Understanding Job Descriptions

Shopify's product team has a neat framework for clarifying responsibilities on projects. It's called the AAA framework. Each team member is assigned one of three roles: 1. Aiming: responsible for strategy and direction of what we are building 2. Assembling: responsible for bringing the right people together and keeping them on track 3. Achieving: responsible for the day-to-day work of getting shit done (GSD) like design, code, etc. As Glen Coates shared with me, "Most companies think of hierarchy and jobs basically as this sort of single line of leadership downward, based on how senior you are. But a few years ago we introduced the AAA framework. The idea is you don’t want to take on a leadership job and suddenly be responsible for aiming when you’re really passionate about assembly, or the other way around. It’s helped us put people in the right roles and not just have one dimension of leadership that everyone has to conform to. On projects, it’s really good to be able to know who’s the aimer, responsible for the strategy. It may not be the most senior person in the room; it may be the staff designer or the staff engineer. It’s sometimes good to know that the team’s manager actually isn’t the aimer, which is by design. Then there’s usually dedicated product ops and program management people who are responsible for the assembly. And of course, the achievers, who actually do the work." Read more about Shopify's product development process → https://lnkd.in/gSdgu5me

𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 🔍 Unlock the Secrets: What Job Descriptions Really Tell You Navigating job descriptions can be like decoding a complex cipher. While they lay out responsibilities and qualifications, they often carry subtle cues about the company culture and expectations. Understanding these hidden messages can save you from landing in a less-than-ideal workplace. 🎯 Red Flag Radar: What to Watch Out For Beware of phrases like "wear many hats" or "fast-paced environment." While these can signal exciting opportunities, they often hint at a lack of resources or high turnover rates. Job descriptions that emphasize "rockstar" or "ninja" can also indicate a company with unrealistic expectations for performance and possibly a chaotic work environment. 💡 Actionable Tip: Look for Transparency A well-crafted job description will clearly state expectations, growth opportunities, and company culture. Transparency about these aspects often correlates with a supportive and structured work environment. On the flip side, vague descriptions or a lack of detail about the role's specific tasks might be a sign that the company hasn’t thought the position through. 🚀 Real Insight: Beyond Buzzwords While trendy terms and buzzwords can make a job sound exciting, they can sometimes mask the realities of the position. Phrases like "opportunity for advancement" should be backed by concrete examples or a clear path for growth within the company. Without these, such phrases may just be filler, not real promises. 🔗 Connect & Engage: The Importance of Asking Questions When interviewing, ask specific questions about daily responsibilities, team structure, and success metrics. The answers can provide clarity and help you understand whether the job aligns with your career goals and values. 𝙅𝙤𝙗 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨; 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮’𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡. 𝘽𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. Are you reading job descriptions right? Share your experiences and tips below! ----------------------------------- Follow Surya Vajpeyi for more such content💜 #CareerAdvice #JobHunting #LinkedInTips

7 Job Posting Red Flags (That You Can Spot in 60 Seconds): 1. Vague Title, Heavy Scope Titles map to pay bands. Low title? Lower band. In other words? “Coordinator” who “owns strategy, budget, and roadmaps”? That’s a senior job with a junior title. Always ask for the level and salary band for the role, especially if the scope reads senior. 2. No Salary Range + “DOE” or “Competitive Pay” Many companies don’t share their budget in the job advert, and their not all necessarily a red flag. But no salary range plus “competitive pay” or “depends on experience” with a list of very specific requirements? This can mean misalignment or low budget. 3. One Person = Three Jobs If the scope reads “own sales, marketing, and product” or “design, code, and support”? It’s probably saying understaffed and with unclear priorities. Ask the recruiter or hiring manager how the scope is prioritized in the first 90 days and what two outcomes define success for this role. This will help you get a clear picture of your everyday workflow. 4. Unrealistic Requirements “Entry-level” but with 5 years’ experience and mastery of 12 tools isn’t entry-level. Expectation mismatch leads to churn and below-market offers. Ask them: “Which 3 skills matter most on day one? If I’m strong there, are the other items nice-to-have?” 5. After-Hours Language “Fast-paced”, “must thrive under pressure”, “weekends as needed”, “on-call”? Those can be signals of frequent overtime and poor planning. Make sure you ask what the typical weekly schedule looks like for a clear picture. 6. No Success Metrics Lots of tasks, but zero outcomes? That’s a red flag for growth and professional development. If success isn’t defined, performance reviews and promotions are shaky. Ask how success is measured in the first 90 days and 12 months, and what 2-3 metrics matter most. 7. Long, Unclear Interview Process  Slow, shady processes often mirror internal misalignment. Clear interview processes should be disclosed in the first round. If anything else pops up that wasn’t mentioned in the first round (e.g., additional unpaid take-home assignments)? That’s a red flag to keep an eye on. ⚠️ Sick of applying to roles that bait-and-switch you mid-process? 👉 Book a free 30-min Clarity Call and we’ll show you how to screen job posts for red flags and find value-aligned offers: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

