Surface Ripples

Effective People Management - Job Descriptions

How do you recruit the “right” person? How do you choose between candidates for promotion? What should staff be spending their time on? How do we determine which jobs are more “senior” to others (and therefore deserve more pay)?

The simple answer is “Job Descriptions” (JDs). Even in its most basic form, a good JD provides clarity for job holders, their managers, recruiters and HR among others. What is troubling is how few organisations have them.

No organisation is “too small” to have JDs. The instant you have more than one employee, you need clear definitions of “who does what”. In some organisations, employees need to be “multi-tasking”, so make sure that this is stated in the JD (and what the other tasks are).

If you need to recruit a replacement, the JD tells you the qualifications and experience needed. If you need to choose between two candidates for promotion to a higher level, the JD will give a clue of who may be more suited. If the JD includes information on experience, problems solved and ability to commit the organisation, it helps to decide which jobs are “bigger” than others. If someone isn’t performing, are they not following their JD, or was the wrong person put into the wrong role?

At the least they will include:

An “Accountability Objective”: a short sentence explaining what vital function the job performs (what would not get done if this role didn’t exist?)

“Principal Accountabilities And Responsibilities”: the areas in which the job holder is expected to produce results (and percentage of time devoted to each).

“Know-How And Experience Requirements”: formal education, professional qualifications and type of professional experience required to perform “competently” (but not as an expert).

“Problem-Solving Requirements”: problems faced, how frequently and how they are solved.

“Accountability”: limits of authority or ability to commit the organisation.

JDs are the organisation’s “Swiss Army Knives”, providing a range of vital support. Don’t forget though, they describe the job, not the job holder.

I have spent more than half my life working in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own Performance Management Consultancy and work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.

Labels: Career, Strategy, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 18:53