The job description is an often overlooked aspect of the hiring process. This is unfortunate because having an accurate and attractive job description is the foundation for successfully placing and maintaining a candidate for any given position. Having problems with your attrition rate? Go back and examine the job descriptions for those positions. Are they updated? Accurate? Neglecting your job descriptions will cost you in three major ways.
Time. If your job descriptions are vague and confusing, you are going to receive a lot of resumes from unqualified applicants. Instead of focusing on candidates who meet all of your prerequisites and qualifications, you’ll be sitting behind your desk leafing through resumes all day. By the time you do run across that “all-star” candidate, he may have taken another opportunity.
Money. Having an inaccurate job description will cost you financially as well. If your job description doesn’t specifically outline the actual duties and responsibilities of the position, the person you hire will leave 9 times out of 10. They’re not getting what they signed up for. If your job description is accurate, you’ll save yourself the cost of finding, interviewing, and training another employee.
Sanity. Perhaps most importantly, accurate job descriptions minimize conflict. You’ll never have to worry about the annoying statement “That’s not my job!” One of the best ways to ensure that your job description is accurate is to speak with the employees currently performing the role. I always include my team when writing a Job Description for an internal position. Have them give you insights into their day to day activities, the “behind the scenes” details and duties that keep things going.
Investing time in your job description is crucial if you are serious about finding the right candidate the first time around. It’s much more than a net you cast out, it’s a guidebook to the position itself. You will interview based off of it (“Explain your experience with XYZ,” “How many years have you”) and you will use it as a performance metric throughout the life of the position (“Are you fulfilling your duties?”). Investing a little extra time into your job description will save you big in the end.
Written by Katie Fidler
Investing in a Lifetime of Success,
Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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