The importance of Job Description and Person Specification

Job Description
A job description describes the major areas of an employee's job or position. A good job
description begins with a careful analysis of the important facts about a job, such as the individual
tasks involved, the methods used to complete the tasks, the purpose and responsibilities of the
job, the relationship of the job to other jobs, and the qualifications needed for the job.

It's important to make a job description practical by keeping it dynamic, functional, and current.
Don't get stuck with an inflexible job description! A poor job description will keep an
organization and its employees away from trying anything new and learning how to perform their
job more productively. A well-written, practical job description will help you avoid hearing a
refusal to carry out a relevant assignment because "it isn't in my job description."

Realistically speaking, many jobs are subject to change due either to personal growth,
organizational development, and/or the evolution of new technologies. Flexible job descriptions
will encourage your employees to grow within their positions and learn how to make larger
contributions to your company. For example: Is your office manager stuck "routinely ordering
office supplies for the company and keeping the storage closet well stocked " or is she/he
"developing and implementing a system of ordering office supplies that promotes cost savings
and efficiency within the organization?"

When writing a job description, it should be kept in mind that the job description will serve as a
major basis for outlining job training or conducting future job evaluations.
A job description should include a:
• Job Title
• Job Objective or Overall Purpose Statement - This statement is generally a summary
designed to orient the reader to the general nature, level, purpose, and objective of the
job. The summary should describe the broad function and scope of the position and be no
longer than three to four sentences.
• List of Duties or Tasks Performed - The list contains an item by item list of principal
duties, continuing responsibilities, and accountability of the occupant of the position. The
list should contain each and every essential job duty or responsibility that is critical to the
successful performance of the job. The list should begin with the most important
functional and relational responsibilities and continue down in order of significance. Each
duty or responsibility that comprises at least five percent of the incumbent's time should
be included in the list.
• Description of the Relationships and Roles the occupant of the position holds within
the company, including any supervisory positions, subordinating roles, and/or other
working relationships.
Importance of Job Description: -
1. Job Identification: - Job identification or original position,
which includes the job title, department, division plant and code number of the job. The job
title identifies and designates the job properly the departments division etc. indicate the name
of the department where it is situated - whether it is the maintenance department, mechanical
shop etc.
2. Job duties and responsibilities: - Job duties and responsibilities
are two important purposes. First it provides a short definition which is useful as an
additional identification information when a job title in not adequate.
 3. Job duties and responsibilities: - Job duties and responsibilities
gives a comprehensive listing of the duties together with some indication of the frequency of
occurrence or percentage of time devoted to each major duty.
4. Relation to other jobs: - This helps to locate the job in the
organization by indicating the job immediate below or above it in the job hierarchy.
5. Supervision: - Under it is given the number of persons to be
supervised along with there job titles and the extent of supervision involved general
intermediate or close supervision.
6. Machine, tools and equipments: - Job description also defines
each major type or trade name of the machine and tool and the raw material used.
Person Specification:
This involves relating to a range of organisations, groups and individuals, including, but not
exclusively, those who have experienced personal or social difficulties. This requires that a
candidate:
• Has an ability to create an impression of reliability and dependability but challenges
inappropriate behaviour firmly, diplomatically and sensitively.
• Has the ability to critically analyse relationships and demonstrates self-awareness of own
impact on others.

The job specification will describe the job succinctly; indicate the role of the post holder within
the Team/Unit, and any relationship with other Teams/Units; specify the responsibilities of the
post; and indicate the typical activities of the post holder. It must not contain requirements or
conditions which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

The person specification will detail the qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge and personal
qualities required. This specification will correlate with the job specification, and must not
include any requirements which are not necessary for the job.

The person specification and the job specification must not be restrictive, or imply the suitability
of any particular 'race, for the job. The person specification will specify a range of means of
demonstrating the requirements and will not be confined to conventional qualifications and
experience.
Importance:
From the criteria set out in the job description a person specification should be set. The person
specification assists in the recruitment process by providing:
 A consistent set of standards for all applicants which can be observed or measured
 objectively,
 A structured means for a comparative assessment of the applicants.
 A document to ensure that the basis of decision making is publicly known.

The person specification should include the following criteria:

1. Skills and aptitude
2. Knowledge
3. Experience
4. Qualifications
5. Personal attributes

The requirements set out in the person specification should be specific and, where possible,
measurable. To ensure equality of opportunity all criteria on the person specification should be
derived from the requirements set by the job description.
The person specification can be divided into essential and desirable criteria. This should be used
in the short listing process to distinguish between candidates. Essential skills are those that are
critical for the satisfactory performance of the job. It is expected that applicants will meet all the
essential criteria to be considered eligible for appointment. Desirable criteria are those which
enhance a person’s capacity to do the job. They are usually not listed as essential because it is
expected that they can be acquired once in employment. For example, while specific knowledge
of the University and it’s environment could be of benefit, it can also be learnt.
Person specifications relate to:
Physical characteristics: Including health, strength, endurance, age, range, body size, height,
weight, vision, poise, eye, hand and foot coordination etc
Psychological characteristics: Special attitude, such as manual dexterity, mechanical aptitude, in
germinate, judgment, resourceful, etc
Personnel characteristics: Traits of temperament, personal appearance, good and pleasing
manners, emotional stability, aggressiveness, submissiveness, extroversion, introversion,
leadership, etc
Responsibilities: Include supervision of others, responsibility for production process and
equipment, responsibility for the safety of others, responsibility for preventing money loss, etc
The items included in person specification are according to the nature of an organisation and uses
to which area they put. However items like sex, experience, skill, education, etc are invariably
included in a person specification.