I came across a content design recruitment ad yesterday that left me genuinely wondering if it had been written by someone’s pet. Not because it contained random keyboard smashes (though that might have improved things), but because it demonstrated such a profound misunderstanding of the content design role, recruitment industry standards and basic security clearance requirements that it could only have been crafted by someone with absolutely no knowledge of the field.

Let me introduce you to what I’m now mentally calling “Yorkshire Terrier Recruitment”, a specimen of job market comedy so perfect it deserves museum preservation.

The masterpiece in question

This beauty was posted by an agency with a name that sounds like either a Benson & Hedges cigarette variant or, more likely, two Yorkshire terriers running around their owner’s home office while they cosplay as a content design recruitment professional. Here’s what they’re looking for:

Content Designer – UK WIDE – Remote

This is a fantastic opportunity with an international management consulting company, who are looking to fill multiple Content Designer roles to help deliver innovative digital solutions to a number of end clients in the UK (Large scale digital transformation Projects in the Public Sector).

Experience for the Content Designer roles:

18mths+ commercial experience in a Content Designer role

GDS experience (Government Digital standards)

SC legible – been in the UK the last 5yrs and not left abroad for more than 28 days on a row in 5yrs

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s grab our metaphorical tweezers and examine this specimen more closely.

Commercial experience with government standards: pick a lane

The job requires “18mths+ commercial experience” yet also demands “GDS experience (Government Digital Standards)”. For the uninitiated, GDS standards were developed specifically for GOV.UK – the government’s website. 

So which is it? Commercial experience or government experience? Or are they looking for that sweet spot of candidates who’ve done commercial work that somehow adheres to government standards?

As someone who’s worked on digital projects in both sectors for decades, I can tell you that while some commercial projects do adopt GDS principles because they’re excellent standards for user-centred design, they’re fundamentally developed for government services.

It’s like asking for someone with “supermarket experience” who also has “knowledge of NASA launch protocols”.

What exactly does ‘GDS experience’ mean?

And what level of “GDS experience” are they after? Familiarity? Mastery? A vague sense that it exists?

I’ve spent years not just following GDS standards but helping to pioneer and implement them. Does that count as “experience” or am I overqualified? 

It gets better. Elsewhere in the full content design recruitment listing (which I’ve spared you from), they helpfully define GDS as “Global Distribution Systems”, which is completely wrong. It’s Government Digital Service.

This basic error suggests whoever wrote this has never actually worked with anyone who does the job they’re recruiting for.

Security clearance confusion that excludes top talent

But my favourite bit is the “SC legible” requirement. First, it’s “eligible”, not “legible” (unless they’re worried about your handwriting). Second, the way they’ve described the requirements is simply incorrect.

I’m pretty sure that SC (Security Check) clearance does have residency requirements, but they don’t automatically exclude someone who’s spent more than 28 consecutive days abroad in the last five years.

If they did, everyone who worked remotely from another country during lockdown – with their employer’s blessing – would be disqualified.

Including me.

Five years ago, as French borders were about to close during the COVID-19 pandemic, I made a dash from Somerset to our home in France. From there, I continued leading the development of two counter-fraud tools for government COVID-19 grants for the Cabinet Office, projects that Downing Street later called “star performers in the government’s COVID-19 response”.

All while being abroad for considerably more than 28 days, with the Cabinet Office’s full knowledge and approval.

After lockdown, I created the national drink and needle spiking advice and information service for Police.uk, the national policing portal used by 81% of police forces in England and Wales. That was an SC cleared job that I was allowed to conduct from France. 

Both projects saw me on daily video calls with my team from sunny France, often with vineyards in the background. We held virtual team drinks where we admired the sunset from my roof terrace.

I wasn’t exactly trying to rub the noses in it of poor colleagues stuck indoors in rainy Croydon, but it was commonly known and accepted – and I wasn’t the only one on the team in the same situation.  

If I had the government client’s permission to do SC cleared work from abroad, how are you going to tell me now that this means I’m no longer ‘legible’ for security clearance?

The real cost of sloppy content design recruitment

This kind of slipshod content design recruitment isn’t just annoying; it’s actively harmful to both employers and job seekers.

For employers, these poorly drafted job specs:

• Exclude qualified candidates who would excel in the role
• Waste time reviewing applications from unsuitable candidates who misunderstood the requirements
• Damage their reputation among professionals in the field (trust me, we talk about these things)
• Signal to potential hires that the organisation doesn’t understand the role they’re trying to fill

For job seekers, particularly those new to the field or returning after a break:

• Create unnecessary confusion about actual requirements
• Cause stress about whether their experience matches what’s needed
• Lead to wasted time applying for roles where requirements are unclear
• Potentially exclude them from roles they could excel in based on incorrect criteria

Advice for employers who want to do better

1. Know what you’re recruiting for
   If you’re a recruitment agency without deep knowledge of a specialist field, talk to someone who actually does the job before writing the spec. Not their boss, not a manager who once oversaw someone doing it – an actual practitioner.
2. Be specific about required experience
   “GDS experience” is meaningless. Do you want someone who’s designed content following GDS standards? Someone who’s passed GDS assessments? Someone who’s worked at GDS? Be precise.
3. Get security clearance requirements right
   If security clearance is required, state the correct requirements or direct candidates to the official guidance. Don’t make up your own version that excludes qualified people.
4. Have your job spec reviewed
   Before posting, have someone in the field review your listing to check for errors, misconceptions or requirements that don’t make sense.

Advice for job seekers navigating this mess

1. Apply anyway if you’re interested
   If a job sounds interesting but the requirements seem contradictory or unclear, apply anyway. Often the person who wrote the spec isn’t the one making hiring decisions.
2. Ask clarifying questions
   Don’t be afraid to contact recruiters with specific questions about unclear requirements. Their response will tell you a lot about whether it’s worth proceeding.
3. Address contradictions directly in your application
   If you see conflicting requirements, address them directly: “You’ve asked for commercial experience with GDS standards. In my role at X, I applied GDS principles to commercial projects by…”
4. Trust your expertise over poorly written specs
   If you’ve been in the field for a while, trust that you understand it better than the person who wrote a confused job spec. Don’t let poorly drafted listings make you doubt your qualifications.

Conclusion: we deserve better

Whether you’re a highly experienced professional or just starting your career, you deserve job listings that make sense, accurately reflect the role and don’t exclude qualified candidates based on incorrect information.

And if you’re a recruitment agency struggling with specialist roles, please give those Yorkshire terriers a break from recruitment writing duties. Or at the very least, buy them a copy of the GDS Content Design Manual.

Everyone would benefit: employers would get better candidates, job seekers would waste less time and those terriers could go back to their true calling: chasing squirrels in the garden rather than chasing impossible candidate combinations.

Next week’s blog: “Why ‘ninja’, ‘rockstar’, and ‘guru’ should be banned from job descriptions – unless you’re actually recruiting for a circus.”