A success profile is a great tool for recruiters to use when planning for a new open role at the company.
It’s a description of a role in terms of its inputs and outputs—simply put, what will make a candidate successful. Writing this all down helps the team get on the same page in what they’re looking for when it comes to hiring the right candidate and is a useful tool for assessing candidates during the selection process.
It’s helpful to create a success profile before you start on the job description. Job Descriptions (JD) do a good job of describing the outputs of a job, i.e. what will this role be responsible for. But there’s often a gap in describing the inputs needed to be successful in the role.
While success in the role is measured by the outputs delivered and impact created, outputs or impact can only be measured post-facto. Inputs, however, can be controlled.
In order to be able to predict success on the job and control it, we need to be able to define “job inputs.” An input is defined as the set of skills and competencies needed to be able to deliver the outputs needed.
A success profile requires that each input be described with examples so that the bar for each skill/competency is clear from the description. When described this way, a success profile is a great tool not only to assess candidates during the hiring process but also to measure performance of incumbents in the job.
To get started creating a success profile, use this template. Simply copy and paste the text into your own document and fill in the blanks.
After you complete the success profile, you can get started on writing an amazing job description.
Have a question about the template? Feel free to reach out and email jason@purpose.jobs.
