Comes a comment from one of Mighty Mau’s followers (or potential applicant, mayhaps):
“Refreshing to see a JD that cuts the corporate jargon and actually describes the chaos of working with a founder. I’m not currently looking for a move, but I couldn’t scroll past without acknowledging the directness here.
More “open role” posts should lead with this kind of vulnerability and clear archetype expectations—it saves everyone a lot of wasted time.
I’m interested in seeing where HireUA goes”
This was in response to an open job I had for an Operations Manager at HireUA (my offshore staffing company), in spring.
And this is what I want to talk about today.
Because in that job description, I embedded a video. In that video, in the first 10 seconds, I said the following words:
“You can either decide if this is something you’re still interested in, or if you’re totally, terrified, I would understand as well.”
That was it.
I was honest.
Straight to the point.
I was telegraphing something.
This is going to be tough, and it’s going to be hard, and I’m not easy to work with, but I also know it. But under the scene…I was also doing something else. I was setting a standard. And I was also leaving a nasty smell to anyone who didn’t like my essence.
Because here’s what most job descriptions do:
They lie.
- “Fast-paced environment.” (We’re disorganized.)
- “Wear many hats.” (There’s no one else.)
- “Self-starter.” (We won’t train you.)
- “Competitive salary.” (It’s not competitive.)
Every JD reads like a dating profile written by someone who’s 5’6” and says they’re 5’10”.
(I’m proudly 5’9″ and only ever lied to 5’10”, ladies)
Everyone knows. Nobody says anything. And then both sides show up to the first date disappointed.
I don’t do that.
And you know what happened?
The wrong people ran. Which is exactly what I wanted.
Good good, scurry away and along now.
The people who saw that video — heard me say “this is going to be hard and I’m not easy to work with” — and STILL applied?
These are my monkeys.
That’s the filter most companies are too scared to use.
They write JDs that attract everyone and repel no one. And then they wonder why they’re drowning in 500 applications from people who have no business being there.
A good job description isn’t a magnet. It’s a filter. It should actively repel the wrong people. The more specific, the more honest, the more “this might terrify you” — the better the candidates who make it through.
Now flip it.
You’re the candidate.
When you read a job description that’s vague, polished, corporate jargon soup — that’s telling you something too.
It’s telling you they don’t know what they want. They haven’t defined the pain. They’re going to waste your time with a checklist interview and then ghost you for 3 weeks while they “align internally.”
But when you read a JD that’s raw, specific, maybe even a little scary — that’s a company that knows exactly what they need.
And if you match it, you’re not competing against 500 people.
You’re competing against many magnitudes less.
Chapter 9 of 10,000 Interviews is about this. About reading a job description like a confession, not a wish list. About finding the pain before you walk in the room.
Because the pain is always in there. Most candidates just don’t know how to read it.
The ones who do?
They walk in already knowing the answer before the question is asked.
To learn how, link’s here:
