of time during which the company gathers resumes from both internal and external applicants, the pre-selected internal candidate wins the job. All of the candidates who applied for this position unknowingly submitted their candidacy in vain. The company will never admit to it, but rest assured that this happens every day. To avoid the internal candidate trap, one of the first questions to ask in a phone or personal interview is, “How many internal candidates are you considering? If you already have your selection and are interviewing me for other purposes, I’d rather not waste your time and mine by proceeding through the interview.” If nothing else, it will let the interviewer know that you have the experience and maturity to play the game.

What do Job Descriptions Really Say?

The typical job description will state the title of the position and where it is located. It will list the job responsibilities either in bullet point format or in a text paragraph. Usually these are broadly stated items. The job requirements and/or qualifications specify educa­tional background, years of experience, and fields of expertise. The requirements are usually overstated and nobody on Earth or Mars will ever possess all of them. For example, some job descriptions may state, “ten years’ experience in web design” but the company will hire someone with three to five years’ experience. It happens all the time.  There are always exceptions and compromises companies will make for certain positions. However, some jobs require strict adherence to the specs in the job description because of legally required certifications and licenses.

Warning!

If the job description or online application requests your age, driv­er’s license number, or social security number, do not apply. This is your personal and confidential information. Share it with the employer only if you win the job because such personal information is required for tax and identification purposes.

WHERE ARE JOB DESCRIPTIONS POSTED?

A job description is posted in various places, not just on a company website. The same job description on the website could be on various job boards like Monster, on social media sites like Linke­dIn, and on websites of recruiters. It could easily find its way to a dozen or more places, which is one reason why companies receive so many resumes in response to a posting. When you see the same job posted in multiple locations, it is a sign that the employer may be looking for many resumes to satisfy OEO or other requirements.

When  you see the same job posted on multiple sites, always respond to the job description posted on the employer’s website. If the selected candidate is hired directly by the employer instead of an outside source, the company saves money because it does not have to pay a fee to a job board or recruiter. That saved money could result in a more lucrative salary offer or better benefits for the selected candidate.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS WITH STRICT REQUIREMENTS

Job descriptions for positions requiring certification and licensure leave little room for compromise by the company. Examples are jobs for medical personnel, educators, lawyers and certain government personnel, that by law require licensure and cer­tification.

THE BIG RED FLAGS OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Frequently, postings on job boards, or even on LinkedIn, are tricky to say the least. I have identified the big red flags of job descriptions. Note them well.

Red Flag #1. The job description does not disclose the name of the company or its location. The company could be a back alley operation or a prominent company on Wall Street or in Silicon Valley. You just don’t know. The reason for this non-disclosure is known only to the entity writing and posting the job description, and you do not have time to play games. Do not send a resume or click the “Apply” button if there is no company name.   Doing so is equivalent to sending your resume into space and a waste of your precious job searching time.

Red Flag #2. The job description does not state the name of the com­pany contact or job title. It might say, “Send your resume to Position # 256, or Job #897.” Sending your resume to a job number is equivalent to sending your candidacy to the third moon of the planet Jupiter.  If there is no contact name and title on the job description, but it looks interesting, call the com­pany customer service department and ask for the name and contact information for the human resources director and hiring manager. Then you can submit your candidacy to a living person by email or ground services like UPS or FedEx.

Red Flag #3. Some job descriptions are nothing more than a general statement about a particular kind of job. Recently, I saw one of these on the LinkedIn site called “Recent College Grads.” The job title was “Virtual Executive Assistant to the CEO.” There were no bullet points about responsibilities and qualifications and did not include the name of the company, the hiring manager, or location of the company. In addition, it had a deceptive major heading titled “Professional Chemistry” under which were three bullet points: “upbeat demeanor”

“adaptable attitude” and “composure under pressure.” This could have been a bogus job description. It gave you nothing but asked for much personal information after you hit the “Apply” button. Handing out your personal information to an unknown entity is a recipe for potential disaster. Never submit your resume or appli­cation for what appears to be a bogus job description, even if it comes from a reputable source such as LinkedIn.

ELEMENTS OF A CREDIBLE JOB DESCRIPTION 

Job descriptions come in all sizes and shapes and are written by any number of sources. They are not all created equal. Some are bare bones and others are encyclopedic. There is a natural tendency for all candidates to respond to every job description that seems to match their vision for employment.  However, you can spend useless hours responding to job descriptions that have no merit and will not yield even a thank you from the employer.  Your reward will be utter frustration to the point where you cry out in desperation, “THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE!”  Learning which job description to disregard and which to address is just another part of the search process. Here is a list of elements that credible job descriptions should have, and a brief example of each.

