The employees that you hire can make or break your small business, which is why it's important to create an accurate job description. An accurate job description can help you attract the right applicants for the right positions. It can also help employees do their jobs better and more effectively and help you identify holes or weaknesses in your company.
Beyond the position title, a good job description will outline the responsibilities, duties and goals required for the position. It will also state the necessary qualifications and explain how the job works with and relates to other positions within the company. To create an effective job description, follow these five steps.
Step 1: |
Start the process by creating a list of tasks that a person in this position will be required to complete. List anything and everything that the person will be doing. Even if you?re not entirely sure, do your best to consider exactly what the position will require. Consult others in your business or those with relevant experience if need be. |
Step 2: |
Underneath each task list all of the qualifications and experiences that the task would require. These could be specific qualifications like a bachelor?s degree or a CPR/First Aid certification, or they could be more subjective, like good people skills or creativity. |
Step 3: |
One of the first things applicants look at when they?re searching for a job is the job title. The title is only one or a few words, but it says a lot about the position?s rank and status within the company. It also gives applicants a rough, initial reading of what the duties and the responsibilities will be. |
Step 4: |
With your complete list of responsibilities and qualifications, start writing a clear and concise description of the job. Begin by stating whether the job will be part-time, full-time, temporary or seasonal. Then move on to the responsibilities in order of importance. After that come the qualifications, again in order of importance. |
Step 5: |
A good job description will be short, simple and straightforward. A great job description will also show the personality of the company. If your company is fun and laid back, make the description sound that way. If it's professional and focused, then take that tone instead. However you choose to write it, make sure that your language doesn't get in the way of conveying what the position requires. |
