A company was recently preparing to hire a new Vice President of Sales. Like many organizations, they wanted to be thoughtful about the role before launching the search. The leadership team worked together to build a detailed Job Scorecard™, carefully outlining what success in the position would look like.
During that process, the team identified the major responsibilities of the role and estimated how much time the new VP of Sales would realistically spend on each one. Their breakdown looked like this:
- Leading and developing the sales team – 40%
- Administrative leadership activities – 30%
- Creating sales strategy – 10%
- Building and refining sales processes – 10%
- Personally selling – 10%
The exercise immediately clarified something important: although the title was VP of Sales, the job was not primarily about selling. Only a small portion of the role involved direct sales activity. The majority of the job required leadership, team development, and operational structure.
With the scorecard completed, the company moved forward with posting the position. To accelerate the search, they hired an outside firm to help find candidates.
But something unexpected happened.
The firm removed the percentage breakdown from the job posting.
At first glance, that decision seemed minor. The responsibilities were still listed, and the title of the role remained the same. However, once interviews began, the leadership team quickly noticed a pattern.
The candidates being presented all had strong sales backgrounds. Many had impressive track records as top producers. They were energetic, competitive, and clearly comfortable in a “hunter” style sales role.
But they were not the type of leaders the company was looking for.
Instead of focusing on building a team, developing strategy, and strengthening the sales organization, most of the candidates were motivated by closing deals themselves. The very traits that made them successful as individual sales performers were not aligned with the leadership-heavy role the company had defined.
The leadership team was confused at first. Why were so many candidates misunderstanding the role?
Eventually, they discovered the source of the problem. The job posting had removed the percentages of time associated with each responsibility. Without that information, candidates interpreted the position through the lens of the title alone. A role called “VP of Sales” naturally attracts people who believe they will spend most of their time selling.
In reality, the role required something very different.
Once the company realized what had happened, they ended their relationship with the search firm and restarted the process using the original scorecard with the percentage breakdown clearly included.
The quality of candidates changed almost immediately.
Why Most Job Descriptions Create Confusion
Most leaders are careful when writing job descriptions. They typically include a list of responsibilities and try to communicate what the role is expected to accomplish. This helps candidates understand the general scope of the position and which responsibilities are most important.
However, job descriptions often stop at prioritizing responsibilities rather than explaining how the role actually functions day to day.
A candidate may see a list that includes leadership, strategy, process development, and selling responsibilities, but without additional context it is difficult to know which activities dominate the role.
Titles alone can be misleading. So can lists of responsibilities. Without clarity about how much time is spent in each area, candidates are left to fill in the gaps with their own assumptions.
Those assumptions are frequently wrong.
The Value of Percentages in a Job Description
Including percentages of time for major responsibilities adds a level of clarity that most job descriptions lack.
When candidates can see how their time will be distributed, they can quickly determine whether the role aligns with how they prefer to work. Someone who thrives on building teams and developing strategy will view a leadership-heavy role very differently than someone who prefers the excitement of direct sales.
In the same way, a highly analytical candidate may be drawn to a role that includes significant time spent designing systems and processes, while someone who prefers relationship-driven work may find that environment less appealing.
By showing how time is allocated, organizations allow candidates to make a more informed decision about whether the role fits their strengths and motivations.
This clarity benefits both sides of the hiring process.
Percentages Help Hiring Teams Clarify the Role
The exercise of assigning percentages does more than inform candidates. It also forces the hiring team to clarify its own expectations.
When leaders begin estimating how time should be distributed across responsibilities, the conversation often becomes surprisingly lively. Different stakeholders may have very different assumptions about what the role actually requires.
Some may believe the new hire should spend most of their time selling. Others may believe leadership and coaching should dominate the role. Still others may prioritize strategy or operational improvement.
As these perspectives surface, the hiring team must reconcile them. Inevitably, someone will suggest percentages that push the total well beyond 100 percent—a clear sign that expectations are unrealistic.
That moment of realization is valuable.
It allows the team to adjust the role before hiring someone into an impossible situation. By debating the percentages openly, leaders align on what success in the role truly looks like.
Improving Hiring Decisions Through Clarity
When job descriptions include both priorities and percentages, they communicate a much more accurate picture of the role.
Candidates can evaluate whether the position fits their strengths and interests. Hiring teams gain greater clarity about the behavioral and leadership capabilities required for success. And the organization avoids the costly mistake of attracting candidates who are motivated by a very different version of the job.
In many ways, this small detail makes the difference between a job description that simply lists responsibilities and one that truly explains how the role works.
If the goal of hiring is to find someone who will succeed in the position, clarity is essential.
Including percentages of time alongside the major job responsibilities is a simple step that can dramatically improve that clarity—and ultimately lead to better hiring decisions.
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