How to Write Job Descriptions and Role Profiles

8/14/2019 How to Write Job Descriptions and Role Profiles

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How to write Job Descriptions and RoleProfilesBefore any job is recruited for or advertised it is essential to identify what exactly theneed is, what skills and behaviours are required for an individual to be successful inthe role and what you can afford. In the initial stages you need to check that thepotential need is an actual need and then produce/update the job description or roleprofile if there isnt already one in place.

Is there a need?Recruitment can be a costly activity; therefore it is essential that you ensure that youare channelling this activity effectively and not over-resourcing. This can beestablished by asking some basic questions:-

! Has the need arisen by someone leaving?! Has the role changed? Has it been influenced by new products, services or

changes in technology?! Have work patterns changed?! Has an exit interview been conducted? This could highlight important points

about the potential vacancy.! Could the role be broken down and key tasks distributed among the team?! Is it a new role?! Does it fit in with budget?! Will it be cost-effective? Do the benefits justify the expense?! Should it be full-time, part-time or contract?! Could the work be distributed among the current team? Can individuals be

trained? Could technology make an impact? Could shift patterns bealtered?

Once you have established that there is a specific need, the next stage is to updatethe current Role Profile and/or produce a new one if necessary.

Role Profiles/Job Description?The term "Role Profile" is a blend of both a Job Description and a PersonSpecification or outline of the type of person who would fit the role. Role Profiles are

simple documents which demonstrate clearly the relationship between specificactivities/tasks and the personal attributes required to undertake them. In short itdescribes a job, and the personal qualities required to do that job well.


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The job is usually described in terms of the purpose, responsibilities and keydeliverables of the job, and the personal qualities required are described in terms ofthe knowledge, skills and behaviours that are necessary to perform the job well.

Role Profiles provide clarity (both to those doing the job and to managers) on what is

expected from people doing the role. They focus people's attention on the key factorsrequired to deliver results. They provide information that enables:

! A much clearer understanding of what the role holder is being asked to do.! More effective appraisal, against a clear benchmark.! More effective recruitment, against clearly specified requirements linked to

business objectives.! More effective development of people, focussing learning on the areas that

will bring most business benefit.! More effective promotion and career development, where people can see

what they need to do to fulfil a future role, and in turn the organisation canassess people's capability more accurately.

Key benefits businesses gain from using Role Profiles as opposed to JobDescriptions include:

! Increased effectiveness from jobholders who are more focussed on whatsuccess looks like in their role.

! Reduced recruitment and retention costs, with people better matched torole requirements.

! Reduced training and developments costs, with learning targeted onactivities with defined business benefit.

! More successful promotion decisions.! Fairer, simpler and more transparent grading structures.

Producing a Role ProfileIf you need to produce a new Role Profile, it should be clear, concise and include thefollowing:

Job DescriptionJob title A named role and location. The job title should

communicate the function and status of the job.Reporting line The person to whom the individual will be

reporting. It is important that this is clarifiedparticularly where there may be more than onereporting line for different issues.

Job purpose A simple statement to identify clearly theobjective of the job.

Key accountabilities This details what actually needs to be done. Theduties and expected outcomes.

Knowledge/experience/skills This section is used to identify the overallexpertise needed to perform the job to therequired standards for example:Knowledge of specific procedures (e.g. computersystems and software for an IT programmer)Experience in working with Microsoft packages


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The skills to apply computer knowledge, skills towork as part of a team

Person SpecificationQualifications Academic/vocational/professional. Outline the

minimum requirement for the jobholder and whatis ideal.

Work Experience The amount of experience in a specificenvironment at a specific level

Knowledge Specific background/essential knowledge neededto do the job i.e. working practices

Skills/Abilities Skills and abilities required that are specific to therole i.e. numerical/verbal/communication It isrecommended to identify a minimum level of skilland also a maximum level of skill to indicatedevelopment

Personality/Motivation What motivates the candidate is the role likely torestrict someone who enjoys working with peopleif it is one which has limited contact with others.

Circumstances Availability/mobility i.e. is the candidate able towork the hours required, or can they travel to thework location.

Competencies/Behaviours A description of which core competencies arerequired for the job

It is also useful to identify:

! The essential criteria (skills, experience, attributes) which must be availableto undertake the job! The desirable criteria (other abilities, attributes, further experience), that

would enhance the quality of the candidates.

This should outline your 'ideal' candidate for the vacancy. Candidates who don't havethe essential criteria should be rejected at application stage. While the desirablecriteria are not essential, they may enhance the quality of the candidate and this maybe useful if you have a number of good candidates.

You should ensure that candidates meet the benchmark in the competency basedassessment when you shortlist, and that you can evidence objective recruitmentdecisions have been made.

Attached is a suggested template to help facilitate your new role profile.


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Role Profile Template

Job Title: XXXXXXX

Reports To: Job Title of Line Manager

1. Job Purpose A brief 1 to 2 sentence summary of the primary reason why this job exists.

2. Principal Accountabilities Aim to describe around 10 Principal Accountabilities, although some jobs may haveless and others more, but avoid listing every single activity. The description should begeneric for any broad role which covers a number of jobholders e.g. Manager,

Adviser etc

Detail the most important aspects of the role spelling out:! Responsibilities what does the jobholder do?! Accountabilities what decisions does the jobholder make?

Start with an active verb, e.g.! Manages a team of 4 people to ensure....! Develops new methods of....! Coaches people to ensure that they have the capability to...! Responds to telephone calls in a professional manner and ensures that .....

It may also be useful to have a general accountability, which lends scope for newtasks e.g.! Executes additional tasks in order to meet departmental project-related or

development and change objectives.

3. Knowledge/Experience/SkillsConsider the qualifications / specific knowledge / type of experience / skills/ type ofbehaviours and attributes a person may be required to possess in order to carry outthe job.

a) Knowledge! Academic level of qualification required is an academic level essential?! Professional level of qualification required is there a relevant

qualification?! is it essential or desirable?! What specific knowledge is required? E.g. knowledge of European family

law

b) ExperienceThis should include an element of time spent to gain the experience thereforeconsider:

! experience in specificenvironments

! of specific tools

! of specific techniques! of specific practices! of specific exposures


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e.g. From a Retail background with 3 years customer service experience includingone year at team manager or supervisory level

c) Skills

Consider the skills or abilities that are required to do the job e.g.! Working knowledge of Excel! High level of numeracy! Communication skills

including written andpresentational

! Has attention to detail! Can think on feet! Can assimilate data

d) Attributes and BehavioursConsider the behaviours / attributes or competencies required to carry out the rolee.g. in Team Work:

! Develops and maintains positive working relationships with others! Shares ideas and information! Assists colleagues unprompted! Takes pride in the achievement of team objectives

Other elements may include eg! Has credibility with peers and senior managers! Self motivated driven to achieve results! High customer service ethic is passionate about meeting customer! expectations and improving service levels.! Keeps pace with change acquires knowledge/skills as the business

develops

4. ContextExplain the context of the role if it is

! a new role! a change to the role

Put into context how this role fits into the department/company

Detail the complexity of the role, commenting on impact of role and highlighting anystatistical supporting data, e.g.: budgets, numbers of staff, numbers of sites

Documents

How to Write Job Descriptions and Role Profiles