Are you serious about recruiting a new staff member in the coming months? If so, now is the time to start working on it, and a good job description is an absolute must.
The job description is the most important place to start when recruiting for an employee and, if it’s well written, it can indeed mean that you recruit the right candidate. By being precise when describing the job’s requirements, you will avoid making mistakes.
To improve this process even more, here are a few guidelines:
Analyse the job before you start writing
By putting the description down on paper, you may discover that a certain position does not actually need to be filled by someone on a full-time basis. Is it possible to share the tasks amongst employees already working at the company? If you have decided that you really do need someone for the job, identify the essential tasks and responsibilities.
Avoid the most common mistakes
One of the most frequent missteps that managers make is simply drawing up a shopping list of tasks without actually looking at the position in detail.
To avoid this, ask yourself some questions:
Employment criteria
Based on your answers to the above questions, determine the criteria for the job – the mixture of functional qualifications, skills and character traits that the candidate must have to successfully fulfil the position.
Try not to confuse qualifications, skills and personal characteristics with one another, because there are subtle differences to each:
Defining the job description
You can now start to write the job description. Don’t forget that the job description is not merely used to attract the best candidate, but also to evaluate other candidates for the job. In general, the job description should be practical, functional and clear.
It should include:
Salary
The salary is an important part of the job description and you should be prepared to establish a salary on the basis of the employee’s education and experience, along with the general salary level within your branch, organisation, department or area. In any case, there is a variety of sources you can use to assist you, such as governmental agencies, salary research like the Robert Half Salary Guides, careers centres and the Internet.
Finally, don’t be under the impression that the position needs to be filled quickly. Take more time to determine a clear job description and to find a candidate that fits that description. This is a much better approach than finding yourself with a candidate who does not fit your requirements.