Where do you start with writing a Job Description.

We often have to help our clients with writing a job description particularly if you don’t have a HR department to help you.

So, we have divided this how to guide into sub-sections to make it easier and also there is a Job Description Template that you can click on to help you.

Job Title

It’s important to get this right for many reasons, you attract the right candidate in the first place and some people place a lot of importance on their job title

When do you need this role filled?

Is there someone in the role at the moment that can provide a handover, if so how much time do you have with that person before they leave.  If the post is vacant because someone has already left, is it critical to have cover (a temporary member of staff) to fill the gap whilst you look for someone else?  Could you consider someone on a temporary to permanent basis, that way you and the candidate can “try before you buy”. 

If it is a new role, have you got room in your budget for this role or does it need to come into your next financial year budget. 

Working through how quickly you need the role filled will determine whether you require someone on a short-term basis, temporary or fixed term contract to fill a gap, or you need them permanently and whether the role is full-time or part-time.  Or perhaps you are looking for an apprentice in which case you need to consider your capacity within the company for training.

In all cases you need to determine your expectation of what this person will be doing.   If it is a new role what value will they be adding.

Who will they be reporting to?

Think about the management style of the person they will be reporting to.  If that person has a hands-off approach you are going to need someone who is quite self-motivated and confident to get on with it.  Similarly, if the person likes to closely manage their team, you need to recruit someone who enjoys having that level of support.

Perhaps they will be managing staff, think about the existing team and what management style would best suit them.

Getting this wrong can seriously demotivate either the person coming into the role or the existing team.

Responsibilities of the role? 

List the duties on a typical day, week or month.  Start with the most important and work down from there.

It might be helpful to do this as a bullet point list.  Avoid Company jargon and acronyms.

What qualifications do they need?

Again, you should separate essential with desirable.

What key skills do they need?

Separate these into essential and nice to have.  Determining these criteria now will really help when you might have several candidates apply for the role and you need to decide on who to interview.

There are two different sets of skills you should be looking at:

Technical Skills:  IT Skills, Microsoft Office, SAP, Sage

Soft Skills:  Communication skills, critical thinking, ability to work independently, flexibility adaptability, organisational skills, attention to detail.  Personality traits that you believe would benefit the role i.e., positivity, enthusiasm and resilience.

When do you need this role filled? 

Sometimes, it is helpful to work backwards to work out your timeline and how long it might take to find someone, consider how many interviews you might have – 1 or 2 or even 3.  Who will be involved in the interviews and their availability?  It is important to think about the critical needs of the business and the capacity for handover and training. 

Most people who are already in a job need to give a month’s notice, so bear this in mind.

How are you going to find this person? 

Are you going to advertise using a job board, specialist publication or use a recruitment agency?

If you require some help with your recruitment or just want to talk it through, whether it is temporary, permanent or contract, Jobshop would love to help. (Go back to contact form for client).

If you require some help with your recruitment or just want to talk it through, whether it is temporary, permanent or contract, Jobshop would love to help.

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