Some ideas from working for many years in the Consulting world with Urban Planners and more recently with City Planners as a City Employee:
1. Describe the challenges of Urban Design and Masterplanning. In particular, I'd stress the dynamic and creative aspect of it, which can be a very different flavor of GIS than say for example doing daily/routine Asset Management. This will give you a better pool of candidates who are into your type of work.
2. If the GIS position does not require that the candidate be an Planner by profession, be sure to state so. If the position does require the candidate be an Planner, then state so. Be clear so potential candidates are not scared away by assumptions.
3. If your company has GIS people, ask them for what they see is needed to be successful. If you don't have GIS people, the first step will be to determine what you will need the GIS candidate to do. What is the workflow? What tasks need to be accomplished? Then, what skills would the candidate need to accomplish this? If you want someone with strong skills, defining those skills will really help.
For example, for your company, what does "strong GIS/Database skills" mean? Does the Database skills translate to expertise in geodatabases, SQL Server, Access, SDE, AutoCAD, etc? If you can refine that, it will help quite a bit. Plus, you will need this understanding not only for the advertisement of the position, but as part of the selection criteria once you get a pool of applicants. How are you going to differentiate the applicants to pick the one that best fits?
4. You may need to hire a GIS consultant (or buy a knowlegeable GIS person you know some beer) to help you figure out the GIS particulars for the position. You will have a better chance of attracting GIS talent if at least part of the ad is in "GIS-speak" - at least as we in the field use it. Likewise, if the ad is written by someone who has no clue about GIS (which unfortunately is all too common), it will be a turn off. For example, a commonly-seen phrase like this immediately makes a company look a bit clueless "The GIS candidate must have 10 years experience with ArcGIS 10.3" (i.e this version has only been out a short while).
5. If the GIS position will involve setting up GIS for the first time, then say so in your ad. Some GIS folks like the challenge of setting up a shop from scratch, while others would rather be in an established environment. Again, this may involve hiring a consultant or having a short-time hire to get things set up, then later hiring staff for the position once it is rolling.
Chris Donohue, GISP
