Linking the job architecture to recruitment: how to set it up

Why recruitment needs a job architecture

Most recruitment processes start with a job posting written on the basis of a conversation with the hiring manager. That produces a text colored by the manager's preferences, the urgency of the moment and the time available.

A job architecture changes that. For each job, it defines which competencies, behavioral indicators, responsibilities and requirements belong to it. Those definitions are objective, reusable and organization-wide.

For recruitment, this means you do not have to work out from scratch every time what the job involves. The job profile is already there. The recruiter translates it into an appealing text, not into a job definition.

That not only saves time, but also raises quality. Every vacancy for the same job uses the same criteria. That makes comparing candidates fairer and the process more transparent.

From job profile to job posting

The job profile contains everything you need for the job posting.

• Responsibilities: what does someone do in this job? Concrete tasks and key result areas.
• Competencies: which behavioral competencies are needed? With behavioral indicators that describe what you want to see.
• Requirements: which education, experience and certifications are required?
• Terms of employment: salary indication, type of contract, FTE range, way of working.

The job posting is built up from these elements. The recruiter adds the appealing layer of tone of voice, team context and employer branding. But the foundation comes from the job profile.

From job profile to interview questions

The competencies in the job profile have behavioral indicators, which are concrete descriptions of observable behavior. For each behavioral indicator, a STAR question is formulated.

• Example: the competency "Results orientation" has the behavioral indicator "Sets measurable goals and actively steers toward achieving them." The interview question becomes: "Describe a situation in which you had to achieve an ambitious goal. How did you approach it?"

The behavioral anchors (BARS) for scoring also come from the job profile. Score 5 describes what strong behavior looks like for this specific indicator. Score 1 describes what weak behavior looks like.

This process can be done manually, but it can also be automated. If the behavioral indicators are in the job architecture, the interview questions and anchors can be generated.

From job profile to assessment criteria

An assessment measures aptitude and potential. The criteria it measures against come from the job profile.

The job profile defines which competencies are critical for the job. The assessment measures whether the candidate has the aptitude to develop or demonstrate those competencies.

In a selection assessment, the question is whether this candidate fits this job. The job profile defines what "fitting" means.

The assessment results are comparable with the interview scores because they use the same competencies. That makes it possible to build an overall picture per competency from multiple sources.

From selection data back to the job profile

The connection works both ways. The job profile feeds the recruitment process, but the recruitment process also returns data.

If you track over time which competency profiles are successful in which jobs, you can improve the job profile. Perhaps "analytical ability" turns out to be more important than expected, or "stress resistance" less relevant.

This is people analytics in practice, combining selection data, performance data and retention data to continuously improve the job profile.

That is only possible if the job architecture and the recruitment process speak the same language. If the interview scores are linked to the same behavioral indicators as the job profile, the feedback loop is direct.

What if you do not have a job architecture yet?

Not every organization has a complete job architecture. That need not stand in the way of better recruitment.

Start with the job you are recruiting for. Define the competencies, behavioral indicators and requirements for that specific job. Use that as the basis for the job posting and the interview questions.

Every job you define this way is a building block for the job architecture. Over time, the job architecture grows organically from the recruitment process.

The investment pays for itself right away. The first vacancy takes more time to set up, but every subsequent vacancy for the same job is faster and better.

The bridge to internal mobility

A job architecture that is connected to recruitment is automatically also connected to internal mobility.

Before you recruit externally, you can check whether there are internal candidates who match the job profile. Talent matching compares the profile of internal employees with the requirements of the vacancy.

If an internal candidate is an 80% match, that may be a better investment than recruiting externally. The 20% gap becomes a development plan instead of a recruitment cost.

This only works if the job architecture, the assessment data and the feedback data use the same competencies. Then the comparison between internal and external is fair and well-founded.