Have you ever noticed that jazz radio DJs all seem to have these low, unhurried, silky voices? And yet flip over to a news channel and everyone sounds breathless and self-important.
Nobody trained them to sound that way. The role called to them. They were already that frequency.
I think about this a lot when I’m working with founders on hiring.
We agonize over candidates. We blame the market. We wonder why nobody good applies. But rarely do we stop and ask the more uncomfortable question: what is our job description actually saying about us?
I had a client recently who spent months frustrated with their search for a Customer Service Representative. Good people kept showing up. Just not the right people. After some digging, we realized they didn’t actually want a customer service person at all. They wanted someone meticulous with data, comfortable with systems, and energized by operational order. A completely different profile.
We changed the title. The right candidates appeared almost immediately.
The description you write is a mirror. It reflects back exactly who you think you need. Get it wrong and you attract the wrong room.
Before you blame the talent pool, revisit the invitation. Sometimes the simplest fix is also the most obvious one.
What is your job description really saying?
