Seeking a job can give you a tough time, if you fail to understand the job description. There are so many circumstances when a candidate goes to opt for a wrong job, just because either he or she didn’t read the description carefully or the management didn’t specify while putting an advertisement or notice.
Most of the times, attention is not paid to the proper job description, neither by the organization nor by the candidate. However, one fails to realize how much valuable those few lines could be. A proper job description is the duty of recruiters and a right of the candidate.
Job description is as important as filling up the place is. Unless and until the description is clear, one cannot find the right person to suit the post.
Here is a long list stating the reasons, as to why is it important to have a clear job description while posting jobs in job boards or within company’s hiring section –
The Importance of Job Description in Recruitment Process:
1. Suitable candidate:
For an organization to grow and survive in the market, the tool is nothing but manpower. Having the most suitable person for each job position can do wonder in production and sales. The performance of the entire organization would increase merely if each employee has a right and suitable position for him/her.
Hence, the first and foremost reason to have a job description is to find a right fit candidate. If the job description is not given, people from all backgrounds would apply which will make it tougher to choose and moreover the extra amount of time would get wasted.
2. Sorting out:
Each position in the organization has its own work, duties and responsibility to perform. It is always considered that only a candidate who seems to be good enough to perform all these duties and works is appointed.
Thus, mentioning a clear job description would emphasis more on the kinds of responsibility that a person is going to handle. Thus, among thousands of people seeking for a job only a handful of people who feel that they fit the description would apply. So it makes sorting or filtering easier. It saves time of recruiting team as well.
3. An idea about the job:
A candidate is supposed to prepare for the interview beforehand. Be it any kind of interview, there is some amount of preparation that is needed.
What an organization can do is, instead of vaguely saying that we need a person for this post, the description of the profile would be much helpful. It will give an idea to the candidate and makes his preparation much easier.
4. Resume:
One cannot have a single resume for all sorts of job. It depends upon the requirement of the job that a candidate is applying, as to which side of his or her work experience has to be highlighted. With a job description in hand, making changes in the resume becomes easier.
Like, if your job description says that they need a content writer, but an expert in SEO then in your resume you can highlight your experiences related to SEO content writing only. There is no use of having endless irrelevant things on the resume. Thus, cutting it shorter and crispier as per the job description can be helpful for both the sides.
5. Deciding:
You might be a reviewer, however, there are chances that you like to review films instead of food. Here, if in the description it is stated that they are looking for a food reviewer then you can decide that you don’t want to apply.
On the contrary, if there is no specification as such, you will end up wasting yours and the employer’s time.
6. Understanding responsibility:
Responsibility comes with every job that is assigned to you. It is not always easier to handle responsibilities, especially if one is unclear about it. Having a job description handy makes it far easier to understand what is your work supposed to be and then you can take accordingly your steps.
Whereas, without a job description you won’t be able to analyze what is your exact job which will leave you confused. Instead, with a job description you can figure out your work even before somebody tells you.
7. Prepare for interview:
A job description in a way gives you direction for preparing your interview. If you go through the job description you can easily figure out that what type of question might be asked to you and how can you prepare yourself for the same.
It is important to be prepared when interviews are scheduled, and with a job description beside you can narrow down the preparation and make it deep instead of wide.
8. Criticality of job:
Putting up a job description below the advertisement or the post makes it crystal clear that how important and crucial the job is supposed to be. It gives an impression that employers are serious about the job and the kind of people that they wish to recruit.
If there is no description of the job given, then even candidate would not trust it completely and hence it is very important to have a job description.
9. Details:
Job description also deals with important details. Half of the details like, post, evaluation criteria, summary, reporting time and attributes are needed for the position. You might miss out on a lot of details if you do not bother to read it.
Not going through a job description might land you in an endless trouble and that is why, the short summary called job description shouldn’t be done unseen at all.
10. The List of expectations:
A job description is like a list of expectations from the side of a company towards the candidate. Going through the job description prescribed by the organization enables an employee to understand the kind of quality and efficiency that they are looking for.
Only an overview of a job description can certainly tell you a lot about the expectation that would be hung around you as an employee in later time.
11. Credibility:
Having a well described job also adds credibility from the point of you of an applicant. It somehow portrays the seriousness and professionalism of the organization.
Not putting a job description portrays a casual attitude and non professionalism without any doubt.
