Hiring
Everything You Need to Know About: Writing Job Descriptions
A job description is a blueprint. It defines the role, clarifies scope and communicates responsibilities.
From an employer’s perspective, writing a well-constructed job description enables you to think about the role and where it fits in the organization.
Crafting a job description requires a lot of thought. If you’ve consistently recycled outdated job specifications, it’s worth taking the time to revisit those documents to help clarify the type of individual you want to hire.
We’re highlighting the benefits of creating job descriptions and providing a clear overview of what needs to be included.
Take Time to Consider Your Company’s Needs
Before you write the job description, you have a great opportunity to think about what type of person you need and what the role is required to do. What kind of person is going to be the best culture fit for the role and the company? What technical and soft skills will they require to be successful?
In a competitive job market, being clear about your priorities and distinguishing between essential qualifications and desirable attributes is crucial. This approach helps you find candidates who can excel in the role and increases your chances of making a successful hire by keeping your expectations aligned with the reality of the talent pool available.
Other key considerations include:
- + What department requires the role?
- + How many people are in the department and where does this role fit with everyone else’s?
- + Who will the individual report to?
- + Is this a new role? Does it require different personality traits from others in the team?
- + What bigger areas is the new incumbent likely to contribute to or grow into?
What’s Included in the Job Descriptions?
Here’s a simple template to guide you on what information you need to gather and include in the job description:
| Job title: | This explains the type of professional you are hiring. |
| Based at: | Business Unit, Section — if applicable. |
| The position reports to: | Line Manager title, location, and Functional Manager, location if matrix management structure) |
| Job purpose summary (Ideally one sentence): | |
| Key responsibilities and accountabilities: | Ideally 8—12 items |
| Main responsibilities: | Outlines the most important duties |
| Secondary responsibilities: | Periodic versus daily routines |
| Core competencies required: | Skills and attributes required to perform the job well |
| Experience required: | Number of years experience in general. Any experience required to perform the duties of this job. For example; industry specific experience (technology, consumer goods etc), role specific experience (PR/Media Relations, Copywriting etc.), team leadership experience and experience within a skill set (Public Speaking, Webinar Development, Lead Generation) |
| Qualifications or educational background: | |
| Dimensions/territory/scope/scale indicators: | The areas to which responsibilities extend and the scale of responsibilities — staff, customers, territory, products, equipment, premises, etc) |
| Compensation & benefits Date and other relevant internal references: |
Please note that this is not meant to be a comprehensive overview. Other elements (e.g., salary scales) may be required according to legislation in your area.
Crafting a strong job description is an important first step toward securing top talent for your team. Taking time to make sure you have a strong sense of the right person and required skillsets will go a long way in making your hiring process move effectively.
Need Help Hiring?
Smart, Savvy + Associates is a recruitment agency that specializes in connecting companies with marketing, communications and creative professionals at all levels, from coordinators to C-suite. Based in Vancouver, B.C., our team of marketers-turned-recruiters have an in-depth understanding of the industry and work diligently to find best-in-class talent for each search. Get started today.
