How to Write Job Descriptions

What is a Job Description?

A job description is a broad statement of the duties, account-abilities 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