For years now, I’ve been collecting job descriptions that match or slightly exceed my current role at Buffer. I don’t apply to these roles, but I do save them in a dedicated folder. Over time, this collection has become incredibly valuable to my career development.
Earlier in my time at Buffer, these were especially useful as I was the only teammate who had ever worked in a public relations role. Saving job descriptions gave me insights into how other companies structure similar responsibilities and career paths.
Later on, I realized these job descriptions could be useful for another career exercise — writing a future job description. This is something I’ve done to really clearly craft a career goal that outlines the position and responsibilities I aspire to reach.
Here’s more about how this has impacted my career planning and how to create your own future job description.
Why this approach transformed my career planning
Creating a future job description has been transformative in giving me a clear vision of the career path I want to be on. It’s easy for me to fall into patterns and get stuck doing the same work. By documenting exactly what I want to be doing in the future, I gain incredible clarity about:
- Areas where I need to improve
- Skills I need to acquire
- Projects I should prioritize to move closer to that future
This approach might be particularly valuable for others working at smaller organizations. At larger companies, there are likely already be established roles and career ladders.
Another significant benefit of writing future job descriptions is how well-prepared I am for career conversations. A few years ago, a manager of mine started creating a growth plan with me (a document outlining where I am now and where I want to go), I had a crystal-clear answer about my destination. This allowed us to focus the entire conversation on how he could best help me get there.
How to create your own future job description
Writing a job description for a future role becomes relatively straightforward when you have a folder of examples to draw from.
I recommend starting by setting up saved searches on LinkedIn for roles that are both similar to yours and one or two levels ahead of your current position. Over time, as you review more job descriptions, you’ll refine your understanding of the exact kind of work you want to do.
For example, when I joined Buffer, I primarily worked in public relations, but through my research, I discovered I’d prefer to move into a broader communications role, which I achieved over time.
When combining the job descriptions you’ve saved, you’ll notice many similarities. After removing these duplicates, I make sure my description remains specific enough. Many job descriptions tend to be vague, but for my purposes, adding details relevant to my organization makes the description more meaningful.
My future job description isn’t static — I continue to iterate on it as I discover new job descriptions that resonate with me.
Creating a future job description might not be the right approach for everyone, but for me, it’s been an incredibly powerful career planning tool. I hope it can be just as useful for you.
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