We asked 1,084 employers what makes a great hire. 78% have hired technically skilled people who failed because other factors weren't evaluated. Here's what this taught me about the real problem with hiring: 1. We evaluate in silos - Skills OR experience OR culture fit - Never all three together - Missing the full picture - Making decisions on incomplete data 2. We confuse "qualified" with "successful" - Great on paper ≠ great on the job - Technical ability ≠ team collaboration - Right experience ≠ right fit - We're solving the wrong puzzle 3. Hiring managers want simple answers - "Just tell me if they can do the job" - "Do they have the right background?" - "Will they fit in?" - Life isn't that simple 4. Our tools encourage narrow thinking - ATS filters for keywords - Interview guides focus on experience - Reference checks ask about past performance - Nothing connects the dots 5. We're afraid of complexity - Multiple assessments seem harder - Holistic evaluation takes time - Easier to focus on one thing - But easier ≠ better 6. We test the wrong things at the wrong time - Skills after screening - Culture fit during final rounds - Learning potential never - By then, best candidates are gone 7. Success stories don't get shared - Bad hires make noise - Good hires just...work - We remember the failures - Forget what actually works TAKEAWAY: The teams with the highest hire satisfaction aren't just testing for skills. They're evaluating the complete candidate - technical ability, soft skills, learning potential, AND values fit. In this week's special report edition, I'm sharing exclusive findings from the 2025 State of Skills-Based Hiring Report. Including: - Why holistic evaluation increases satisfaction by 18 percentage points - The 4 dimensions that predict long-term success - Your action plan for seeing candidates completely The full breakdown is here 👇

Job descriptions are basically useless. There, I said it. You read "Project Manager" and think you know what the role involves. Which is miles away from the truth. I've seen project managers who spend their days in Excel building Gantt charts. And others who are essentially firefighters, jumping between crises and keeping teams from falling apart. Same job title. Completely different realities. The real problem? Job descriptions tell you what tasks you'll do, not what problems you'll solve. They list qualifications, not the actual skills that matter. And they're designed to cover the company's backside, not attract the right person. What you actually need to know: 1️⃣ What does a typical day look like? Not the sanitised version. 2️⃣ What are the biggest challenges someone in this role faces? 3️⃣ How do you measure success? And I don't mean KPIs - I mean real impact. 4️⃣ Who are you working with? What's the team dynamic like? 5️⃣ What decisions can you actually make? Here's my advice for veteran job seekers: Take the job description with a pinch of salt. It's marketing fluff. Talk to people who actually do the role. Ask them what keeps them up at night. Find out what they love about it and what drives them mental. That's how you learn about the real work. Not the bullet points in the job spec. #hiring #recruitment #careers

"We work hard and play hard here." Translation: We'll burn you out Monday through Friday, then expect you at mandatory happy hours. I started my Corporate Translation Dictionary™ after hearing this phrase at three different companies. Each time, it meant the same thing: exploitation with a beer tap. 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲™ 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 𝟐: "We're results-oriented" → Metrics matter more than mental health "Unlimited PTO" → You'll feel too guilty to take any time off "Flat organizational structure" → No clear path to promotion "We're disrupting the industry" → We have no sustainable business model "Startup mentality" → You'll do five jobs with no boundaries "High visibility role" → Everyone will watch you, but no one will support you "We promote from within" → Brad's already picked for that role "Merit-based advancement" → Your merit, Brad's advancement My personal favorite from yesterday's client call: "We want someone who can challenge the status quo" → But only in ways that don't challenge our comfort She showed me the job posting. Then the org chart. Twelve layers of status quo sitting above this "transformational role." They want revolution at analyst prices. Disruption that doesn't disrupt. Change that changes nothing. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 $𝟐𝟎𝟎𝐊: When they said "performance bonus structure," I heard earning potential. They meant moving targets you'll never hit. When they said "cross-functional leadership," I heard influence. They meant responsibility without authority. When they said "lean team," I heard efficiency. They meant skeleton crew doing enterprise work. Now my translations are instant: Them: "We need someone scrappy" Translation: "We have no budget but expect miracles" Them: "Culture fit is important" Translation: "We want someone who won't rock the boat" Them: "There's a lot of whitespace" Translation: "Nothing's documented and everything's on fire" The beauty of becoming fluent? You can't unhear the truth. Every Black woman needs her own translation dictionary. Because when you decode their language, you stop falling for their fiction. Document their patterns. Translate their extraction. Price accordingly. Build your Proof Preview. Five minutes. One documented result. https://lnkd.in/eyUNq9JE Thank You; It's True™ P.S. Just got an email about a "stretch opportunity." Translation: They want director-level work at coordinator pay. My consulting rates are in their inbox. In plain English. #BlackWomensWealthLab #CorporateTranslation #InvoiceYourWorth

