Are your job specs pushing the right candidates away?

Are your job specs pushing the right candidates away?

It’s a question more hiring teams should be asking, especially in a market where “talent shortages” are often blamed for slow or unsuccessful hiring.

Because in many cases, the issue isn’t the market. It’s how the role is being defined.

The problem with most job specs

Job descriptions are meant to clarify what you need.

In reality, they often do the opposite.

They become:

• A collection of stakeholder wish lists
• A blend of “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” with no real distinction
• A safety net to justify hiring decisions internally

On paper, they look thorough. Even impressive.

But externally? They can be confusing, unrealistic, and in many cases, off-putting to the very candidates you’re trying to attract.

A recent example

We saw this play out with a client hiring for a Senior SAP EWM Consultant.

The role had been open for four months.

It was business-critical, tied to a wider supply chain transformation. The budget was competitive, and the urgency was clear. On the surface, there was no obvious reason the role shouldn’t have been filled quickly.

But when we looked at the job spec, the issue became clear.

The requirements included:

• 8+ years of SAP EWM experience
• Exposure across multiple industries
• A combination of hands-on delivery and strategic leadership
• Strong stakeholder management
• Specific location constraints

Individually, each requirement made sense but together, they described a candidate that was highly unlikely to exist.

What was actually happening

The client wasn’t struggling because of a lack of talent.

They were struggling because of how they were filtering it.

Strong candidates weren’t applying because they didn’t meet every requirement. And the candidates who did apply often looked good on paper but lacked the adaptability or mindset needed for the project.

The job spec wasn’t attracting the right people. Infact, it was screening them out before a conversation even started.

Challenging the brief

Rather than continuing to search against the same criteria, we challenged the brief.

Not the role itself exactly, but how it had been defined.

We went back to basics:

• What does success look like in the first 6–12 months?
• What is genuinely non-negotiable?
• Where is there flexibility based on the market?

This shifted the conversation from “what would be ideal” to “what is actually needed.”

What changed

We stripped the role back to three core requirements:

• Proven SAP EWM implementation experience
• Ability to operate effectively in a transformation environment
• Strong stakeholder communication

Everything else became secondary. Not irrelevant but no longer a barrier to entry.

The outcome

Within two weeks, we had a shortlist of three strong candidates.

The role was filled in under a month but more importantly, the person hired was aligned to the outcomes of the role and not just the checklist on the job description.

A pattern we see often

This isn’t an isolated case.

Across the market, we regularly see:

• Roles defined by requirements instead of outcomes
• Job specs shaped by internal alignment rather than external reality
• Hiring processes that prioritise completeness over speed

The intention is good, reduce risk, ensure quality, cover all bases. But the result is often the opposite.

A better way to approach job specs

If you want to improve hiring outcomes, it starts with redefining how you approach the role itself:

1. Start with outcomes
What does this person need to achieve not just what have they done before?

2. Limit non-negotiables
Focus on 3–5 essentials. Beyond that, you’re narrowing the market unnecessarily.

3. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves
If everything is essential, nothing is.

4. Validate against the market early
Sense-check the brief before going to market not after weeks of no progress.

Final thought

The best candidates don’t always look perfect on paper.

They don’t tick every box or follow a linear path. And they don’t always apply to roles that feel overly rigid or unrealistic.

But they are often the ones who deliver the most impact.

If you’re struggling to fill roles or want a more experienced partner in your hiring process, we’re here to help. Contact us now to discuss your requirements.