I was looking at my Linkedin dash and saw this teaser for an Infrastructure Project Manager job in Lake Forest, Il:
Multi-national client has the need for an experienced System Delivery Project manager to assist on business projects and IT stand alone projects. The business projects would entail being the system lead managing the execution of all infrastructure tasks required to meet the project requirements. The IT projects would require extensive PM expertise leading and managing the stand alone infrastructure projects including system upgrades and new system installations within the IT organization.
Likely managing 4-5 projects concurrently across multiple regions and multiple technical solution domains. The professional will have to manage their allocated resources and manage project scope, milestones and budget. They will be responsible for project communication through different channels and across all levels of the organization. Additional experience in managing application projects is a plus.
Was it the goal here to write the most depressing job description possible? It's pretty common to see posts like this, where my takeaway is they are seeking an experienced, skilled PM to install some big, dull application in a big, dull office where maybe no-one wants it anyway, and the PM will take the blame if many dull projects don't get done. There isn't a single benefit listed, no details into the company, only duties. Are project managers such a commodity that HR doesn't even bother making their job sound interesting? Is this job really this dry? I would guess "probably not" to both questions, although warning flags are raised regarding the latter. So why make the job sound less appealing than McDonald's fry guy? Who would apply for this position? Woe is them.
Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating the Ninja Rockstar approach is appropriate, but assuming that a company wants to hire the best person they can, it would be helpful to make the job sound somewhat appealing. If the brutal truth is that the job is going to be this dull, it may go a long way towards discovering why the position is open in the first place.
The fact that this description is used by a recruiting company is that much worse. Is there no one at the recruiting agency who can look at this and say, "Hmm, is there anything fun about this job you want to tell readers about? Benefits, Perks, Advantages career-wise? It might make it easier for my staff to find someone." A quick check to make sure the job doesn't sound like bureacratic drudgery might put the role in a more competitive light. Enterprise could take a cue from the startup world.