The idea of job description is used in the labor field to refer to the documents that detail the tasks and responsibilities inherent to each job. The necessary requirements, the activities to be carried out, the scope of execution and the relationship between the different positions in an organization are some of the data that are part of this type of documentation.
The job description is a tool that the company has to develop an effective employee recruitment process. By presenting everything related to the position in writing, the candidates already know precisely what the company needs and what it offers the worker. See Abbreviation Finder for acronyms related to Job Description.
With the job description, in short, it is intended to attract the right applicants, reducing the time required by the selection process. On the other hand, the document defines the position and provides the employee with a frame of reference that avoids surprises and misunderstandings.
Although there are no specific rules for its development, a job description should include certain information that is considered basic. The job title, its location in the company structure, its hierarchical superiors, the scope of action, the objectives to be met, the required training and the remuneration are some of the items that cannot be missing from a job description.
It is important to note that, beyond its usefulness in a recruitment process, the job description can also function as an internal guide since it allows you to correctly divide the work, assign responsibilities and define functions.
Broadly speaking, we can say that the job description has three fundamental objectives:
* attract candidates: as stated above, the description of the tasks to be performed and the requirements is the key so that those people who feel capable of meeting the company’s expectations contact the resources department Human Resources (HR) to get an interview. It is important to point out that the candidates can be both external and internal, that is, individuals who are already within the company and who wish to change positions also enter the equation;
* define the positions: in the job description the necessary limits are marked so that the evaluation of the candidates takes place in an orderly manner and without wasting time by either party. The precise definition of the functions also serves for those employees who wish to advance, since it allows them to establish a series of objectives;
* reference to the administration: in particular so that the new bosses understand the magnitude and the degree of responsibility that is expected of them.
There are many common mistakes companies make when writing job descriptions. One of the most common is to use internal terminology, something that we must avoid by all means, since it is absurd to pretend that external candidates understand it; the broader and more neutral the text, the greater variety of people will be presented.
Another very common error occurs when the description is made by a single person, especially if they do not have the appropriate role; this should be a collaboration of various departments, especially human resources, to express all important aspects of the position.
Perhaps the most serious of all the errors is the lack of realism, which is represented when the job description defines a «superhuman», someone with all the ideal skills to carry out their work without fail, with all the possible knowledge, with a extensive career and experience in highly prestigious companies. Those people will not knock on our door, if they exist; and if they do, we should seriously ask ourselves why they are out of work.