An effective job description aims at communicating clearly and concisely what responsibilities and tasks the job entails. It also indicates the key qualifications required i.e., the basic requirements in terms of specific credentials or skills. The need of a well-defined Job Description:
A Well-defined job description has a number of useful purposes. Like:
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It makes drafting of job advertisements and specifications easier
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It enables the candidate to understand the main responsibilities of the position & this allows them to determine whether the job is appropriate for them
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Well drafted description saves time and resources of the organization.
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It forms the groundwork for an agreement between the supervisor and the employee in regards to the expected job performance.
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It reduces unnecessary duplication of duties amongst positions & leads to increase in organizational effectiveness.
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It assists HR planning and development
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It leads to division of the overall goals of the organization into smaller goals to be achieved by individual jobs. This provides an understanding for how the job contributes to the achievement of the organizational goals.
Before Writing Up the Job Description
A thorough job analysis is required before preparing the first draft of the job description.
The job analysis would require the input of the relevant manager, department manager, and also the present job holder. Let us have a quick look at the points that make up a well-written job description:
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Title of the position
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Department
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Qualifications (necessary skills and experience required)
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Educational requirements
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Experience requirements
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Overall responsibility
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Key areas of responsibility
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Reports to (to whom the person directly reports)
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Term of employment
Writing a Job Description
A well structured job description contains several information in the following broad section:
Administrative Information: This section includes fundamental information about the position: job title along with department and seniority, a short description of the job and its purpose, company name, geographic location, branch or department of posting & other required information.
Reporting structure: This section needs to indicate what position will be held by the joiner / employee, his/her immediate supervisor/s, and also the reporting structure. The description also shows the position of the job in the organizations hierarchy gives valuable information about its significance and the ability of the employee to make progress and influence decisions.
Purpose of the job: A brief statement of the desired strategic outcome of this position, where it fits into the organizations goals, and exactly what the position is required for.
Job functions and responsibilities: This section in the job description highlights the main task which make up the job. A job description will normally contain six to ten points, which detail the goals and desired outcomes from the position. The statements should be phrased in terms of the purpose and the result to be accomplished, rather than the manner in which the function is performed.
Required skills and Competencies: The knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that the candidate needs to have are defined in this section.
Other / optional : This section captures other elements of the job. It could include a short narrative section that gives insights into the context in which the employee will do the job. It could also include data about the company, or details about the environment the employee would be working in as well as the decision-making powers of the position. Other optional information could include:
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Working hours
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Any travel requirements
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Salary
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Employee benefits
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Leave entitlements, etc.
