Why Do Those Ridiculous Job Descriptions Exist?

We’ve all seen those exaggerated job descriptions that ask for every skill known to man and then you read that it’s either an “entry level” role or they want to pay a ridiculously low salary.

Nancy Collamer, a retirement career coach, once captured what those employers wanted perfectly when she wrote:

Progressive employer seeks Harvard-trained neuroscientist and beauty pageant winner. Must be fluent in Mandarin and skilled at tribal basket weaving. Minimum of 10 years experience working for high-tech companies. Salary: mid-30’s.

So why do those ads exist?
1) Often because the person who is placing the ad is inexperienced. It could be an HR person who is very green or a hiring manager who doesn’t know what they want so they ask for everything
2) They are looking for multiple roles but can’t afford multiple salaries so they roll everything they need into one position
3) They want a unicorn hire, but unwilling to pay for that person’s unique background or expertise
4) There is not an immediate need, they can wait forever for that person to come along and are hoping they will get someone who is willing to take the role because they’re desperate ie. layoffs

Do employers really think they will find someone with those requirements at that price?
The unrealistic ones, the inexperienced ones and the greedy ones do.

That’s why when you see a job description like that, you need to proceed with caution. It’s a huge red flag of a company that is not well run. That job description is their first impression for potential candidates. If they are all over the place with their requirements they come off as incompetent. If they ask for a salary that doesn’t match the job description they come off as cheap. Why would anyone want to work for them? They could also be a waste of your time. I’ve often seen candidates have 5+ rounds of interviews with companies that didn’t really know what they wanted and at the final round still couldn’t make a decision, so it was a big waste of time for all involved.

Your time is just as valuable as theirs, don’t waste it on companies that don’t take the time to write thoughtful job descriptions and have unrealistic expectations.

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