HR Basics: How Do You Write a Job Description?

Transcript

HR basics is a series of short courses designed to highlight what you need to know about a particular human resource management topic in today's HR basics we explore how to write a job description using a six step process to craft great job documentation a job description is a useful plain-language tool that describes the essential functions and sp... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥰 Job descriptions are important tools for HR management and compliance, providing a clear understanding of job responsibilities and specifications.
• 💁 Job analysis involves collecting information about job tasks through methods like observation, interviews, questionnaires, and online resources.
• 💯 Essential functions are the core responsibilities of a job, listed in order of importance or time, with action-oriented statements.
• 🎓 Job specifications, including education, experience, skills, and abilities, should be consistent, precise, specific, and relevant to essential functions.
• 💁 Demographic information in a job description includes job titles, reporting structure, FLSA status, and basic details about the job.
• 🆘 Writing a purpose statement helps capture the essence of the job and summarize its overall function.
• 🥰 Job descriptions should be reviewed, approved, and kept in a secure and accessible location for effective HR management.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you write a job description?

Use a clear, user-friendly template and follow six steps in order: job analysis, essential functions, purpose statement, specifications, demographics, and review. A consistent template helps standardize job documentation throughout an organization.

Q: What is a job description?

A job description is a plain-language document describing a position’s essential functions and specifications. This documentation provides a foundation for human resource management activities and compliance.

Q: How should a job analysis be conducted?

First identify the objectives, select and organize the jobs, choose a method for collecting job data, create the job descriptions, and keep them current and available to staff. Data can come from observation, interviews, questionnaires, O*NET, or a combination of these methods.

Q: When should observation be used for job analysis?

Observation involves watching current job holders at work and documenting the activities they perform. It is especially useful for repetitive jobs, but it may miss duties or work cycles that are not complete and easily observed, so it can be combined with other methods.

Q: How do interviews and questionnaires support job analysis?

Interviews allow a manager, job analyst, or HR specialist to gather detailed information from both the employee and the employee’s supervisor, making them useful for complex or highly technical jobs. Questionnaires conveniently provide standard data across positions, while follow-up interviews and observation can clarify and verify employees’ responses.

Q: What belongs in the essential-functions section of a job description?

This section summarizes the position’s most critical work and distinguishes essential duties from marginal duties. Essential-function statements should appear by importance or time required, with responsibility statements beneath them defining the important job tasks.

Q: How should essential-function statements be written?

Use the Key Result Area, or KRA, formula: begin with an action verb, describe what must be done, and state the measurable outcome. Each job description should contain four to eight essential-function statements, with two to eight bullet-point responsibilities under each statement, while avoiding vague language.

Q: What information should job specifications and demographics cover?

Specifications cover job-related requirements such as education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, physical demands, and work-environment characteristics. Demographic information includes the job title, reporting structure, FLSA status, and other basic job details; after these sections are completed, the description should be reviewed, approved, securely stored, and kept accessible.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Job descriptions are essential plain-language tools that describe the functions and specifications of a position and provide the foundation for compliance and HR management activities.

• The six step process for writing a job description includes job analysis, essential functions, purpose statement, specifications, demographics, and review.

• Job analysis involves collecting information about the job through methods like observation, interviews, questionnaires, and using online resources. Essential functions are the core responsibilities of the position, while specifications include requirements like education, experience, skills, and abilities. Demographic information consists of job titles, reporting structure, FLSA status, and basic details about the job.