There are many key elements of an Official Job Description Document. A good job description document should have the what, why, where, and how of the job. It should clearly state the roles and responsibilities of a job so as to avoid lawsuits and to be in compliance with state and federal laws. It also needs to be clear and concise. There should be no scope for confusion in this document. If there is, it may be grounds for a lawsuit.
An Official Job Description Document should ideally begin with the identification of the job which should include the job title, the department, if any, the reporting manager or staff that would report to the candidate, and the non-exempt or exempt status. The location of the job should also be mentioned here.
Then comes the job description. This should be a brief summary of all the roles and responsibilities of the job. It should also include information that makes it unique from other jobs. Then come the essential functions of the job. Explain in detail what needs to be done in the specific job role. This will include tasks that a candidate will require to carry out in the particular job role. Tasks and functions should be clearly outlined in the context of the duties of a candidate. If the candidate has a supervisory or managerial position, the tasks and responsibilities should be mentioned for this post.
The knowledge, abilities, and skills should then be listed. The list of skills expected from an ideal candidate should include essential skills like communication, organizational, and technical skills. Also, if there are software requirements for the post, it should be mentioned here. Communication skills should be differentiated on the basis of who the communication is going to be with and about what. How this communication is to be done should also be specified here. Organization should be categorized by what should be organized.
Core competencies are the attitude and skills needed to accomplish certain tasks for the job. Competencies that you think a candidate should have to carry out specific tasks on a day to day basis should be mentioned here. Core competences of a candidate help in establishing day to day tasks in a job. Education, experience, and license information needed for the job should also be listed in an Official Job Description Document. Safety and health standards should also be specified here.
Then list physical requirements for the job and disclaimers, if any. All information should be clearly written down to avoid ambiguity. If the work is hazardous, the working conditions should be clearly mentioned in the Official Job Description Document. The candidate should know exactly what they are getting into. There may be other minor additions to an Official Job Description Document. However, the key elements mentioned here are the ones commonly added. This gives candidates a clear idea about what they can expect from the job and what is expected of them. Without an Official Job Description Document, the recruitment process is incomplete.