1. The name, location and description of the company. Example: “Facebook, a social media company located at 127 Smith Rd., San Jose, California.”
2. The job title, and the title of the person to whom it reports. Example: “IT Assistant reporting to the IT department head, Mary Smith.”
3. The job location. Example: “The job location is the corporate regional sales office in Seattle Washington.”
4. A list of responsibilities and expectations. Example: “Selling product line to hospitals; meeting sales goals; reporting customer concerns to marketing; written quarterly sales plans; daily expense accounting.”
5. Background qualifications. Example: “Experience in residential HVAC installation and repair. HVAC certification”
6. Desired level of education. Example: “BS in biology.”
7. Required certification or licenses. Example: “State of New Jersey. Certified Nurse Midwife certification and license.”
8. A general description of the compensation and benefits package. Example: Base salary; bonus based on performance; life insurance; medical/dental insurance; IRA; paid annual vacation; paid holidays; paid sick days; long term disability insurance.

Do not expect every detail of the job to be on the job description. As you read it, make notes for discussing the particulars with the hiring manager during the interview.

HOW TO RESPOND TO A JOB DESCRIPTION WITH A CAREER PROFILE  

If you decide to pursue a position you found through any source and it does not contain any red flags, what do you do next? Conven­tional wisdom says that you should submit your resume to a person with a name, a title, and company affiliation. However, is that all one should do? Send just a resume?

Consider this. Hundreds or maybe thousands of other can­didates probably saw the same job description that you saw on a company website. What happens next? Hundreds or thousands of candidates will, like sheep, send only their resumes. Why? Because that is what the job, descriptions requested. Just submitting a resume and maybe a cover letter means that you will be one of hundreds or thousands applying for that same position. For example, Southwest Airlines receives over 100,000 resumes each year. To distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd submit a Career Profile, which consists of the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• College transcript
• Letters of reference
• Certifications and licenses
• Any articles or blogs you have authored as an example of your written communication skills

Submitting the Career Profile is one of the tools in your job-hunting repertoire that will give you a distinct advantage over the competition and enhance your prospects of landing a job.

For an expanded version of this material, read Chapter 32 in my book titled, OPERATION JOB SEARCH, A Guide for Military Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Careers, Skyhorse Publishing Inc. c 2016. It is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback and eBook.

Helpful Career Planning Tools 

• Applying For Federal Jobs
• Federal Job Announcements
• Interview Preparation

Visit our other informative site

• http://FederalJobs.net (Explore occupations and find jobs)
• http://fedcareerinfo.com (A career management workbook for federal employees)
• http://federalretirement.net  (Retirement & other federal employee benefits)

The information provided may not cover all aspects of unique or special circumstances, federal and postal regulations, and programs are subject to change. Our articles and replies are time sensitive. Over time, various dynamic human resource guidance and factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation and this service is not affiliated with OPM, the postal service or any federal entity. You should consult with school counselors, hiring agency personnel offices, and human resource professionals where appropriate. Neither the publisher or author shall be liable for any loss or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

This series covers all classes of positions the duties of which are to manage or direct, or to assist in a line capacity in managing or directing, one or more programs, including appropriate supporting service organizations, when the paramount qualification requirement of the positions is management and executive knowledge and ability and when the positions do not require competence in a specialized subject-matter or functional area. (Positions in which specialized subject matter or functional competence is a necessary qualification requirement are classifiable to whichever specialized or general series is most appropriate.)

The federal government employs 14,122 program managers of which 173 work overseas. The Departments of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the DOD are the largest employers with 5,494 civilians employed.  The Department of Homeland Security employs 1,629 and the Treasury Department employ1,495.  All large cabinet level agencies and many large medium sized agencies employ this occupation.

Federal Job Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.
• The yearly salary for a NH-4 pay scale is $103,842.00 to $143,796.00 per year (this includes a 17.82% locality pay for Huntsville, AL) or $116,833.00 to $181,031.00 per year (this includes a 27.10% locality pay for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area).

Qualification requirements differ between agencies

The program manager USA Job announcements used for this article were for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which is part of the Department of Defense (Huntsville, AL) and the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) (Washington, D.C.)

Thoroughly read the entire job announcement to determine the special skills and requirements for each position that you apply for. Each agency will have their own variations on what is required for that job occupation and you must tailor your application and federal style resume to the job announcement’s  requirements.

