A job description is a document intended to provide job applicants with an outline of the main duties and responsibilities of the role for which they are applying. The description is usually drawn up by the individual in the organization responsible for overseeing the selection process for the role, often with the help of the company’s HR department and/or an external recruiter.

Job description is an informative documentation of the scope, duties, tasks, responsibilities and working conditions related to the job listing in the organization through the process of job analysis. Job Description also details the skills and qualifications that an individual applying for the job needs to possess.

It basically gives all the details which might be good for both the company and the applicant so that both parties are on the same page regarding the job posting. The job description is used in the recruitment process to inform the applicants of the job profile and requirements and used at the performance management process to evaluate the employee’s performance against the description. Job descriptions are usually narrative, but some may comprise a simple list of competencies.

According to Aurora University, a job description “describes the purpose, duties, responsibilities, tasks and relationships of a particular job.” While the obvious purpose is to let your potential applicants know a position is available and what the nature of the job is. We have three kinds of job description.

External

The external job description is the one you post for potential applicants. It lists the title and essential functions of the job, outlines duties and responsibilities and may include administrative information such as the responsibilities of the overall department and the position of the job’s supervisor. It should also list necessary qualifications, including skills, education and experience. Most external job descriptions indicate the salary and benefits offered for the position. Though they need to be brief, they should also be specific so that you’re not inundated with applications from people who are unqualified.

Generic

A generic or general job description describes the job in broad terms. Depending on the size of the organization and the number of similar job positions within it, the generic description may be used as a template for department heads to craft more specific descriptions for jobs under their purview.

Internal

The internal job description contains the same information as the external one but goes into more precise detail, according to the Grand Roads Executive Search firm. The administrative information, for example, may include the name and job title of the position’s supervisor. Internal descriptions of higher-level jobs may list metrics such as how much revenue the jobholder is expected to generate, how many clients or accounts she will oversee or service or how many employees she will supervise. A well-written, thorough job description ensures everyone knows what your expectations of the position are so that Human Resources can hire the right person, the person hired understands what to do and you’re legally protected if the new hire doesn’t meet those expectations.

Why is a job description important?

A job description is an essential part of the job application process as, with the right information, it should help applicants to determine whether the role is in line with their skill set and whether it is a job, they actually want to do.

From the organization’s perspective, the job description is vital in ensuring that the applications received for the position closely match the needs of the role itself. It helps HR departments and external recruiters to streamline the selection process and receive a high concentration of candidates who are suitable for interview or further selection. A job description helps to streamline the selection process.

Job description is the most important thing which a candidate gets about a job listing. Job description gives all the relevant and necessary details about a job. The details which can help one decide whether the job is relevant or not. Qualifications, roles, responsibilities etc are included in the job description document, which paints a clear picture of what is expected from the particular role.

Advantages of job description

1. Helps companies understand the type of candidate they should search for based on title, position and location.
2. Employees are aware about their job roles & duties and provide the employee with the expectations that are required of them in the role.
3. To assist in forming a legally binding contract of employment.
4. To help set goals and target for the employee upon joining.
5. To aid in the evaluation of the employee’s job performance.
6. To help formulate training and development plans.
7. Job description helps in understanding the workplace environment, benefits etc for a prospective employee.
8. Helps in better recruitment & selection.
9. Job description clearly highlights all the requirements, objectives & goals that it wants an employee to perform.
10. To allow the prospective employee to determine their role or standing within the structure of the organization.

Disadvantages of job description

1. Job descriptions are time bound and can change with organization structure, industry policies, company requirements etc.
2. It can only highlight the macro criteria of a job but cannot fully explain the obstacles, emotional requirements etc related to the job.
3. Incomplete job description lacking quality information can misguide both the HR manager as well as the employee.
4. Job descriptions may not be suitable for some senior managers as they should have the freedom to take the initiative and find fruitful new directions.
5. Job descriptions may be too inflexible in a rapidly changing organization, for instance in an area subject to rapid technological change.
6. Other changes in job content may lead to the job description being out of date.

What is typically included in a job description?

A well-rounded job description should clearly identify the purpose of the role as well as the key tasks to be performed and the main account abilities of the position. The document will also usually also include a brief background and overview of the organization, as well as the name or position of the employee the successful candidate will be reporting to.

