HR · Recruitment and selection · Component
The role definition
What the role is for, what it must be able to do, and what a good first year looks like — written before anyone is approached.
The deliverable
What it is
Most role definitions are assembled from a previous version and a wish list. The result is a requirement set nobody has tested and a filter that removes capable candidates for reasons no one would defend out loud.
The definition is also the thing assessment is validated against. Written vaguely, it makes every later stage a matter of impression.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The purpose
Why the role exists and what would be missing without it.
2 attributes: Role purpose · Linked capability
LearnThe requirements
What the person must be able to do, separated from what would be convenient.
3 attributes: Requirement · Essential or desirable · Why required
LearnThe success picture
What good looks like at the end of the first year, written before hiring.
2 attributes: Outcome · Assessed over
Learn
Ask of every requirement: what happens if they cannot do this? A third of the list usually fails that question.
The other components in recruitment and selection
The assessment design
How candidates will be assessed against the definition, decided before the first conversation rather than adjusted during.
LearnThe decision record
What was decided, on what evidence, and what the panel was uncertain about — kept because it is useful long after the hire.
Learn