Importance of Job Description and What It Should Include

A job description is essential for explaining the role, duties, and responsibilities of a position within an organization. They are used for two primary purposes: to attract a potential employee doing a job search; or they are used as an acknowledgement of a new hire’s new position requirements. In either case, the format is similar. The format of job description should be such that it’s most effective in emoting the exact role and responsibilities of a position.

Job Description Importance

Imagine expecting an employee to do a job without telling them what you expect? You need up-to-date, accurate job descriptions to maximize the effectiveness and productivity of all your employees. Job descriptions are a vital part of any well-run company. They provide the basis for clear employer/employee communication and sound HR practices. In addition, job descriptions are an ideal way to attract and keep the best talent because they demonstrate that your organization is organized, well run and fair. Job descriptions promote responsibility and improve morale and your corporate image.

To put it briefly, a job description has a great importance since it helps the employer along with the applicant (all at once) to comprehend perspectives. You may not know but really a wide-ranging job description facilitates the human resource department to pick the accurate candidate. The job description also lends the new candidate a hand to realize the constraint from the exacting job and present himself precisely. What can be the added implications?

The job description plays a commendable part in defining the job role. It, at the same time, does add to benefit of the organization by means of engaging the right candidate. What is more, the job description does help to augment the skills of the employees, to have the work completed in desired time frame together with the precise pick of the candidate.

What Should a Good Job Description Include?

Despite the significance and benefits of a job description described above, it is also true that many job descriptions owing to lack of transparency or clear words fail to bring the coveted results to the fore. This is not desirable in any way. As a result, irrespective of departments of an organization, a good job description should include certain information. Given below are some important sections every job description should include:

Organizational Overview: The first part of the job description should usually be the overview of the organization. This section will describe the organization’s mission or objectives of the company as well as what the company is looking for in a new hire. This section should be clear and direct, as it will set the tone for the rest of the job description. The organizational overview section can also include a short history about the organization or industry to allow for a proper introduction to the company.

Job Duties and Responsibilities: Another necessary component of the job description is a listing of the essential tasks and responsibilities of the position. The organization should be specific about the items in this section. The exact details and specifics must be laid out in order for the new hire or candidate knows what is expected of him or her. If the elements of this section are too broad or open to interpretation, it will be ill-effective in emitting what is expected of the position. It is okay for this section to be detailed and wordy, as it is needed for proper understanding of the job.

Requirements and Qualifications: This part of the job description describes in detail, what specific education, experience, and skills are needed in order to fulfill the duties of the position. This section can also include physical requirements of the position such as demands on the body and psyche. This section is of particular interest to college graduates and those changing fields since it will be telling candidates if they are even qualified to apply for such a position. For the most part, organizations want a balance of work experience and education; however, it is important to allow for negotiation of skill and talent in place of education or experience.

Salary and Benefits: Another popular section of the job description is the salary and benefits section. Along with wage compensation, healthcare and other benefits are of great interest in today’s job market. Qualified candidates are now looking for companies that are offering comprehensive benefits over other monetary benefits such as 401K or profit sharing. It is up to the organization to offer this information as a job description for applicants; however, it is a good idea to at least offer a range of salaries in order to entice a more selective pool of applicants.

Significance of Sample Job Description Template

Following a proper job description format is important in finding and keeping skilled and efficient workers for an organization. Having the right information in an easy to read and clear format will streamline the interviewing and hiring process. With a sample Job Description template, writing and maintaining job descriptions is straight-forward and simple; you can immediately begin creating job descriptions, newspaper job ads, company manuals and organizational charts for your organization.