Job Requirements

What are Job Requirements?

Job requirements are the skills, experience, education, and other qualifications that a candidate must possess to be considered for a particular job role. They are the criteria that the employer uses to evaluate the suitability of a candidate for the position.

Job requirements are typically outlined in the job description, which is used to advertise the job opening and attract qualified candidates. Employers use job requirements to ensure that they hire the right candidate for the job and to minimize the risk of turnover or poor performance.

Some common job requirements include:

• Education level
• Years of experience
• Specific skills or certifications
• Language proficiency
• Physical requirements (such as lifting or standing for long periods of time)
• Soft skills (such as communication, teamwork, or leadership)

It is important for employers to carefully consider the job requirements and ensure that they are relevant, reasonable, and non-discriminatory. Additionally, employers should be prepared to provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities or other challenges that may impact their ability to meet certain job requirements.

Why are Job Requirements important?

Job requirements are important because they help to clearly define the skills, experience, and qualifications that are necessary for a particular job. This information can be used to attract the right candidates and to ensure that the hiring process is fair and objective.

What should be included in Job Requirements?

Job requirements should include the essential duties and responsibilities of the position, as well as the necessary skills, experience, and qualifications that are required to perform those duties. Other information that may be included in job requirements includes education requirements, physical requirements, and any special certifications or licenses that are required for the job.

Job Requirements Example: A Customer Support Role

The abstract version of this list is easy to agree with and hard to use. Here is the same thing written out for one real role, with the required and preferred halves separated, which is the separation most postings fail to make.

Required

Two years in a customer-facing support role. Written English at a level that needs no editing before a reply goes out. Comfortable working 9am-5pm in a stated time zone. Able to learn a ticketing system – not to have used ours specifically.

Preferred

Experience with Zendesk or Intercom. Exposure to a technical product. A second language. Experience in a fully remote team.

Deliberately absent

A degree. This role has no task that a degree is evidence of, and requiring one removes a large share of the candidates who could do it. If a requirement cannot be traced to a task in the job description, it is a filter with no defence behind it.

Read the three lists together and the pattern is the point: the required list is short and every line is disqualifying, the preferred list is where everything else goes, and the third list exists because what you leave out shapes the applicant pool as much as what you put in.

Required vs. Preferred Qualifications

A required qualification is one you will not hire without. A preferred qualification is one that would make a candidate stronger but that you will trade away for the right person. The two words appear in almost every job posting and are treated as interchangeable by most readers, which is why so many qualified people do not apply: if everything is listed as required, the honest candidate who meets nine of ten requirements screens themselves out and the less careful one applies anyway.

The test for which list something belongs on is whether you would reject an otherwise excellent candidate for lacking it. If the answer is no, it is preferred. Applied properly the required list usually collapses to three or four lines, and the same set of criteria – hiring criteria, job requirements, job specifications, whatever the organization calls them internally – becomes something a recruiter can screen against consistently rather than interpret case by case.

Dos and Don’ts of creating Job Requirements

When creating job requirements, it’s important to keep in mind the following dos and don’ts:

• Do: Be specific and clear about the required qualifications and skills. Clearly state the minimum education level, years of experience, and any specific certifications or skills needed.
• Do: Prioritize essential requirements versus preferred qualifications. Distinguish between must-have and nice-to-have qualifications to attract suitable candidates while maintaining realistic expectations.
• Do: Consider the legal and ethical implications of the job requirements. Ensure that the requirements are non-discriminatory and relevant to the job. Avoid specifying unnecessary criteria that may exclude qualified individuals.
• Do: Be open to reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities or other challenges that may impact their ability to meet certain job requirements. Follow legal guidelines and regulations related to accommodating individuals with disabilities.
• Do: Consult with relevant stakeholders, such as hiring managers or department heads, to ensure that the job requirements accurately reflect the needs of the position.
• Don’t: Include requirements that are not truly necessary for the job. Avoid setting unrealistic expectations or unnecessarily narrowing down the pool of qualified candidates.
• Don’t: Discriminate against protected classes, such as race, gender, age, or disability, in the job requirements. Ensure that the requirements are inclusive and fair to all candidates.
• Don’t: Rely solely on years of experience as a measure of competence. Consider other factors, such as skills, achievements, and potential, when evaluating candidates.
• Don’t: Overload the job requirements with too many qualifications. Be selective and focus on the most critical qualifications to attract a diverse range of candidates.
• Don’t: Neglect soft skills or cultural fit. While technical skills and experience are important, consider the interpersonal skills and values that align with the company culture.

By following these dos and don’ts, employers can create job requirements that accurately reflect the needs of the position, attract suitable candidates, and promote fairness in the hiring process.