It is highly professional to give details regarding the job if you are asking or inviting applicants to apply. Any vague brief is considered as informal.
12. Compensation plan:
Compensation and pay plans are to be made in advance even before the interview process begins to take place. If the company has described the job well then, the pay scale and compensation becomes easier.
Nobody can further question about it since the description of the work is clearly laid down and the compensation or pay scale would be given accordingly is understood.
13. Performance management:
Any job description works like a parameter when it comes to managing the performance of the employee. This implies that suppose an employee is not working well then the organization can check the job description and take action accordingly. The description acts as a parameter.
In the same way for an applicant who is applying, the description of the job becomes the criteria to decide whether to take the employee in or not. It the candidate’s experience, skill and knowledge match the job description, then only he/she gets selected.
14. Benchmarking:
Relating it with the previous point. The job description could act as a benchmark to decide whether the quality of the candidate is more or less than the requirement. If the quality is more then he or she can be hired immediately.
For instance, if the post job description talks about the goal which is to bring more clients, then the number of clients that you have bought into the organization is going to be your parameter of the test as an employee. Similarly for a candidate the benchmark would be the number of clients he has dealt with in past years of work.
15. Ethical:
Providing a job description is ethical in nature, which means that, whatever is prescribed in it is the only responsibility to deal with. Any candidate who gets selected won’t be given any other work which is totally opposite to the given description.
This is more ethical on the part of the organization since it assures the candidate in a way. There are times when you are assigned a totally different job though the post remains the same. In such cases job description comes as your proof to save you.
16. Avoid being misleaded:
There are N number of chances of getting mislead while applying for the job. Not having a proper job description is probably one of them. If proper job description is given by the company, only applicants who are fit to the criteria will apply, but, giving no description leaves it for applicants to interpret it in their own way.
The result to this will be nothing more than just a waste of precious time. Therefore, putting forth a job description doesn’t allow the candidate to have his/her own interpretation and hence it offers no chance of being misled.
17. Differentiation of roles:
In an organization, the principle of division of work is what works most of the time. Each employee has a destined job to perform. Not having any division at work will end up making chaos in the entire organization which will hamper the efficiency and effectiveness of the production.
Similarly, this implies to job description, if job description is not provided clearly before fixing up a candidate at that position, it will start a new ruckus. Confusion will crop in from both the sides.
The candidate won’t be able to understand what is he supposed to do and on the other hand, management would find his performance lesser than the expected level. Therefore, having a job description clears up the confusion of both the sides.
18. A legal document:
A job description is a document which carries details regarding your salary, compensation, work, position, responsibilities and so on. It can serve as a proof or a legal document when an argument arises between the company and the employee.
In any case, whether the company is at fault or the employee who is filing the case, any of the sides can use this document as a proof in seeking justice.
Not giving a job description before hand or not asking for a job description is in a way not completing an important legal formality. Thus, always having a crystal clear job description shared on both the sides is beneficial.
19. Base of the interview:
Taking personal or telephonic interview is one of the important aspects of the recruiting process. No company can hire a candidate without interviewing him or her in any way. In any interview generally questions are asked which a candidate is supposed to answer.
Having a job description readily available makes it easier for the recruitment team to form the questions that are to be asked.
For example, if you are applying for the post of personal lawyer, whose work would be to fight personal cases which are pending then the base of the question would be highly related to those pending cases.
There won’t be any point in asking a candidate questions about anything that is not related to law because that is not in the description of the job.
20. Training and development:
Today, most of the companies have indulged themselves in training employees. Those who are new as well as old ones. Training is important, especially when new technology at workplace is introduced. It is also important to train the employees so that the desired level of efficiency and performance is obtained.
Here a proper job description plays a key role. If the description of the job is clearly defined then what kind of exposure should be given to the employee or candidate in terms of training and development programs becomes easier to sort out.
Conclusion:
Hence, with all the above points that are stated it becomes clear that how important it is to have a job description. So, whether you are a candidate who is applying for the job, an employee who is already in the office or the management level of the organization itself, it is beneficial to all sides if the job description is given clearly to each and everyone.
Therefore, do not forget to give a job description as a recruiting in-charge whenever you are advertising for the job and as a candidate you shouldn’t forget to take note of the described work which you are expected to handle.