MDA (from USA Jobs announcement)

The Program Manager, serves as an advisor to agency management on critical acquisition processes such as acquisition strategies, market research, acquisition planning, source selection planning, request for proposal preparation for key agency programs.

Assess, manage and eliminate risk related to program cost, schedule and performance. Conducting acquisition planning and, in coordination with the technical program office, determine acquisition strategies to be used in the acquisition of a specific program element.

FAA (from USA Jobs announcement)

As Program Manager, incumbent serves as the Group Manager, Headquarters Administrative Services Group. In this capacity, incumbent will direct the work activities of five teams.

As Group Manager, incumbent exercises the full range of supervisory responsibilities, to include, but not limited to: assignment of work, setting priorities, selections, promotions, coaching, disciplinary actions, evaluating individual and organizational performance, and training. Uses advanced knowledge of budget policies and procedures to define, plan and organize staff, and other resources; which includes managing the budget, allocating/reallocating resources among subordinate teams, and requests for needed additional resources. Incumbent projects short/long term strategic planning and prepares justifications to support resource requirements.

Specialized Experience

MDA (from USA Jobs announcement)

• Identifies rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information, and draws logical conclusions. Analyzes and provides solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to apply systems acquisition processes, policies, procedures, and practices necessary to develop and assess technical and economic feasibility, including cost, schedule and performance.
• Ability to research, plan, coordinate and brief actions in support of leadership’s goals, objectives and vision.
• Experience working with and across executive staffs, joint staffs, commands, agencies and the services.
• Experience in acquisition of complex weapons systems and equipment or closely related systems and equipment development, procurement, and life-cycle management.

Specialized Experience

FAA (from USA Jobs Announcement)

• Experience with workforce planning, human resource policies, staffing and position classifications as it relates to analyzing the ATO’s future staffing requirements.
• Experience as a supervisor/manager, communicating the organization’s vision and objectives; setting priorities; assigning tasks and responsibilities; monitoring and evaluating performance; coaching and developing employee capabilities; approving leave; and recommending or approving corrective/disciplinary action as appropriate.

• Experience leading, managing, and strategic planning for an organization, as well as collaborating with agency program executives to meet agency objectives.

The duties of a program manager are varied depending upon the agency. They can range from total supervisory duties, to developing programmatic goals. Program managers play a vital role in executing programs within an agency.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) the job outlook for mangers will grow approximately 6% between 2014 through 2024.

Job Resources

• USAJOBS GS-0340 (Federal Jobs List)
• Private Sector Job Listings
• Qualification Standards

Helpful Career Planning Tools

• Applying For Federal Jobs (Introduction)
  • Federal General Schedule (GS) Pay Charts
• Federal Employee Benefits
• Career Development Guide for Federal Employees
• Federal  Retiree’s Job Center
• BLS Website
  • BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook OOH

The information provided may not cover all aspects of unique or special circumstances, federal and postal regulations, and programs are subject to change. Our articles and replies are time sensitive. Over time, various dynamic human resource guidance and factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation and this service is not affiliated with OPM, the postal service or any federal entity. You should consult with school counselors, hiring agency personnel offices, and human resource professionals where appropriate. Neither the publisher or author shall be liable for any loss or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “the labor force is projected to grow over the next 10 years at an average annual rate of 0.5 percent, a slower rate than in recent decades. Demographic factors—including slower population growth and the aging of the U.S. population—in addition to the declining labor force participation rate will be responsible for the projected growth of the labor force.”

The BLS also indicates that “the labor force is anticipated to grow by 7.9 million, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 0.5 percent, over the 2014–24 period. The growth in the labor force during that time span, is projected to be smaller than in the previous 10-year period, 2004–14, when the labor force grew by 8.5 million, or 0.6 percent, annually, on average.

Individual trends for federal government employment are incorporated within each occupational BLS profile.  The federal sector is projected to decrease by up to 15% by 2024 however that isn’t across the board. Certain federal  occupations may increase their numbers during this time period depending on proposed organizational changes implemented by the party in power. You have to use the BLS’s detailed statistical tables to view the changes in each government and private sector occupational category.

Women will have an increased role in the labor force and their numbers will grow from 46.8 percent in 2014 to 47.2 percent in 2024. During this same period, the number of men is projected to grow by 0.4 percent, which is slower than the previous decade. The rate will be downward from 53.2 percent in 2014 to 52.8 percent in 2024.

