A Job Description provides applicants and ultimately employees with a clear description of what is expected of them in a particular role.
How to Write a Job Description
It goes without saying that the success of a company relies on the success of its employees and their performance. Many employers find it difficult to maximise employee performance while keeping turnover low and employee morale high. Sound familiar? Often individual employees are blamed in this situation, when in reality there is a simple, four-part performance equation we can reference. Performance = Environment, Ability, Motivation and Role Clarity. In this equation, only motivation is outside of an organisation’s influence (motivation is intrinsic to an individual). Today we are talking about Role Clarity – and the best tool we have available for this, is a highly effective Position Description.
Importance of a Position Description
All employees like to know what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated. And the creation and regular review of a description often helps an organisation determine how critical the job is, how this particular job relates to others and identifies the characteristics needed by an individual filling the role.
A position description typically outlines the necessary skills, training and education needed by a potential employee. It will clearly outline duties and responsibilities of the job as well as the parameters of how these are measured. Once a position description is prepared, it can serve a basis for interviewing candidates, orienting a new employee and finally in the evaluation of their ongoing performance. A good Position Description is an essential management tool.
The Elements of a Position Description
Before understanding what a job description entails, it’s important to understand fully the technical definition of a job. A job is a collection of tasks, duties, or responsibilities assigned to an individual. A job exists regardless of who performs the functions. Even when no one occupies the job, it still exists.
A job description simply describes the job. It should not have language or technical jargon that is difficult to understand. Every job description should include the following at a minimum.
- The job title.
- The location of the job.
- A position summary describing the purpose of the job.
- Major responsibilities, describing the job as it currently exists and including the essential duties of the job. These are tasks for which the employee is evaluated. (Job descriptors outline only a small portion of the responsibilities for which the employee is evaluated.)
- Job qualifications, describing the minimum education, experience, and skills necessary to perform the job.
For professional Position Descriptions created by highly skilled and experienced Human Resource professionals reach out to The Proven Group team.
