Tuesday, June 11, 2013

8 Things To Include In A Job Description

This article originally appeared in one of our Weekly eNewsletters. Sign up for free today to get more articles like this.

How do you get someone to apply for a job at your organization? The obvious answer is to write a job description to post on your website or on a job board, but not any old description will do the trick.

James Weinberg and Cassie Scarano, co-founders of Commongood Careers, wrote in “Nonprofit Management 101” that, to attract great talent, you need a job description that will leave the candidate no choice but to apply. They explained that a job description is a marketing tool at the end of the day: It must engage potential candidates by communicating the opportunities available through the position, in addition to outlining the requirements.

Weinberg and Scarano listed eight things that must be included in a job description if it is to have its desired effect:

  • Title: Keep it short, concise, descriptive of the position, and widely recognizable.
  • Organizational Overview: Introduce your organization through a succinct and enthusiastic paragraph that outlines your mission and programs, success to date, growth plans, future opportunities, and culture.
  • Position Overview: Use one well-written paragraph to describe the overall function of the position and highlight the opportunities for impact and leadership.
  • Responsibilities: Use five to seven bullets to provide detail about the responsibilities of the position. Use engaging and active language and avoid jargon.
  • Qualifications: This section should outline the experience and competencies required for success in the position and your organization without being overly prescriptive.
  • Compensation Range: Disclosing specific compensation is not required and in fact, is not recommended, as it limits the candidates you will see.
  • Application Instructions: Be very specific about how you want candidates to apply for the position.
  • Equal Opportunity Statement: It is good practice to have an equal opportunity employer policy and to include that in your job description.

No comments:

Post a Comment