Why defining the need is the most critical step
"A failed recruitment often begins with a poorly defined need."
Before publishing a posting or receiving CVs, the first critical step is to clarify precisely what you're looking for. This definition phase determines the success of the entire process.
Too many companies rush: "We need a sales rep, quick!". Result: a vague posting that attracts unsuitable profiles, interviews without clear criteria, a gut-feeling decision, and predictable failure.
Aurelia gently forces you to answer the right questions BEFORE looking for candidates.
What Aurelia generates for you
The complete job description
Aurelia asks you the right questions and generates a structured description in 30 minutes instead of 2-4 hours.
- –Context and stakes of the position
- –Main missions (5-7 key missions)
- –Required technical skills
- –Essential soft skills
- –Position terms (salary, benefits, conditions)
- –Measurable success criteria
The ideal candidate profile
The portrait of your ideal candidate, distinguishing must-have from nice-to-have.
- –Hard skills: mandatory vs learnable competencies
- –Soft skills: essential behavioural qualities
- –Motivation factors: what attracts the right profile
- –Minimum experience level required
The optimised job posting
An attractive and SEO-optimised posting, generated in 15 minutes.
- –Catchy title, optimised for job boards
- –Engaging introduction to capture attention
- –Company presentation in 2-3 compelling lines
- –Concrete missions without internal jargon
- –What you offer (beyond salary)
The evaluation scorecard
The secret of experienced recruiters: evaluate all candidates on the same criteria.
- –Weighted criteria according to importance
- –Observable indicators for each criterion
- –Standardised scoring scale
- –Ready to use for step 3: Evaluate
Example scorecard generated by Aurelia
Typical scorecard for a B2B Sales position
| Criterion | Weight | Observable indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Technical/sector expertise | 30% | Concrete examples, certifications, practical tests |
| Leadership and management | 20% | Past situations, management style, team results |
| Adaptability and resilience | 15% | Changes experienced, reactions to uncertainty |
| Communication and clarity | 15% | Clarity, listening, examples of presentations or negotiations |
| Cultural alignment | 20% | Values, motivations, 3-year professional project |
4 mistakes to absolutely avoid
Classical approach vs Aurelia approach
- Clear distinction between mandatory and desirable criteria
- Contextual questions to personalise each position
- Systematic balance of hard skills / soft skills
- Questionnaire shareable with the operational manager
- The perfect employee: unrealistic and contradictory criteria
- Copy-pasting the job description from a competitor without adaptation
- Forgetting soft skills in favour of technical skills alone
- HR defining a position alone that the manager knows better
Checklist before moving to step 2
- Complete and validated job description
Context, missions, skills, conditions
- Ideal profile defined with both hard and soft skills
Mandatory vs desirable distinction made
- Attractive and realistic job posting written
SEO optimised, no internal jargon
- Evaluation scorecard created with weighted criteria
Will be used for the rest of recruitment
- Operational manager agreement obtained
Validation of need and sought profile
Recommended tool
How long does it take to define the need with Aurelia?
Should the operational manager be involved in this step?
How to distinguish mandatory criteria from desirable ones?
Can the job description generated by AI be modified?
Create your job description now
Define your recruitment need in 30 minutes with the Aurelia guide. Then move directly to step 2: sourcing the right candidates.