Most job descriptions are written like sales brochures. They highlight the perks, growth, and culture but leave out the realities. The problem is that this one-sided approach attracts people who are excited about the glossy version of the job, not the full reality of the work.
Great job descriptions do both. They sell the role by showing its opportunities and rewards, and they unsell the role by being honest about the challenges. This balance helps candidates make an informed decision, which leads to better long-term fit and lower turnover.
Why You Must Sell and Unsell
- Build trust: Candidates respect leaders who are upfront.
- Filter wisely: People who are scared off by the challenges probably would not have thrived anyway.
- Strengthen commitment: Candidates who accept the offer know exactly what they are signing up for.
How to Sell the Role
Highlight what makes the role rewarding and meaningful:
- The opportunity to lead high-visibility projects.
- The chance to grow within a values-driven company.
- The impact the role will have on the organization’s mission.
Example: “As a Project Manager, you will deliver homes that stand as a visible legacy of craftsmanship and design integrity in the community.”
How to Unsell the Role
Be honest about the stressors, constraints, or complexities of the role:
- The need to manage demanding clients with high expectations.
- The challenge of balancing budget pressures with design intent.
- The reality of leading teams through setbacks, conflicts, or schedule crunches.
Example: “This role requires navigating competing priorities under tight deadlines while maintaining quality and client trust.”
The right candidates will appreciate the
What Happens When You Skip Unselling
If you only sell the role, the risk is false advertising. The candidate discovers the hidden challenges later, feels misled, and may check out emotionally or leave altogether. That is an expensive way to learn a simple lesson: honesty on the front end saves pain on the back end.
The Takeaway
A strong job description paints the role in high definition. It shows the rewards and the realities. When candidates see both, they self-select with more clarity, and you end up with people who are not just willing to take the job but ready to succeed in it.
In This Series
- Why Job Descriptions Fail
Job descriptions fail because they list activities, not what must be achieved. Done right, they're a leader's sharpest tool for hiring and hard conversations.
- Connect Mission, Vision, and Values
A job description that reads like an island tells candidates what they'll do, not why it matters. Connect every role to mission, vision, and values.
- Define Outcomes, Not Tasks
Job descriptions that list tasks instead of outcomes measure activity, not contribution. You can manage subcontractors all day and still miss schedule.
- Sell and Unsell the Role You are here
A job description written like a brochure attracts people sold on the glossy version. Selling and unselling honestly filters for those who thrive in the actual work.
- Define Success
Most job descriptions stop at activities and vague traits. The 30/90/365 success framework tells candidates and leaders exactly what winning looks like and when.
- Manage to the Job Description
Most job descriptions go into a folder the day someone signs. The document that defined the role should run every review, every coaching conversation, and every raise that follows.
- Hard Conversations and Termination
A well-written job description turns termination from a gut-call into a documented conversation. Hard conversations need a clear anchor, not a personal one.
- Design the Role First
Seven installments of job description building come together here into a single role design framework any construction leader can apply to any position.
- Example Job Descriptions
Most construction JDs are compliance checkboxes or marketing fluff. This post shows what outcome-based JDs look like, with full examples for a PM and Superintendent.
- Interview to the Job Description
A strong job description is useless if you don't use it in the interview. Give each interviewer a category. That builds comparable evidence and ends the scramble.
- Onboard to the Job Description
Most onboarding stops at paperwork and introductions. Onboarding to the job description turns success metrics into a living 30/90/365-day roadmap from day one.
The short version.
- What does it mean to 'unsell' a role in a job description?
- Unselling means being honest about the stressors, constraints, and complexities of the job: demanding clients with high expectations, budget pressures competing with design intent, and leading teams through setbacks and schedule crunches. A great job description sells the opportunities and unsells the challenges so candidates can make an informed decision.
- Why should a job description include the downsides of the job?
- Three reasons: it builds trust, because candidates respect leaders who are upfront; it filters wisely, because people scared off by the challenges probably would not have thrived anyway; and it strengthens commitment, because candidates who accept know exactly what they are signing up for. That balance leads to better long-term fit and lower turnover.
- What happens when a company only sells the role?
- It becomes false advertising. The candidate discovers the hidden challenges later, feels misled, and may check out emotionally or leave altogether. Honesty on the front end saves pain on the back end, and a one-sided description attracts people excited about the glossy version of the job rather than the full reality of the work.
- How do I sell a role well without exaggerating?
- Highlight what genuinely makes the role rewarding and meaningful: the opportunity to lead high-visibility projects, the chance to grow within a values-driven company, and the impact the role has on the organization's mission. Pair that with an honest account of the realities, selling without overselling, so the description paints the role in high definition and candidates self-select with clarity.
