Describe the work, not the ideal person. The specs that get replies say what the engineer will build, which platforms they’ll use, where they’ll be and what it pays. The specs that get ignored list fifteen requirements and no salary.
Most of the specs that land on our desk are wish lists. Ten years of Rockwell, five of DeltaV, Ignition certified, panel design, commissioning, willing to travel 50%, and a salary band that would’ve been competitive in 2021. The engineer who ticks every box is already earning more than the band, and the engineer who ticks eight of ten reads the list and assumes they’re out.
Start with the project. What’s the plant, what’s the process, what’s being built or migrated and when does it go live. Engineers choose jobs on the work, and a spec that says “FactoryTalk Batch migration at a food plant in Ohio, commissioning in Q2” tells them more than any list of competencies.
Then the platform, singular if you can. If the job is DeltaV, say DeltaV. If it’s Rockwell with some Ignition, say that. A spec that lists every platform you’ve ever used reads as “we’ll take anyone”, and good engineers don’t apply to those.
Put the number on it. A salary band on the spec is what gets a reply from engineers who are currently employed and not actively looking, which is most of the engineers worth hiring. Leaving it off doesn’t protect your budget. It filters out the people who won’t waste a call finding out.
Say what the travel is in days, not percentages. “Around a week a month on site, the rest from home” is a sentence an engineer can take to their family. “Up to 50% travel” is a sentence that ends the conversation.
Cut anything you wouldn’t reject someone for. If a certification is nice to have, it goes in a sentence at the end or it goes. Every must have that isn’t a must have costs you the engineer who has everything else.
Finally, get the hiring manager to write the first draft. Specs that come from HR describe the vacancy. Specs that come from the person the engineer will work for describe the job, and engineers can tell the difference in the first paragraph.
