The mimportance of writing a good job description

The importance of writing a good job description is often overlooked. At the end of the day, a job description is an advertisement for the company. And it should be designed to attract the most desirable candidates. A job description is not just about saying ìweíve got a jobî, it is also about presenting the organisation as an interesting and positive place to work. It should set out the overall objectives of a job, where it fits in the company and the main responsibilities of the jobholder; it may also include the capabilities required to do the job. A good, clear job description can eliminate unsuitable candidates before the CVís even come rolling in and will save everyone concerned a lot of time and effort.

Recruitment and selection
A description of the job is a good starting point for a recruitment exercise, as it helps employers create a clear idea of the position. From that, they can consider what sort of person is best suited to the role. Consider the skills, experience and personal characteristics needed and include them in the job description.

Once they have a profile of a suitable candidate, it is time to think about the best place to find them in terms of where to advertise. It can also be helpful to send out the job description to prospective applicants. This way they will know what the job entails, in advance. The job description will ensure the applicant is not wasting their time and the employer’s by applying for the wrong job.

Job descriptions may be used to evaluate jobs as part of a grading or structuring exercise to support the development of a pay policy. Even a small company should ensure that pay is logically tied to complexity and responsibilities of the job. In the same way, the information on skills, knowledge and capability contained in job descriptions can be used to identify the companyís training and development needs.

What should it contain?
The format and layout of a job description is not set in stone but usually follows a similar format, regardless of company or industry. Explain the overall purpose of the job in a short statement. Use a single sentence to summarise the general responsibility of the jobholder and explain why the job exists. Providing a little information on the organisation helps candidates create a clear idea of the job. Also, include the title of the person they report to and whom else they will be working with. Consider using an organisational chart.

List the main responsibilities including the key activities and end-results required in the job. For most jobs, between five and 10 headings should be about right: less than five probably means something is missing; more than 10 is going into too much detail. Employees can also include any information indicating the size and range of responsibilities involved in the job, such as budgets, number of people supervised, output, number of items processed, sales turnover and costs controlled.

Narrow it down
Knowledge and experience is a key part of the job description, as it will quickly identify potentially suitable candidates. It should describe the knowledge required to do the job rather than attempt to specify courses or periods of on the job training which may be a means of acquiring knowledge. Essential or desirable professional or vocational qualifications may also be included, although these need to be realistic and relevant to the job in question.

A requirement for GCSE or ’A’ level standard education can give an indication of the knowledge level. However, what is often missed is technical or people management experience required before the job can be undertaken. When referring to systems knowledge, it is important to be specific and indicate the level of knowledge required (i.e. Basic, advanced, etc). This applies particularly to specialist systems, but is also relevant to commonly used desktop products such as Excel, Word or PowerPoint.

Include the key capabilities expected of the jobholder, to help them assess their suitability. List characteristic such as, takes responsibility for own actions, organised and able to plan and prioritise or listens to customers to identify needs and check those needs have been met. It is also useful to include a sentence or two at the end to highlight such issues as the interaction between the job and others in the company, the particular demands of the job, or to summarise how and where it fits within the overall business.
A good job description will help an organisation clarify its own objectives, as well as being a powerful tool for recruiting the best person for the job. Alternatively, a bad job description can be unintentionally misleading and will inevitably waste the time of the candidates and the employer. Take time to get it right and the recruitment process can become less stressful for all involved.