Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Forget Job Descriptions
Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to prove to employers that you're the most qualified person for the job. And that often means proving that their job descriptions are vague, off-track--and that they very likely aren't quite sure about the job's detailed responsibilities or the ideal person to fill it. And that goes for most positions--CEO, CIO, CTO, CKO, CMO, PM, software developer, loading dock supervisor, security guard…you name it.
Even HR pundits would agree that job descriptions are poorly defined. I'm convinced that the most successful candidates have learned how to interpret job descriptions and not believe everything they read. Experienced project managers, particularly, are trained to question everything. It's almost instinctive. To do their job properly, they've got to look inside the engine to see how it works.
Suffice it to say that most job descriptions are little more than threadbare explanations of daily responsibilities. No matter what a job description says, count on doing at least 25 percent more. So what do you do about it? It's not as difficult as you think. I'm going to show you in the paragraphs ahead.
There is a big difference between appearance and reality. Job descriptions prove it. Still, if you're not a carbon copy of what employers think they want, the challenge you face is convincing them you are.
Don't be upset by …
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A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines. - Frank Lloyd Wright |