1. More is NOT better; be concise!
A potential employee does not need an unabridged list of all the possible tasks he or she may be assigned. If you actually took the list into consideration, you would probably realize that an effective employee wouldn’t even be able to adhere to the tasks verbatim. Stop wasting ink. An over-sized job description may intimidate job seekers and act as a turn-off from applying to your company.
When you’re creating a job description ask yourself one simple question: what are the most important characteristics for succeeding at this job?
2. Avoid the classic ‘bloated’ job description.
LIST THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES.
Construct your job description by listing (in order), the primary responsibilities of the new employee. Focus on the five to eight most important duties.
WORK OUT THE TIME REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH RESPONSIBILITY.
This will give both you and your potential employee a better idea of the job requirements for a given position.
The following table might serve as an example template for a project manager:
With this simple technique, you have placed a logical cap on the responsibilities for the new employee. There’s no point listing 10 other responsibilities if there’s no time available in the workweek to fit them in.
3. Use your job description as a reference tool.
By presenting less, more important questions, you will be able to thoroughly assess a potential employees aptitude for the position. You will be able to frame your interview questions to see if he or she possesses the necessary skills to succeed in your company.
This will also help you identify the wrong candidates for the job. This is equally as valuable as finding the candidate that best fits the mold of your job description. An HRIS system can better help you identify qualified applicants as well as search prior job applicants that might not have been a fit at the time, however now you seem to have the perfect match available.