In addition, you can also expect to find an explanation of the kind of candidate the organization is looking for. This might include their professional experience and achievements, skill set, educational background and qualifications, as well as any desired personality traits.

The description will also include practical information, such as where the job is based, whether it’s full or part-time and, in most cases, the intended salary.

The key points that would normally be included in a job description include:

• Title and summary of the role
• List of duties
• Desired professional experience
• Education level and desired qualifications
• Core skills required for the position
• Necessary certificates, licenses and registrations
• Who the prospective employee will directly report to
• Whether the employee has any subordinates reporting to them
• Physical requirements (if needed)
• Work environment
• Employment conditions
• Location

5 Simple Steps to Writing A Concise Job Description

The job description is a critical document for every position. A good job description performs a number of important functions:

1. It describes the skills and competencies that are needed to perform the role;
2. It defines where the job fits within the overall company hierarchy.
3. It is used as the basis for the employment contract.
4. It is a valuable performance management tool.

Below 5 steps outlines how to write a job description that is clear, concise and accurately defines the role.

1. Job title

The first fundamental element of the job description is the job title. A good job title will have the following qualities:

• It accurately reflects the nature of the job and the duties being performed
• It reflects its ranking order with other jobs in the company
• It does not exaggerate the importance of the role
• It is free of gender or age implications
• It is generic enough that it can be compared to similar jobs in the industry for the purposes of equity in pay and conditions
• It is self-explanatory for recruitment purposes

An example of a good job title is ‘Parking Inspector’. An example of a bad job title for the same position would be ‘Council Enforcement Officer’. This title gives you no indication of what is being enforced. In this case, the word ‘parking’ would be a mandatory requirement in the job title.

2. Duties

The job description should contain a list of the duties and responsibilities associated with the role, along with the amount of time expected to be dedicated to each task.

This should be represented as a percentage (i.e. filing 20%, data entry 40% etc). Descriptions of duties should be no more than two or three sentences in length and should be outcome-based, containing an action, an object and a purpose (eg ‘compiles monthly reports to allow monitoring of the department’s budget’).

The list of duties and responsibilities will vary in length, but as a rule, should be as short as possible, otherwise the document becomes an operational manual rather than a job description.

Roles in smaller companies (eg office manager) may have more tasks associated with them, due to their ‘all-rounder’ nature, but you should still aim to keep your list to around fifteen tasks and preferably less.

3. Skills and competencies

Skills and competencies should be listed separately from each other, as they are two quite separate things. Skills are activities the candidate can perform based on what they have learned in the past, or from qualifications they have obtained.

Competencies are the traits or attributes you expect the candidate to display in the role. An example of a skill is the ability to give effective presentations. It is a skill that can be learned through study and practice.

An example of a competency, on the other hand, is strong communication, which is an innate characteristic displayed by a person. The modern trend towards competency-based job descriptions means extra weight is given to behavioral competencies such as leadership, teamwork, flexibility, communication and initiative.

4. Relationships

It is important to include reporting lines and working relationships in your job description.

Reporting lines clarify the responsibilities of the position by showing who the candidate reports to and who reports to them. This is important, not only in relation to compliance issues, but also to give the candidate an insight into the hierarchical structure of the organization and how their position fits into it.

Working relationships are the people and departments the position requires the candidate to work closely with. It is a good idea to give an indication of the size of such departments and the extent of interaction.

An organizational chart is a good way to represent relationships in a job description, with vertical lines between boxes demonstrating reporting lines and horizontal lines showing working relationships.

5. Salary

Rather than assigning a salary to the position, work out a salary range to include in the job description that is competitive with similar positions in other organizations and allows for variations in education and experience.

Obviously, this would need to be updated from time to time, in line with changing pay scales.

In closing…

A good job description is much more than a laundry list of tasks and responsibilities.

If well written, it gives the reader a sense of the priorities involved. It not only provides a clear picture of the position for potential candidates but is also a useful tool for measuring performance and a vital reference in the event of disputes or disciplinary issues. So, the more accurate you can make a job description upfront, the more useful it will become in the future.