The Art of Writing the Job Description

Has this happened to you? An employee complains, “That’s not in my job description!” You look, and lo and behold, it’s not. Now you’ve got a problem because you need someone to perform the task at hand, but you don’t have anyone to do it. This might have been avoided had the job description been written correctly or had you reviewed it prior to assigning the task.

Francine Richards of Chron says, “Job descriptions serve several purposes. For the employee, the job description clearly explains her job’s major functions, responsibilities and expectations. For the employer, the job description is often used as a recruiting tool and by supervisors to outline position expectations. The job description may be used to indicate salary or reporting structure and as a reference during performance evaluations.”

Job descriptions are meant to be practical tools and, therefore, should be clear and accurate. On a simplistic level, there are some common parts of the job description. Here are the major components:

1. The job title
2. The job statement of purpose
3. The summary, which includes the level of the job
4. A description of the position’s function and scope
5. A list of critical duties or tasks
6. Description of the relationships and roles within the company
7. Description of the work environment
8. Description of physical requirements

The amount of details can vary depending on the industry, and job descriptions for recruiters may include additional information, such as job location, equipment used, educational requirements, etc.

Now let’s look at language. According to the United States Small Business Association (SBA), particular language should be used when describing functions. For example, sentences should be structured in verb/object explanatory phrases (as in, “files reports weekly with District Manager”). Note, the present tense of the verb is used, as is a time description. Articles (“a,” “an” and “the”) and adverbs are omitted.

The SBA is clear that language which could be construed as bias should never be used. This means avoiding gender pronouns that would deter particular groups of people from applying for or remaining in a position.

What else should be considered? According to the SBA, “Don’t be inflexible with your job description. Jobs are subject to change for personal growth, organizational development and/or evolution of new technologies. A flexible job description encourages employees to grow within their position and contribute over time to your overall business.”

Given the critical nature of job descriptions, it’s important that they not be written in a vacuum, that various departments are part of the process and key players have input. It is also good practice to have employees who have held a particular position to explain the job being described. Too, it can be helpful to see how other companies have crafted job descriptions for similar positions.

A simple Internet search will yield plenty of examples of job descriptions, but once you get into writing the description, you see how much is really required to formulate a clear (and legal) one. For help, contact Excelsior Pay Group.