Why Handicap Yourself with Poor or no Job Descriptions

Posted on: 19.05.2010    12:15:02

Job description is a crucial part of every job in every organized working environment. Writing and compiling job descriptions is one of the very important for any organisation. It is really important because it covers details of the day to day duties expected from each employee in all departments of a given firm. In writing job descriptions for each position, it should cover such areas as skills, tasks, functions and general responsibilities to be carried out by employees of that department.

A typical job description should cover and clearly state the following: the title of the position the department under which the position is situated, the duties, tasks, functions, and responsibilities expected of the occupant of that position, educational qualifications needed for the position, experiences needed, general and particular skills needed, membership of professional bodies required, and the reporting format (who reports to who, in what order, and the like).

Before a complete job description is prepared, there is the need for to conduct a comprehensive job analysis. This examination will expose answers to each of these items above and help in getting the job done faster. Aside from the above mentioned, abilities and competencies of the candidate must be put into consideration and has a place in the job description. We recommend that the job description starts with the operating department being forced to examine their needs and not foisted upon the operators by HR.

A well-prepared job description is a valuable asset to the firm because it saves cost in the long run for the firm. A good job description can help during vacancy placement. It also helps in preparing interview questions and to monitor answers given by interviewees, and helps to match employee skills, experiences and competencies during interview before employment. Another is to draws a clear line between duties of one position from another position, to clarify the issue of who reports to whom, to help in career path planning as well as succession planning, to help in making the appraisal exercise simple and straightforward, and to help draw a clear line between achievers and non-achievers in a department.

In summary, a job description is prepared to explain to employees what their duties and tasks are in the workplace. It also tells an employee where and when his duty ends and when the duty of another employee starts in order to avoid shifting conflict and employee job duty related grievances. It must be made clear that writing the best job descriptions are intended for the welfare of those employees working for a certain company, and for those human resources staff who compile and prepare these documents.

” Without a decent job description Agency such as ours struggle and it often feels like extracting “hen’s teeth” with clients and you’d be surprised how few companies have adequate job descriptions when there are so many free to use tools around” said Chris Slay “It’s like trying to run wearing leg irons, possible but painful and dreadfully slow.

 

Author: Helen Langley

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