Monday, October 17, 2016

Importance of a Well Written Job Description


So many companies fail to realize the importance of a job description.  Its main purpose is to outline the job duties and responsibilities, however, as jobs have evolved, it has become more complex.  Additional information related to essential job functions, educational requirements, physical requirements, and performance standards are now common place on job descriptions. 
 
A well written job description can save a hiring manager and recruiter valuable time during the hiring process.  It will give a job candidate a more accurate glimpse at the position.  This will weed out those that are not qualified, and answer many of the questions typically posed by interested candidates.  If you struggle to find good talent, you might want to look at your job description.  Here are a few tips to help you write better job descriptions:
 
  • Job Title - you might want to rethink your job title.  Customer service rep will not get you the talent you are looking for.  Instead consider adding keywords to your job titles.  Customer account specialist or customer account manager, will get your more qualified applicants.
  • Responsibilities - make sure that the job duties and responsibilities are clearly stated on your job description.  A candidate will want to know exactly what will be expected of them, therefore, your job description must include specific statements about their role and what is expected.  Be as concise as possible.
  • Mission, Values, Culture - yes, there is a place in the job description to mention your company's mission, values and culture.  These are important to candidates today, therefore, you should outline them.  This will help align candidates with their goals and values, and again weed out candidates that will not be a good fit.
  • Salary Range - many companies leave the salary off the job description.  However, imagine being a candidate and going in blindly to an interview.  When you list the salary range in the job description, your candidates will know exactly what type of salary they can make, again weeding out those that are looking for something different.
  • Instructions - make sure that you include instructions on the next steps to apply for this position.  If you only accept applications via email, state that.  Make it clear to the candidate what they need to do.
 
As you can see, when you have a well written job description, you will weed out the candidates that are not a good fit.  This not only will save you countless hours of skimming through resumes and pointless interviews, but will save you money on your overall hiring process.  A well written job description is critical to finding the best talent.
  


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