3.06 Develop

Job Descriptions

Job D

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Job descriptions are important for

attracting the right job candidates,

helping employees understand their

responsibilities, evaluating

employees' performance, and much

more. Here are tips for writing good

job descriptions. Think of a job description as a

“snapshot” of a job. The job

description needs to communicate

clearly and concisely what

responsibilities and tasks the job

entails and to indicate, as well, the

key qualifications of the job – the

basic requirements (specific

credentials or skills) – and, if

possible, the attributes that

underlie superior performance

Job D

esc

ripti

on

(Conti

nued)

Following is a quick look at the

categories that make up a

well-written job description:

Title of the position Department Reports to (to whom the person

directly reports) Overall responsibility Key areas of responsibility

Consults with (those who the

person works with on a regular

basis) Term of employment Qualifications (necessary skills

and experience required)

Job Q

ualifi

cati

ons A qualities, abilities, or

accomplishments that

makes a person suitable for a particular position or

task.

Job A

naly

sis

A job analysis is the process used to collect

information about the duties, responsibilities,

necessary skills, outcomes, and work

environment of a particular job. You need as

much data as possible to put together a

job description, which is the frequent outcome

of the job analysis.

Additional outcomes include recruiting plans,

position postings and advertisements, and

performance development planning within your

performance management system

Job analysis tells the human resources

personnel: the time it takes to complete relevant tasks

the tasks that are grouped together under a single

job positionthe ways to design or structure a job for

maximizing employee performance

the employee behavioral pattern associated with

performance of the job

the traits and attributes of a proper candidate for

the jobthe ways the data can be used to develop human

resource management

Use

s of

Job

Desc

ripti

on

A job description: causes the manager of the position and

any other employees already performing

the job to agree on the responsibilities

and scope of the position,

helps Human Resources know the

knowledge, skills, education, experience,

and capabilities you seek in your new

employee, so an effective recruiting plan

is formulated, informs candidates about the duties and

responsibilities of the position for which

they are applying, informs employees who are assisting with

the interview process about the

questions to ask candidates and what

you seek in the new employee, and

may protect you legally when you can

demonstrate why the candidate selected

for a position was your most qualified

and culturally suited application.

How

Job D

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ons

can b

e D

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loped

Develop job descriptions to help you

articulate the most important

outcomes you need from an employee

performing a particular job.

Job descriptions are a communication

tool to tell coworkers where their job

leaves off and the job of another

employee starts. They tell an employee where their job

fits within the overall department and

the overall company. They help

employees from other departments,

who must work with the person hired,

understand the boundaries of the

person's responsibilities.

Finally, job descriptions are an integral

piece of the performance development planning pro

cess.

How

Job D

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can b

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Your goal in hiring is to

find the brightest, most

competent, flexible, reliable, multifaceted

employees you can find.

A job description, if not

viewed as a straight

jacket, helps your successful recruiting in

several ways.

How

to D

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lop

a Job D

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on

Gather the appropriate

people for the task. The

manager to whom the position

will report takes the lead in

developing a job description,

but other employees who are

performing similar jobs can

contribute to its development,

too. Additionally, if the position is

new and will relieve current

employees of work load, they

should be part of the discussion.

A first position? The manager or

company owner can develop the

job description on his or her

own.

How

to D

eve

lop

a Job D

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on

Perform a job analysis. You need as

much data as possible to develop a job

description. The job analysis may

include: the job responsibilities of current

employees Internet research and sample job

descriptions online or offline highlighting

similar jobs, an analysis of the work duties, tasks, and

responsibilities that need to be

accomplished by the employee filling the

position, research and sharing with other companies

that have similar jobs,

and articulation of the most important

outcomes or contributions needed from the

position. The more information you can gather,

the easier the actual task of developing

the job description will be.

How

to D

eve

lop

a Job D

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Write the job description. Your

company may have a format for job

descriptions so check with Human

Resources. Often, however, all HR expects

is a list of the responsibilities and they

prefer to develop the final format

congruent with other job descriptions

across the company.

These are the normal components of the

job description:Overall position description with general

areas of responsibility listed,

Essential functions of the job described with

a couple of examples of each,

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities,

Required education and experience,

A description of the physical demands, and

A description of the work environment.

Your company and your process may vary,

but these components give the employee

clear direction.

How

to d

eve

lop

a Job D

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ripti

on

Review the job description

periodically to make sure it acurately

reflects what the employee is doing

and your expectations of results from

the employee.

Use the job description as a basis

for the employee development

plan (PDP) An employee's job

description is integral in the

development of his or her

quarterly employee development plan.

An effective job description establishes

a base so that an employee can clearly

understand what they need to develop

personally, and contribute within your

organization. Develop job descriptions

to provide employees with a compass

and clear direction

Act

ivit

y 3.0

6

Read and complete Section 2 of the human

resource guide found at

http://www.sasknetwork.ca/html/Employers/hr

/Module2-Recruitment.pdf

. (Section 2 of this module starts on page 2 of

the document and is titled “Job

Descriptions.”) Complete the Work Description Form in the

module to develop a better understanding of

the duties and responsibilities required for

each job position that they need to fill.

 

After completing the Work Description Form

for each of the positions that they plan to fill,

read and discuss the passage regarding

information to include in job descriptions.

 

Use the job profile template provided in the

module to develop job descriptions for the

different positions within their businesses.

When finished, add your Work Description

Forms and job descriptions (job profiles) to

your folder.