More Than a Job Description: Show Candidates the Bigger Picture

The start of a new school year brings Human Resources into sharp focus. Vacancies must be filled, new employees welcomed, and current staff supported. Amid those immediate demands, it is worth considering whether prospective employees are receiving enough meaningful information to understand what makes your district—and the opportunity you are offering—distinctive.

Every district has a story that extends beyond the standard description included in a job posting. Enrollment, student achievement, workforce information, departmental responsibilities, and operational accomplishments can give candidates a clearer picture of the organization they may join. Using specific, current facts can strengthen recruitment materials, help answer questions from applicants and employees, and provide valuable context during discussions with bargaining units.

Give Human Resources the Information to Tell Your Story

The Human Resources team has the significant responsibility of attracting and hiring knowledgeable and talented professionals to support students. When HR posts a position, the announcement typically includes general information about the district. However, that information may not be current or specific enough to distinguish your district from other employers.

Once the fiscal year has closed, HR could benefit from receiving updated district and department data to use in job postings, recruitment materials, career fairs, social media, and conversations with prospective candidates.

That information might include:

• Student enrollment

• Number of schools and programs

• Number of certificated and classified employees

• Number and percentage of high-needs students

• Graduation rate

• Student achievement highlights

• Professional development opportunities

• Employees receiving health benefits

• Years of service among current employees

• Other accomplishments that reflect the district’s culture and priorities

Instead of relying only on general phrases such as “a district of excellence focused on student success,” use verified data to demonstrate what that means. For example, a district might say: “Join a district serving 8,500 students across 12 schools, where 94% of seniors graduated last year and elementary students achieved a 10-percentage-point increase in English language arts proficiency over three years.”

The actual information will differ by district, but specific facts can give applicants a clearer and more credible picture of the organization they may be joining.

Add Department Details to Hard-to-Fill Job Postings

For hard-to-fill positions, including information about the department and its operations may encourage prospective candidates to take a closer look at your posting. Applicants should not have to search through multiple pages of the district’s website to understand the scope of the position or the department in which they would work.

I recall having difficulty recruiting bus drivers and substitute bus drivers. We eventually placed an advertisement in a transportation professional magazine to reach a more targeted audience. By including information about the size of the fleet, the number of students transported, annual mileage, and other details about the transportation operation, we attracted greater interest from prospective candidates.

The same approach could be used for other hard-to-fill positions. For example:

• A technology position could include the number of schools, devices, and users supported.

• A maintenance position could include the district’s total square footage, number of facilities, and types of systems maintained.

• A nutrition services position could highlight the number of kitchens and meals served each year.

• A payroll position could include the number of employees paid, payroll cycles, timecards processed, and W-2 forms issued.

• A purchasing position could include the number of purchase orders, contracts, and vendor payments processed annually.

• A special education position could describe the programs offered, students served, and support team available.

These details help applicants understand the scale and nature of the work. They may also attract professionals who have experience with similar operations or who are looking for an opportunity to expand their skills.

Build an HR Information Sheet

HR could maintain a concise information sheet containing the district facts most useful for recruitment and employee communications. Department leaders could contribute a small number of statistics each year after the prior fiscal year closes.

Gathering this information should not require an extensive manual effort. Most districts now use online forms and electronic platforms for applications, payroll, purchasing, work orders, technology support, and other processes. These systems already collect much of the information needed to determine the number of applications received, employees hired, timecards processed, work orders completed, help desk requests resolved, and similar transactions. In many cases, the information can be obtained from an existing report or dashboard.

The goal is not to overwhelm applicants with numbers. HR can select the facts most relevant to each position and use them to supplement the district’s broader message.

Department leaders should also review the information for accuracy and provide context when necessary. Consistent definitions are important so the district can update and compare the same core information each year.

Use Data to Support Negotiations

Accurate and accessible information can also be useful during negotiations with bargaining units. It is helpful to know the number of certificated and classified employees, but that figure tells only part of the story.

The number of full-time and part-time employees, vacancies, substitute assignments, employees receiving health benefits, years of service, and positions hired during the year may provide a more complete picture of the district’s workforce.

You may not always have the latest data available at the beginning of a discussion, but you can reference the prior year’s actual figures. Doing so demonstrates that you are prepared and provides a credible starting point for the conversation.

Help Applicants See Themselves in Your District

Recruitment is an opportunity to tell prospective employees not only what the district needs, but also what they could become part of. General descriptions may introduce the district, but current facts and specific accomplishments make its story more tangible.

As the new school year begins, take time to capture the story of the year that just ended. Provide HR with updated district information, ask department leaders to identify facts that describe their operations, and use the data strategically in recruitment efforts.

The information already exists. The real opportunity is to use it to help prospective employees understand the district, appreciate the scope of its operations, and see how their knowledge and talents could contribute to student success.

By: Jenny Delgado, CASBO Certified CBO/Consultant
Retired Assistant Superintendent, Huntington Beach City School District