TITLE & ROLE OVERVIEW

By Paul Freed/Managing Partner – Herd Freed Hartz Executive Search

THE BIG IDEA
This is where the role-specific pitch begins. Use a title candidates would actually search for, then give a 2–3 sentence, plain-language summary of the job — the version you’d give someone standing in line for coffee. Then make the whole thing easy to skim.

By the numbers: Eye-tracking research found job seekers spend under a minute — roughly 49 seconds — on a posting they judge to be a poor fit, and consistently less time than they think. You have seconds, not minutes, to make the role legible. (The Ladders)

WHY IT MATTERS

• Candidates search by title first. A clever title (“Customer Happiness Consultant”) or a cryptic one (“Sales Rep III”) can hide the role from the very people you want. Keep internal names internal; list a title the market recognizes.
• A 2–3 sentence overview lets someone “get it” fast. Example: “This newly created marketing role reports to the VP of Marketing, owns all of our online and social campaigns, leads a team of two, and manages our outside agencies.”
• Skimmability wins. No one enjoys a wall of text. Headers, spacing, bold, and links make it easy to read — and easy to read reads as a well-run company.

HOW TO LEVEL IT UP

Clean formatting. Headers, bullets, spacing, bold, italics, hyperlinks, and a graphic or two for structure and ease.

A market-recognizable title. It matches what a qualified person calls the role today — not necessarily what you call it internally (you can explain that later).

A crisp role summary. Scope, why the role exists, and what “great” looks like — in 2–3 sentences.

Good job – You just completed component #4: TITLE & OVERVIEW

NEXT STEP: #5 KEY OUTCOMES

PRIOR STEP: #3 AUTHENTIC