When hiring a new staff member or reviewing an existing position, it’s easy to side-track your job description by focusing on what would make a perfect employee; excitement about a new hire leads us to focus on skills and abilities, and a job description can easily devolve into just a shopping list.

So how do we avoid this? How do we write a killer job description?

First, keep in mind that, the purpose of your job description is less about defining the characteristics of the employee, and more about identifying the activities and responsibilities associated with a particular job as well as the factors by which performance will be evaluated.

Second, keep in mind the motivations of the employee and the manager. From an employee’s perspective, a great job description provides the parameters of their role and a framework of expectations for the position. Since role ambiguity and unclear expectations are often identified by employees as a leading source of workplace stress and dissatisfaction, developing good job descriptions is worth the effort.  From the employer’s perspective, it is next to impossible to provide effective feedback or conduct a valid performance review if an employee’s job description does not reflect the actual job; a great job description provides guidance for the ongoing performance management and goal setting activities.

Third, determine what information you want to include in your job descriptions. Typically, you will include (at least) the seven following elements:

1. Job or position title
2. A position summary or overview that briefly describes the primary function and purpose of position.
3. A list of functions/activities/duties and responsibilities of the position
4. A list of required skills, knowledge, and abilities
5. An indication of required education, experience and any regulatory requirements
6. A description of the physical demands of the job
7. A description of the work environment and/or working conditions

Some additional elements you may want to include (as applicable) are:

• The department the position is part of
• The supervisor (by name or position) that this position reports to
• Priorities and/or approximate percent of time allocated to the functions, activities, duties and responsibilities identified
• Additional factors that will be considered in performance evaluations
• An organizational chart that shows where the position fits in the big picture
• Salary band or range associated with the position
• Nature of the position (eg. contract, part-time, full-time, union, non-union, temporary, etc.)
• Number of direct reports
• Budgetary responsibility
• Geographic location and expected travel

Once you know what information you want to include in your job description, set that as a standard across the organization so that all positions are defined using the same parameters (even if some are left blank for certain positions).

Fourth and finally, get input from the right people. As much as possible, when creating your job description, include input from people who do (or have done) the job you are describing to ensure an accurate reflection of the actual position. Similarly, get input from supervisors and managers who will be evaluating the position to make sure their requirements and priorities are reflected in the job description.

By following these steps,  you’ll have little trouble pulling together great job descriptions for new and existing roles. If following these process for your company’s existing roles seems a little daunting, start with just a single role. A great job description fills a key function for both the employer and the employee by providing clarity, setting expectations, and creating a shared understanding of the role for evaluation and employee development.