How much do the words in a job ad matter? More than you think. I’ve seen how often job seekers are left to decode the fine print in postings. The words matter. Lensa has analyzed 400M+ postings and 20M+ applications since 2015. We've identified five key factors you need to watch for: • Length: Postings in the 200-400 word range usually give enough detail without drowning you. Very short posts can mean vague expectations. Extremely long ones can signal a company that isn’t clear on priorities. • Salary ranges: If pay is listed, you can compare quickly and avoid wasting time. If it isn’t, know you’ll likely have to push for clarity later. • Coded language: Words like “aggressive” or “dominant” can tell you something about culture. If those words don’t fit how you work, beware. • Buzzwords: “Rockstar,” “ninja,” “genius.” These don’t define the job. If you see them, look closely at the actual responsibilities before deciding to apply. • Benefits: Health coverage, retirement, flexibility. If these appear early in the posting, it’s a sign the company knows they matter and wants to compete for talent. Read the ad like a preview of how the company operates. Clarity in the post often predicts clarity in the job. Make your move. But first, read the words.

"I'm sending out resumes and only hearing back about entry-level jobs. I was a senior leader. I don't understand what's happening." My client Carlos came to me with this challenge. Sound familiar? If this is you, too, here's what's happening... Your resume is translating your experience into the wrong language. Hiring managers can't see your leadership because your resume isn't showing it. Research shows that resumes that lead with measurable impact get 40% more callbacks than those that list responsibilities. Here's what to change: → Remove generic phrases like "responsible for" and "managed operations" → Lead with outcomes, not duties → Add metrics to every accomplishment (dollars, percentages, team sizes, timelines) → Include a branding statement that captures how you think and solve problems → Make sure your job titles translate to your target industry → Create a "Significant Accomplishments" section in the top third → Show scope: budget sizes, team sizes, number of locations or projects → Connect your past wins to the problems your target company needs solved → Remove anything that doesn't answer: "Can this person do THIS job?" After we restructured Carlos's resume around these strategies, he went from getting interest for $14/hour jobs to landing a leadership role at his dream company within one week. His salary jumped from $40K to $72K immediately. And six years later? He's a CEO earning $1.6M. (We fueled each of those career jumps, too.) The difference wasn't his experience. It was how his resume communicated it. Save this for your next resume refresh. Is your resume connecting the dots for hiring managers? #LinkedInTopVoices #LITrendingTopics #Careers

Most candidates read job descriptions at surface level. But top candidates? They decode them. Here’s how to break down a JD and 2x your chances of landing the interview: Step 1: Identify the Must-Haves Look for repeated themes in the first 3–5 bullet points. If it says “required,” “essential,” or “minimum,” highlight those. These are the skills you must speak to in your resume and interview. Step 2: Spot the Nice-to-Haves These usually come with words like “preferred” or “bonus.” Don’t skip them, mentioning even one of these can give you an edge. Especially in a competitive hiring pool. Step 3: Uncover the Internal Pain Point Ask yourself: – Why does this role really exist? – What’s broken, delayed, or lacking in the business right now? Clues are in phrases like: “Fast-paced,” “cross-functional,” “urgently hiring,” or “newly created.” Use this to guide your outreach and talk about how you solve that specific problem. Step 4: Tailor Your Resume and Message Don’t just list your skills, mirror their language. Echo their top priorities in your resume summary, your bullets, and your outreach message. This instantly signals alignment. This approach isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about showing you understand the real job behind the JD. Want to land mid-to-senior roles with less guesswork? Follow me for more breakdowns like this.

🚩 Job descriptions decoded: What they say vs. what they often mean Sometimes it feels like job postings are written in code. Here are a few phrases I’ve learned to read between the lines and the questions I now ask in interviews: 🔺 “Must operate in ambiguity” 👉 Translation: We don’t have a clear strategy or structure. You’ll be expected to figure it out as you go. 💬 Ask: What does support look like when things are unclear? 🔺 “Fast-paced environment” 👉 Translation: We’re understaffed and revisiting priorities daily. 💬 Ask: What’s a typical day or week look like here? 🔺 “High-growth company” 👉 Translation: Change is constant, and the firehose is always on. 💬 Ask: How are you scaling teams and processes alongside that growth? 🔺 “Wears many hats” 👉 Translation: You’ll be doing multiple jobs, only one will be in your title. 💬 Ask: What are the top priorities for this role? 🔺 “We’re like a family” 👉 Translation: Expect blurred boundaries, emotional dynamics, and maybe weekend emails. 💬 Ask: How does the team support work-life balance? 🔺 “Self-starter” or “Entrepreneurial” 👉 Translation: Minimal support. You’re on your own. 💬 Ask: What does onboarding look like, and who’s available for guidance? What are some phrases you’ve learned to decode?