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A Four Step Approach to Job Description Development
The job description is the cornerstone to many of your HR functions. It is the tool used to assist in recruitment sourcing and selection, plan on-boarding for a new hire, measure performance, determine pay raises and so on.
With the job description carrying the weight of many responsibilities, you want to ensure you have descriptions that accurately reflect your business needs and company culture.
Information Gathering
The start to writing your job description is in identifying why this role exists. What need does this job fill for your organization? Define how this role impacts the financial success of your business.
Also consider how this job impacts the satisfaction of your customers. Define the impact this role has on your customers. What would happen to customer service and satisfaction if this job was not done? Remember your internal and external customers.
Identify the processes that need to be followed in order for this job to fill your financial and customer needs. What steps need to be followed for this job to be completed efficiently and effectively? Also consider what other jobs this job impacts, how it impacts the other jobs and when the impact is critical.
Define the key functions required to complete the processes. What are the key outcomes required for this role?
Define the levels competency within the functions of the role from low performance to exceptional performance. The higher the level of competency, the greater financial impact there is for your organization. Likewise, the lower the level of competency, the lower level of financial contribution the performance brings to your organization. What are your core competencies, what are your departemental competencies and what competencies are specific to the role?
Involve your key people in the process of job description development. Your top performers have valuable information and insight into the roles they perform. The value added from including your top performers in this process includes: increased accuracy in the job description and increased buy in from your staff. Remember that creating ownership in the job empowers your people to perform at greater levels.
Gathering the information - there are various techniques you can use to gather the information you require for your job description. Job Analysis can be conducted through interviews, questionnaires, observation, and diaries. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Choose the one or a combination that works best for you. They key is to ensure that the data is accurate.
Compiling your information
Creating a matrix (or set of matrixes) for weighing the outcomes required and the knowledge, skills and abilities that support the desired outcomes will help ensure that you are capturing the right information for the job descriptions.
Remember to keep the language in the job description simple and easy to read and understand. This document serves as a guide for your employees as well as a guide for your other HR functions.
When drafting your information, some of the common categories are:
Job Title
Department
Reports to
Salary Range
Date Prepared/Reviewed
Location
Hours of Work
Level of Seniority
Purpose of position
Key Functional Relationships – Internal/External
Key Competencies (Minimum and Preferred)
Indicators of Success/Key Performance indicators
Special Requirements
Health and Safety Considerations
Required and preferred education/certification/training
Testing your job description
Once drafted, it is important to test the description to ensure it is an accurate reflection of the job. Ensure you new job description is well written and provides the required information for the job holder to perform the tasks required for your business to be successful. Also test it for it's ability to support your other human resources functions - does it provide you with the information you need for sourcing, selection, training, evaluations, etc?
Completing/Communicating
Be sure you distribute it throughout the organization to all it will be relevant to. Ensure your people have a copy and know where they can access the main document. Ensure that anyone involved in the recruitment and selection process, performance review process etc. all have access, understand it's role in the various HR functions and know how to use the job description .
Keep in mind
Simplicity – don't overcomplicate the document, keep it simple while ensuring a link to your organizational goals. Always keep the language of your job description easy to read and understand.
Update as specifications change – Create a procedure for job description review. If you review and update your document on a regular basis, you ensure the jobs within your organization accurately reflect the needs of your business. When you review and revise on a regular basis, it keeps the task simple and saves valuable time in the long run.
Communicate– Always communicate any changes to your people. If the job description has an impact on a role, the person in that role needs to know.
Keep the job specifications directly related to job success – By keeping the accountabilities directly related to the purpose of the role you avoid breaking employment law.
Posted Sep 29th, 2008 | attached file: fourstepapproach.pdf - 193 KB