How to prepare and use job descriptions
Job descriptions serve three main functions. They help organisations outline clearly the roles, responsibilities, and other specifications associated with particular positions. They help candidates and employees gain accurate ideas of jobs and their associated roles and responsibilities. They help recruiters - in-house or external - to match candidates with particular posts. If you’re reviewing the effectiveness of your job description or starting from scratch, here are some essential considerations...
1. Conduct preliminary research.
Ideally, the best job descriptions will satisfy the needs of everyone involved in, or affected by, the description. For this reason, it is best to resist the temptation to copy one outright from another organisation. Instead, when you’re preparing a job description, ask yourself - and others, where appropriate - three questions:
- What does management want from the job?
- (If the position exists already) What will the job holder actually do - as opposed to thinking what he or she will do?
- (In addition to what may already be stated) What do workplace colleagues think the job holder should be doing?
Your responses to these questions will help you assemble information for use in preparing a draft description.
2. Compile the description’s three key features.
Most job descriptions consist of three main parts - basic information, objectives of the job, and key areas of responsibility.
The basic information will include:
- the job title and description recorded in clear, straightforward language
- the main location - if this may change from time to time, say so
- reporting responsibilities; and to whom - manager, supervisor, mentor
- responsibilities for whom - employees and their reporting structure
- functional relationship - as represented on an organisation chart showing how the job relates to others and fits into the organisation as a whole.
The objectives of the job should be a clear, concise statement describing why the job exists - to ensure that key areas of responsibility form the main part of the job description. Ideally, these activities should:
- include no more than ten tasks. Restricting the list to ten or fewer encourages you to define clearly the areas of responsibility. A broad, open-ended statement preceding the list can be included to indicate that the list is not definitive. The statement might read: ‘These duties are considered essential for undertaking this job effectively’.
- be put in some sort of order with each task described in a sentence or two explaining what is done and accompanied by any other relevant details. Begin each sentence with an action word; this leaves people in no doubt about what is required.
- be accompanied (where possible) by appropriate measures that are concrete, specific, easily understood, and attainable.
3. Involve the job holder in its compilation.
Make sure that the job description is a useful and well-used document. If the person is already acting in the position for which a description is being prepared, that person should be involved in the drafting process. Discuss issues such as:
- appropriate lines of authority
- appropriate reporting structures and numbers of people involved
- the different levels of authority
- the suitability of the existing structure
- current task allocation
- tasks for which responsibilities have not been allocated.
If a description is being prepared for a new position, involve the person who may have been previously fulfilling many of the tasks. Or if the description is for a new position on a team, invite input from members of that team.
