How to Write Job Descriptions

What is a Job Description?

A job description is a broad statement of the duties, accountabilities and responsibilities of a position. 

What is the Purpose of a Job Description?

Job descriptions have a number of useful purposes:

- They make drafting job advertisements and specifications for employment agencies easier

- They provide candidates with a basic understanding of the main responsibilities of the position which allows them to determine whether the job is right for them and thus saving the organization time and resources.

- It forms the groundwork for an agreement between the supervisor and the incumbent with regards to the expected job performance results which accordingly leads to a better job evaluation.

- They reduce the amount of unnecessary duplication of duties and tasks amongst positions, thereby increasing organizational effectiveness.

- They assist human resource planning and development

- They breakdown the overall goals of the organization into smaller goals to be achieved by individual jobs. This provides the Director, as well as co-workers with an understanding and appreciation for how the job contributes to the achievement of the organization's goals.

Types of Job Descriptions

1) Internal job descriptions vs. external job descriptions
A key concept to be recognized is that there are internal job descriptions that are for insider use only and there are external job descriptions that will be read by prospective candidates. Internal job descriptions tend to be very detailed and thorough, whereas external job descriptions tend to be more concise and have more of a marketing tone to them.

2) Task oriented vs. outcome oriented job descriptions
Task oriented job descriptions are used to determine the accomplishment levels of certain tasks e.g. a machine operator would occupy a task-oriented position, in which success is measured by things like production levels. On the other hand outcome oriented job descriptions would determine the final desired outcomes regardless of the tasks/methods used to reach them. For example, managers typically occupy outcome-oriented positions in which success is measured by sales figures or new product launches. 

How to Write a Job Description

A Job Description should contain a number of pieces of information:

1- Administrative information
This section includes basic information about the position: job title (including department and seniority), a short description of the job and its purpose, company name, geographic location, branch or department. 

2- Reporting structure 
This should indicate what position will be held by the job incumbent’s immediate supervisor/s, and also the position/s, if any, which report to the advertised position.

The position of the job in the organizational hierarchy gives valuable information about its significance and the ability of the employee to make progress and influence decisions.


3- Purpose of the job 
This should be 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.

4- Job functions and responsibilities
These detail the main tasks 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. 

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. For example, ‘Responsible for monthly consolidation of affiliate forecasts and communicating identified inventory shortages to demand planners’ would be better than ‘Diligently perform forecasting duties'.

Itemize the key job functions for a position and record them in a matrix. In a separate column, record the percentage of time the function is performed in (should total 100%). Do not list non-essential job functions if they are done in less than 5% of the time. In another column, note when the function is performed (e.g. daily, monthly or quarterly). In a final column, put a check mark if the function is essential i.e. fundamental duties that the individual holding the job must be able to perform.

5- Required skills and competencies
This is where the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that the candidate needs to have are defined. A matrix can be created including the following information: the competency; the experience, education or certification that is required; the function which the competency supports (going back to the functions matrix created earlier in Job Functions and Contributions above); and, finally, checkboxes as to whether the competency is a minimum requirement (i.e. they can't have the job if they don't have it) or if it is a preferred requirement (good to have but not essential).

6- 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 the conditions of service e.g.:
- Any travel requirements 
- Working hours 
- Salary 
- Employee benefits 
- Leave entitlements

Before Writing Up the Job Description

A thorough job analysis is required before preparing the first draft of the job description. Job analysis is a systematic approach to evaluating a job, and determines what duties the role entails, what the required aptitudes are, the manner in which the job is carried out, what the conditions of the job are, and how the individual must behave in order to complete his/her tasks correctly.

The job analysis would require the input of the relevant manager, department manager, and also the present job holder. Since these people are closest to the position, they know what is required of the job today, and equally important, they know what it will require in the future. 

Other key ways to collect information about the job include observing tasks as they are performed, observing behaviors, having jobholders write a self-description of their positions, conducting structured questionnaires about the roles and responsibilities of a position, interviewing jobholders, or researching job descriptions for similar positions posted publicly by third-parties.

Hints for Writing Job Descriptions

A) Language hints:
1- Use clear and concise language.
When possible, use words that have a single meaning. Use examples / explanations for words which have varying interpretations.

2- Be specific.
Use specific language. Instead of ‘Good communication skills’ it is better to say, ‘Ability to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences’

3- Use telegraphic sentence style and avoid unnecessary words. E.g. The job holder answers all company calls and directs them to the appropriate individuals in various departments throughout the entire company.

4- Begin each sentence with an active verb, always use the present tense. 

5- Avoid using gender based language. 

6- Use non technical language whenever possible
A good job description explains the objectives, duties, and responsibilities of a job so that they are understandable even to a layperson. However if the job is technical in nature and requires technical experience, then it is appropriate to use such language.

7- Whenever possible, describe the desired outcome of the work, rather than the method for accomplishing that outcome. For example, instead of ‘writes down phone messages’ it is better to say ‘accurately records phone messages’. 

B) Efficiency: create templates for job descriptions
There's no point in reinventing the wheel every time a job description is needed. Template versions of job descriptions can be created for certain job types. For example, generic job descriptions could be created for Clerical/Administrative positions and these can be slightly modified based on the specifics of a given position, rather than starting from scratch.

C) Revisit and edit the job description
Revise the job description as the position evolves. A yearly revision is always required if nothing sooner causes this action. 

D) Flexibility
Use job descriptions flexibly so that there's scope to handle contingencies

Compiled from:

http://www.absolutehrsolutions.com

http://www.grandroads.com

http://www.pao.gov.ab.ca

http://www.hrmaster.com

http://smallbusiness.ninemsn.com.au

http://www.hrpost.com