How to Write an Agile Job Ad
A note to hiring managers and HR departments.
— Related post: Cheap Agile. Yum!
On leaving full-time employment I signed up for job alerts on Glassdoor. For the past thirty days I've been receiving either completely unrelated alerts (HR manager, technical program manager, etc.) or alerts for Scrum/Agile jobs that so completely miss the point that I started to feel I was in some kind of alternate reality, where Agile means "exactly what we are doing now, with new, glitter-cat branding".
Here is a real example, one of hundreds. I have bolded the terms that especially jarred, but the tone of the whole thing was seriously misguided. This is an example of how not to write an Agile job ad.
Our Client is seeking a Program Manager/ScrumMaster within their Marketing team.
Responsibilities
The contract Program Manager will drive timely execution of multiple projects. The team operates in an Agile environment utilizing Scrum methodology. The person will serve as the ScrumMaster and lead op mechs such as backlog grooming, sprint pre-planning, sprint planning, daily scrums, and retrospectives. The resource will also be a program manager, with activities such as providing portfolio metrics, such as burn down charts and utilization, communication, risks assessments, and resource planning. The person will need an ability to switch easily between different projects. This position will operate within a PMO which has program management standards and procedures, and where consistency and scalability of process is important.Tools
• Well versed in a Scrum tool – Rally preferred
• Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
This ad, like so many others, describes an old-think, left-brain organization attempting to paste Agile on top of what appears to be a deeply embedded command and control culture. The sad thing, however, is not the job posting itself—we can forgive ignorance and misunderstanding—but rather that people calling themselves Agile Coaches (or similar), people claiming to understand the paradigm, will apply for this job. It is sad, and it is wrong. Each time a so-called Agilist applies for a job of this description we perpetuate the myth, and endorse the Agile-as-band-aid mindset.
If you are truly seeking an Agile solution, an ad of this kind will attract the wrong people. You will get exactly what you ask for: compliant people, mired in old-think, who use the term Agile to sell their services without understanding its core values and principles.
This is an example of how I’d like to see organizations in search of Agile solutions write job ads:
Help! We are struggling. We can’t get our software out in a timely fashion, and our workers are frustrated and demotivated. We think Agile may be able to offer some relief. If you understand how to listen, engage people, and reduce bureaucratic overhead, please get in touch so together we may explore possibilities of change.
More generally an Agile job ad would contain three elements:
- Surrender (and/or admit failure)
- Express the problem (as best you can)
- Invite dialog
That’s it. No specifics, no solutions, no directions, no assumptions, and no requirements for certifications, specific skills, or tools! Try it. You may be surprised at what occurs.
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image source: Space Sparkle Cat by stephiee
Independent (Contract) Software Developer
4ySo an "Agile Job Ad" is essentially a prayer?
Delivery Coach, Scrum Master, DevOps, Agile, AI consultant
7yWell, that is a paradox... I have found that organisations want to be agile because it is supposed to help them achieve their objectives and solve some of their biggest problems in the product creation/delivery. Now the paradox comes when they want to hire someone to do the job, without understanding what is the job really about. I have found my self, multiple times answering to these types of adds because, I have come to the conclusion that some times, it is not up to the organisation to diagnose their pain points. Heck! they are not even aware that they are looking in the wrong place. It is up to us, as Agile advisors, to help them experience a different way to do things. Personally, I just see these adds as extra challenging, and maybe more rewarding. Do not take me wrong, I will be upfront with them from the beginning, telling them what I would change and where would I focus. Most of the time they pass, as they keep looking for their "yes man". But in the cases we come to an agreement... oh boy! those are the rewarding experiences where I feel that I really made a significant impact in the organisation and it people.
Agile Coach & Scrum Master, Detailer, JIRA whisperer. I don't do SAFe.
8yThe timing of this is uncanny - in my CoP we were discussing how our job role descriptions and what is actually happening aren't even remotely related to each other. So we decided to have a trawl around and look at some others (ours were just misleading but they sounded good on paper). I can across this specific one during my search and it sent a chill right through me: http://www.cwjobs.co.uk/JobSearch/JobDetails.aspx?JobId=64691681
Agile guide, advisor, untangler
8yPaul Boos (first commenter) —Any company that lacks a certain person or skill is admitting surrender, otherwise, why advertise at all? Trouble is, the job ads are couched in language that implies, essentially... "we are so great you will want to join our team". But if no one did, what then? The company would likely sink for lack of that person or skill/s. I'm just asking for a little more honesty, a little more vulnerability. Of course, we don't want to say "Help! We are failing!" but there's some middle ground here that is worth exploring, don't you think?
Director at Simulation Powered Learning
8yWonderful idea. A company or someone in that company has to be bold and courageous enough to write such an Ad. To admit that they are failing, struggling in a job Ad is a tough pill to swallow.I totally agree with you though, look for mindset and admit there is room for improvement.