Title: Why and How to Write Job Descriptions National Association of Veterans Research and Education Founda
1Why and How to Write Job DescriptionsNational
Association of Veterans Research and Education
Foundations
- Linda C. Goldberg, SPHR, CCP
- Lumenos, Inc.
- April 11, 2005
2Topics
- Use of Job Descriptions
- Terminology
- Job Description Basic Components
- Collecting Job Information
- Job Description Guidelines
- Compliance Considerations
- Wrap Up
3Introductions
- Who are you?
- Where do you work?
- What is the mission of your organization?
- What do you want to learn today?
- Is there a job description for your position?
4Job Description Prevalence
- Most (97) organizations have some job
descriptions - Many (33) organizations job descriptions are
out of date - Job evaluation typically (60) done in reaction
to line manager requests - Proactive job evaluation rarely done (18)
- Job value based on combination of internal value
(job evaluation) and external value (market
pricing) - Source WorldatWork, Survey of Compensation
Policies and Practices, March 2003
5Human Resources Infrastructure Job Descriptions
Establishing Career Paths/ Succession Planning
6Managing the Four Quadrants
- Performance
Values -
7Select Wisely
- Fit to organizational values
- Fit to (current) job descriptions
- Fit to job specifications skills, knowledge,
abilities - Fit to required competencies (e.g., Integrity,
Customer Focus, etc.) - Fit to organizational culture
- Proven record of performance
8Terminology
- Job collection of tasks, duties and
responsibilities assigned to one or more
individuals with same nature of work, performed
at the same level - Job Design task determination
- Job Worth Hierarchy (Structure) perceived value
of one job relative to others in the organization
? how you value each job in the organization
9Terminology
- Job Analysis formal study of the duties and
responsibilities that comprise job content - Job Documentation written information about job
content based on Job Analysis results - Job Evaluation formal process used to create a
job worth hierarchy ? valuing each job in the
organization
10Terminology
Job
High
Job Worth Hierarchy or Structure
Duties Duties Duties
Job
Design
Job
Low
Job Analysis Design
Job Documentation
Job Evaluation
11Collecting Job Information
- Secondary Sources published materials
- Organization charts for reporting relationships
- Policies and Procedures Manuals for work
processes, training and knowledge requirements,
tasks - Association materials for standard job
descriptions - Existing job documentation for background
information
12Secondary Source Research Associate
- NPC Designs, conducts and analyzes research
projects pertaining to development of antibiotic
susceptibility testing protocols and peptide mass
fingerprinting using - SHRM Serves as a research associate for
applied biological research for ongoing
analytical studies and performs basic statistical
analysis of scientific findings. In concert with
principal scientists and peers, participates in
the development of protocols for biological
research studies and evaluates alternate
methodologies to be used, and conducts/analyzes
research studies.
13Primary Sources
- Primary Sources from direct data collection
- Direct Observation
- Individual Interviews employees, supervisors
- Open-ended
- Highly structured
- Questionnaires
- Group Interviews
- Technical Consultation
14Job Evaluation Questionnaire
- General Information
- General Summary of the primary purpose of the job
- Principal Duties and Responsibilities
- Contacts within organization, external
- Efficiency and Quality precursor tasks, process
improvement opportunities, unnecessary tasks,
missing tasks
15Job Evaluation Questionnaire (cont.)
