Writing a Job Description
Writing a Job Description – nail the job spec and you’re half way there!
When you are considering a new member of staff, you know what the role entails, but have you really taken the opportunity to look at what your company needs in terms of experience, personality and qualifications? Do you really need to recruit someone new? Whether your business has just lost a member of staff or needs to recruit to expand, bringing in a new team member is an ideal time to evaluate and reflect upon the distribution of tasks within the business. Often, rather than simply replacing ‘like with like’ it is more profitable to re-design the way your team works in order to maximise overall performance.
A well-considered job description will not only benefit the company but will also aid recruitment, as potential employees will find it easier to grasp what the role has to offer. Detailed job descriptions prevent ‘all and sundry’ applying for jobs they are not suitable for and arbitrary interpretation of role . But they also clarify employer expectations for employee and can provide a basis of measuring job performance. By planning the job description carefully it may enable training, pay and grading systems to be more considered and logical. It could also be used as a reference tool in issues of discipline or employee/employer dispute. Ensure you are not being discriminatory with your description. By ensuring you have a thorough job specification the individuals applying will have a much better understanding of how they would fit into the role. As a recruiter it will help you focus on the key areas at interview.
Job descriptions do not take the place of employee manuals and regular appraisals etc. Job descriptions will inevitably change over time as roles evolve – ensure they are carefully reviewed with each new job advertised.
So what you should include in a good job description?
An overview of the job itself to include job title; salary and benefits; working hours; department; reporting to; summary of role; key responsibilities – including other staff.
The Role in detail including day-to-day tasks; weekly/monthly tasks; ad-hoc duties; projects; budgets; monitoring and reporting; training; training of; policies; strategies.
The Individual , their expected abilities and the skills needed; specific qualifications; length of experience required; attitude and personality.
The Ideal candidate and briefly describe the key qualities the applicant should possess.
A lack of attention to detail on the job spec often results in employees leaving after a short time as they discover the role does not suit them. This is expensive, not only in the extra recruitment costs, but also in the time valuable individuals spend away from their roles interviewing and doing extra work to cover.
If you require assistance with writing a job description contact us and we can assist you.