Patio Pondering: When Job Descriptions Don’t Tell the Whole Story

It’s been a busy time here on the patio working on a couple of consulting projects, but this morning’s coffee is extra enjoyable as I watch the sunrise over the wet landscape. The hot coffee fills me with comfort as I recharge my batteries for the day ahead.

A couple of weeks ago, several friends sent me a job description and all said, “Jim, this looks just like you.” I read through it and thought, this is a no-brainer — a perfect match for my 25 years as a swine nutritionist and 18 years of direct work with producers. I crafted my résumé carefully to fit the job description and wrote a cover letter that highlighted how my experience aligned with each of the key requirements.

The screening phone interview with the HR director was going really well until they mentioned, almost in passing, “This position would have some leadership and mentorship responsibilities with one other person.”

I wasn’t mentally prepared for that question. My leadership experience started years ago in 4-H and Boy Scouts and has continued through the years, leading cross-functional teams that merged research, marketing, and nutrition to meet customer demands. But because it wasn’t in the job description, I hadn’t prepared examples or stories to highlight it. I stumbled through my answer, saying something vague like, “I haven’t led people directly, but I could do it.” Not my best moment, especially considering the mentoring and coaching I’ve done recently.

Other than that stumble, I thought the interview went great. I was already thinking about next steps when the “thanks but no thanks” email arrived.

I was dumbfounded. My résumé nearly mirrored the job description word for word. It talked about working directly with customers, being the face of the company at events like World Pork Expo and Iowa Pork Congress, and leading presentations and training sessions, all things I’ve done and done well throughout my career.

I reached out to the company president, whom I know, to ask what I was missing. His response:

“You have a lot of great experience, but the team was looking for someone with leadership and mentorship experience.”

What the heck? I went back and looked at the job description again. There was nothing in the essential functions or core competencies about leadership, mentorship, or supervision. Just a standard HR boilerplate line: “The Swine Nutritionist may have direct supervisory responsibilities.”

It wasn’t part of the essential functions or competencies, just a vague afterthought. The kind of sentence that checks a box for HR but doesn’t tell a candidate much about what the company really values.

I’m not frustrated because I didn’t get the job; after nearly sixty “no’s” over the last year, I’ve learned to take those in stride. I’m frustrated because what they wanted wasn’t what they said they wanted. If leadership and mentorship had been clearly listed, I would have highlighted my years of leading youth programs, mentoring colleagues, and coordinating cross-functional teams. I would have been prepared to discuss it in the interview. But they didn’t, and I wasn’t.

So here I sit, disappointed yes, but mostly frustrated by yet another example of incomplete communication. I was qualified for that position. More than qualified. But I didn’t get to highlight it because I didn’t know it was part of the criteria.

And as 2025 rolls on, I realize I’m not alone. I read about it all the time from other job seekers: “I matched the job they posted, not the candidate they were actually seeking.”