A well written job description will provide employees with a solid understanding of their responsibilities and can become a useful document for future recruitment and performance management processes.
Every organisation, no matter how large or small, should have a job description for every position within their company.
Job title
A good job title will accurately reflect the nature of the job and the duties being performed, and should be self-explanatory for recruitment and advertising search purposes. So, try not to get too fancy or complicated here!
Duties
The job description should contain a list of the duties and responsibilities associated with the role, along with an outline of what duties take priority. The duties should be to the point and listed in bullet point form for clear easy reading.
You should also consider what results or outcomes you are expecting the employee to achieve and, if they are in a managerial role, what the extent of their authority will be.
Skills, qualifications and attributes
For recruitment and performance management purposes you should also include the skills, attributes and qualifications required to successfully perform in the role. Make sure that you list these areas separately, as to avoid any confusion.
- Skills are tasks that the candidate is capable of completing based on what they have learned in the past.
- Qualifications relate to what education or training the candidate needs in order to do the job.
- Attributes are personality-based characteristics such as attitude, leadership abilities and confidence.
Also, make sure to clearly distinguish in your own mind and in the advertisement which qualifications and skills are mandatory, and which are only preferred. Otherwise, you could risk losing a well-suited candidate.
Relationships
It is crucial that employees know where they sit within a business and how they will be expected to fit into the rest of the team.
Who the candidate reports to, who reports to them, and who is working alongside them should be outlined in the job description. If available, providing them with an organisational chart is also a good way to explain this.
Salary
After assessing their duties and responsibilities it’s important to define a salary range that is competitive and realistically matches their duties and responsibilities. You should also state if you are offering a full time, part time or casual position, what the standard hours of work are, and any other requirements such as regular travel or working outside of business hours.
Things to avoid:
Mystery and vagueness
While we can all be prone to curiosity, job seekers will struggle to explain why they are perfect for your company if you haven’t made the role clear. Help both yourself and your potential candidate by making your expectations clear.
Negativity
Being clear about your requirements is crucial for both your business and potential employees, however, it is important to reflect that your company is open-minded and positive when it comes to understanding unique and diverse qualifications. Avoid saying things like “If you have less than ten years’ experience, do not apply for this role” and instead say something like “As this is a high-level role, an extensive proven track-record of success is essential.”
That’s it! With these quick tips, you should be able to write a clear and concise job description for your new role.
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