According to BLS “The labor force will continue to age, with the average annual growth rate of the 55-years-and-older group projected to be 1.8 percent, more than 3 times the rate of growth of the overall labor force. The group’s share of the labor force is anticipated to increase from 21.7 percent in 2014 to nearly 25 percent in 2024.”

The BLS does analysis every two years on the various job categories that will be relevant for the next ten years. The latest data available, December 2015 for the 2014-2024-time period. BLS indicates “these projections, labor force participation rates are analyzed and projected for more than 136 different groups, including men and women as well as 17 age groups and 4 race and ethnic groups. The basis of these projections is the past long-term behavior of the labor force participation rate in each of a number of detailed categories according to the data provided by the BLS Current Population Survey (CPS) Program.”

To get more information about labor force projections visit the BLS website.

Hot Job Trends

The BLS cites, “Healthcare occupations and industries are expected to have the fastest employment growth and to add the most jobs between 2014 and 2024. With the increase in the proportion of the population in older age groups, more people in the labor force will be entering prime retirement age.”

Additionally, the BLS states, “the labor force participation rate is projected to decrease and labor force growth to slow. This slowdown of labor force growth is expected, in turn, to lead to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 2.2 percent annually over the decade. This economic growth is projected to generate 9.8 million new jobs—a 6.5-percent increase between 2014 and 2024.”

Here are some interesting statics from the BLS on why the health care and related industries will be at the top:

Labor Force and the Macroeconomy 

• The civilian labor force is projected to reach 163.8 million in 2024, growing at an annual rate of 0.5 percent.
• The labor force continues to age. The median age of the labor force was 37.7 in 1994, 40.3 in 2004, 41.9 in 2014, and is projected to be 42.4 in 2024. At the same time, the overall labor force participation rate is projected to decrease from 62.9 percent in 2014 to 60.9 percent in 2024.
• The labor force participation rate for youth (ages 16 to 24) is projected to decrease from 55.0 percent in 2014 to 49.7 percent in 2024. The youth age group is projected to make up 11.3 percent of the civilian labor force in 2024 as compared with 13.7 percent in 2014. In contrast, the labor force participation rate for the 65-and-older age group is projected to increase from 18.6 percent in 2014 to 21.7 percent in 2024. This older age group is projected to represent 8.2 percent of the civilian labor force in 2024 as compared with 5.4 percent in 2014.
• Labor force diversity is projected to increase, with white non-Hispanics making up 59.6 percent of the civilian labor force in 2024, compared with 64.6 percent in 2014.
• Real GDP (2009 chained dollars) is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, from $16.1 trillion in 2014 to $19.9 trillion in 2024.
• Within GDP, medical services will continue to grow as a share of nominal personal consumption expenditures. This category is projected to account for 18.0 percent of consumption in 2024— higher than its 16.7-percent share in 2014 and 15.0-percent share in 2004.

The BLS not only looks at age groups, demographics, ethnicities, but the projections of economic conditions.

On the flip side, BLS predicts that construction, and manufacturing jobs will still have some growth but will decline and will not be at the peaks they once were.

The BLS indicates:

• Service-providing sectors are projected to capture 94.6 percent of all the jobs added between 2014 and 2024. Of these 9.3 million new service sector jobs, 3.8 million will be added to the healthcare and social assistance major sector.
• The healthcare and social assistance major sector is expected to become the largest employing major sector during the projections decade, overtaking the state and local government major sector and the professional and business services major sector. Healthcare and social assistance is projected to increase its employment share from 12.0 percent in 2014 to 13.6 percent in 2024.

For more information relating to the trends in job occupations is located at: www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf

This article provides an overview on the trends and economic outlook that is based on BLS analysis for the next ten years (2014-2024).

Helpful Career Planning Tools

• Applying For Federal Jobs (Introduction)
  • Federal General Schedule (GS) Pay Charts
• Federal Employee Benefits
• Career Development Guide for Federal Employees
• Federal  Retiree’s Job Center
• BLS Website
  • BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook OOH

The information provided may not cover all aspects of unique or special circumstances, federal and postal regulations, and programs are subject to change. Our articles and replies are time sensitive. Over time, various dynamic human resource guidance and factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation and this service is not affiliated with OPM, the postal service or any federal entity. You should consult with school counselors, hiring agency personnel offices, and human resource professionals where appropriate. Neither the publisher or author shall be liable for any loss or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages