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How to Write a Job Description
A Job Description provides an organization with documentation of major responsibilities and duties (nature and level of work), job specifications (knowledge, skills and
abilities), and working conditions.
A Job Description should describe a job that you want the person to perform now, not as it will exist some time in the future. Frequently, planned changes in job content or structure do not occur when, and in the
same manner as, original planned. If the structure of the job is changing drastically while the job description is being prepared, or is expected to change in the near future, we suggest that you postpone
preparation of the job description until the restructuring has been completed.
The step by step instructions below will assist you with developing an exceptional job description.
(1) Job Title
It is important that this document contains the current job title.
(2) Effective Date
The effective date is the date the job description was created,. Not the date the candidate is hired. Some job descriptions remain the same for a long time while others change often.
(3) Works Status
It is important to know work status for the position because it could impact salary discussions and benefit packages. Only one of the Status boxes should be checked.
(4) Exempt
Every job should have an exempt or non-exempt designation. This is important to determine how employees are paid.
(5) Organizational Location (Department)
Should be defined clearly. It helps when defining reporting structures.
(6) Reports to:
This should be the person to whom the title for this particular job reports to.
(7) Supports
A list of all job titles that report to the person/position.
(8) General Summary
A high level explanation of the responsibilities of the job should be described here. It is important to describe that type of supervision should be spelled out here. (Example: under general direction from the
Marketing Director…)
(9) Principle Duties and Responsibilities
Usually ten essential functions are described here in sentence format using bullets.
(10) Job Specifications
Are used to describe the knowledge, skills and abilities that the employee must demonstrate for successful on-the-job performance.
(11) Knowledge
Knowledge that the candidate/employee has that is relevant for this particular job title/function.
(12) Disclaimer
Disclaimer is statement that is used to specify that all of the requirements for this job title may not be included in this document. See example below.
(Example: The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a
comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job…)
Review and Approval Section: This portion of the job description is used for official signoff by the line or staff manger that this is the current and acceptable job description for the title specified
above. This section includes space for by signatures and dates.
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