Note: Holly's AI spec builder is designed to support your judgment, not replace it. Always review AI-generated content for accuracy, alignment with your agency's classification system, and compliance with applicable civil service rules before publishing.
Writing a new class specification from nothing is time-consuming. You need to know your template structure, anticipate the right qualifications, match your organization's terminology, and produce something defensible enough to send for review. That's a lot of work before you've even started editing.
Holly's AI generation tool shortens that process significantly. You provide a job title, a description of the role, and any supporting context or files, and Holly builds a complete draft in about two minutes. The result is a structured, template-compliant specification ready for your review and refinement.
Tip: If you already have a written draft or existing PDF you want to bring into Holly directly, see How to Create a Specification Manually.
How to Generate a Specification
From the Class Specs dashboard, click Create new in the top-right corner.
Select Build with AI. The AI generation modal will open.
Enter the Job Title (required).
Enter a Role Definition (required) — a description of the position's purpose, responsibilities, and key details.
Optionally, add Additional Context, upload Files, and enter a Salary Range.
Click Generate.
Holly will create your draft in 1–2 minutes. It's automatically saved as a Draft when complete.
What to Put in Each Field
Job Title
The job title anchors everything the AI generates. While you can change it later, starting with the accurate title helps Holly pull relevant benchmark data and generate appropriate content from the start. Be specific — include the level if applicable.
Role Definition
This is the most important field. Aim for 3–5 sentences covering the position's main purpose, core responsibilities, and key qualifications. The AI expands whatever you provide, so more specific input produces a more usable draft.
Useful things to include:
The position level (entry, journey, senior, supervisory) — this has a meaningful effect on the output
3–5 core duties, focused on the most important responsibilities
Reporting relationships, if relevant (e.g., "reports to the Division Director," "supervises two HR Technicians")
Required certifications or licenses (e.g., PHR, IPMA-CP, valid driver's license)
Tools, systems, or software the role uses
Example:
Weaker: "Responsible for HR work in the department."
Stronger: "This journey-level position supports the agency's classification and compensation program. Core responsibilities include conducting desk audits, analyzing benchmark data, preparing salary recommendations, and responding to employee classification inquiries. The role requires knowledge of public sector HR principles and typically reports to the HR Manager. A bachelor's degree in HR or a related field plus two years of experience is expected."
Additional Context (Optional)
Use this field for information that doesn't fit neatly into the role description — things like your agency's classification framework, pay structure, or instructions for how to use uploaded files. This is often the difference between a generic draft and one that feels tailored to your agency.
Examples of what to add here:
How the role fits into a broader series (e.g., "This is part of a five-level series" or "We use a broadband pay structure")
Notes from SME interviews or org chart details
Instructions referencing uploaded files (e.g., "The uploaded spec is from a neighboring county — use it as a format reference only, not for duties")
Formatting preferences (e.g., "Use bullet points for the duties section" or "Include a minimum qualifications section with both education and experience")
For longer content, upload a file rather than pasting it into this field.
Files (Optional)
Upload PDFs to give Holly additional reference material when generating the spec.
What works well as a file upload:
Existing specifications from the same series, for consistency in format and language
Comparable specs from other jurisdictions
Position descriptions, job questionnaires, or org charts for the role being classified
MOU sections or civil service rules that affect qualifications
PDQs, interview notes, or subject matter expert notes
Holly reviews uploaded files to understand your terminology, formatting preferences, and role context. Use the Additional Context field to tell the AI exactly how to apply what's in those files — for example, whether they're format references, source material for duties, or benchmarking comparisons.
Note: Files uploaded here are used as reference context for generation. If you have a PDF you want to use as the base text of the new spec itself, exit this modal and use How to Create a Specification Manually instead.
Salary Range (Optional)
Enter minimum and maximum compensation in annual, monthly, bi-weekly, or hourly units. If your agency has an established pay range for this classification, including it helps the AI calibrate qualifications language and level descriptors appropriately.
What Holly Generates
When generation completes, your new specification will be waiting as a Draft. The AI builds content designed to score well on all quality metrics, drawing on Holly's benchmark database and your organization's template structure. It incorporates everything you provided — role description, additional context, uploaded files, and salary range — into a complete, section-by-section draft.
The draft is a starting point, not a finished product. Plan to review each section for accuracy, add anything specific to your agency, and edit as needed before sending for review.
After Generation: Next Steps
Once your draft is ready, you can:
Review the full draft to check each section for accuracy and completeness
Edit directly by clicking into any section to make manual changes
Regenerate specific sections using AI to refine individual parts without rebuilding the whole document
Check quality metrics to address any sections flagged for improvement
Benchmark against comparables to see how your spec stacks up against similar positions
Send for review when you're ready to share with stakeholders
For guidance on editing techniques, AI regeneration, and change tracking, see Advanced Editing: Rewriting vs. Editing and Regeneration.