- Decision-Making - formal guidelines, technical
manuals, regulations, etc., used, decisions
deferred to supervision - Complexity need for independent judgment,
self-motivation, creativity, policies and
procedures to complete the task - Job Specifications - minimum education,
experience, skills, abilities and competencies
required to perform the job effectively - Supervisor review/sign-off
16Job Description
- Summary of the most important features of a job
- Includes
- General nature of the work performed
- Level of the work performed
- Employee characteristics for competent performance
17Components of a Job Description
- Job title
- Exemption status
- Reporting relationships
- Summary
- Duties responsibilities
- Job Specifications
- Competencies
- Working Conditions
- Disclaimer Statement
- Dates and approvals (supervisor and HR)
18Job Description Guidelines Titles
- Use titles which describe the nature and level of
work performed - Use titles which are acceptable and politically
correct - Avoid title inflation
- Avoid potentially discriminating titles (those
that imply sex or age) - Consider internal and external status issues
- Consider Human Resource Information System
limitations - Use published resources (e.g., Maryland
Association of Nonprofit Organizations,
Dictionary of Occupational Titles)
19Questionable Job Titles
- Title
- Traffic Director
- Environmental Specialist
- Reproduction Specialist
- Information Destruction Specialist
- Does this mean
- Municipal Hgwy Engr?
- Hazardous Waste Site Workers?
- IVF Technician?
- Audit Firm Assistant (a la Arthur Anderson)?
20Questionable Job Titles
- Title
- Traffic Director
- Environmental Specialist
- Reproduction Specialist
- Information Destruction Specialist
- Actual Translation
- Highway Flagger
- Housekeeper
- Copy Room Attendant
- Shredder
21General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Exemption Status
- From Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Nonexempt employees in these positions must be
paid overtime at a rate of 1 ½ times their
regular rate of pay for all hours worked in
excess of 40 hours in a work week - Exempt exempt from overtime pay requirements
- Regulations changed 8/23/04
- lt 455/week ? Nonexempt
- gt 100,000/year ? Exempt
- Middle ? determined by tests
22General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Duties Responsibilities
- Include only current duties responsibilities
that account for 5 or more of the work - Present in logical order
- Write in standard format use present tense,
action verbs - Use telegraphic sentence style - avoid
unnecessary words - Implied subject/verb/object/explanatory phrase
- Sample The social worker counsels clients on
the various services provided by the entire state
system. - Identify essential functions of the job
- Focus on the job itself NOT any specific
individual who might fill the job
23General Guidelines Action Verbs
- Administers
- Builds
- Classifies
- Designs
- Edits
- Forecasts
- Guides
- Hires
- Instructs
- Justifies
- Keeps
- Leads
- Manages
- Notifies
- Organizes
- Performs
- Quantifies
- Recommends
- Serves
- Tests
- Updates
- Verifies
- Writes
24General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Level Cutters
- Information that differentiates one level of the
position from another - Sample level cutters
- Education/Training Contacts with Others
- Work Experience Supervisory Responsibility
- Technical Proficiency Working Conditions
- Computer Skills Complexity
- Mental Effort Independent Judgment
- Direction Received
25General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Job Specifications
- Description of worker characteristics required to
competently perform a job - Must be Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (as
opposed to those that are artificially inflated
or discriminatory) - Knowledge acquired mental information necessary
to do the job - Skills acquired manual measurable behaviors
- Abilities natural talents or acquired dexterity
26General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Competencies
- Cluster of related knowledge, skills, abilities
and other personal characteristics working
together to produce outstanding performance in a
given area of responsibility - Examples
- Interpersonal savvy
- Concern for others
- Decision quality
- Judgment
- SHRM White Paper, November 2003 Generic
Competencies Definition and Application, Karen
E. Tabet.
27Compliance Considerations
- Focus on Essential Job Functions those
fundamental job-related duties that are necessary
to the position - Focus on job-related qualifications
- Use gender neutral language
- Use BFOQs with caution Gender, religion or
national origin are rarely a Bona Fide
Occupational Qualification ? reasonably necessary
to carry out a particular job function in the
normal operations of the firm
28Job Analysis and Documentation
Job
High
Job Worth Hierarchy or Structure
Duties Duties Duties
Job
Design
Job
Low
Job Analysis Design
Job Documentation
Job Evaluation
29Human Resources Infrastructure Job Descriptions
Establishing Career Paths/ Succession Planning
30Wrap Up
- Review learning points
- Resources
- www.shrm.org
- www.dol.gov Fair Pay Overtime Rules
- www.chra.com
- www.worldatwork.org
- Questions?