Introduction
Writing a skill-based job description that is both compelling and necessary in the current competitive employment job market, where employees want to find a company that matches their skills and where employers are looking for a skilled candidate. Making a thorough description of the position you’re looking for is crucial when there is a bigger candidate pool to draw in the best individuals.
According to the report of HRDIVE, 51% of firms have unfilled positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates. However, only 36% of candidates believe they are provided precise job descriptions, despite 72% of recruitment managers claiming they provide clear job descriptions. Insight Global Statistics show that job seekers spend an average of 14.6 seconds reading the elements or qualifications of a job description, and job descriptions with less than 300 words receive 8.4% more responses than the average. Whether you choose to hire a star performer or a poor one depends on how well your job description is crafted.
What is a Job Description? A job description is a well-described document defining the tasks, responsibilities, abilities, and expectations connected with a particular position in a company. It serves as the basis for recruitment, performance review, and professional development. In terms of behavior and job performance, it acts as a guide for both employers and employees, making expectations clear.
Importance of a Job Description
Job descriptions act as the foundation for effective human resource management. An effective job description is more than just an advertisement; it’s a strategic instrument that helps recruiters find and hire qualified applicants. They:
- Clarifies Expectations: Job descriptions clearly describe the tasks, responsibilities, and expectations that come with a specific position. This clarity reduces confusion and helps both employees and employers understand what is necessary for the job.
- Attract the Right Candidate: A job description serves as a tool for communicating your expectations and needs for a specific role. It enables you to exclude individuals who are not qualified, not interested, or not a good fit for your firm. A clear, simple, and accurate job description will help you attract individuals who have the skills, experience, and personality you seek.
- Assists in Legal Compliance: Job descriptions reduce the risk of legal complications, such as disputes, grievances, or legal challenges.
- Encourages Career Development: Job descriptions are a useful tool for employees to learn about the skills and qualifications required for internal promotion. Employees can take proactive steps to acquire the skills and experiences needed to advance in their careers by being aware of what is required of them in higher-level roles.
- Helps in Recruitment: Job descriptions help recruiters in hiring new employees. They assist HR professionals and hiring managers in identifying the exact credentials, abilities, and experience required for the position, ensuring that the right applicants are targeted during the recruitment process.
How to Write a Skill-Based Job Description
Degrees are essential for certain positions, but it doesn’t mean your candidate will have all the hard and soft skills needed for the position. Writing a job description is the first step in changing your hiring procedures to a skills-based method. Here are some steps you can follow to create an effective skills-based job description:
- Understand the current job role: The daily operations, protocols, and duties of the role you’re trying to fill should be taken into consideration while writing a skills-based job description. You may have a job description for the position already; in that case, you should break it down into the specific skills needed.
- Identify the required skills: Make a list of the essential skills, competencies, and qualifications required to perform the job effectively. These may include hard skills, soft skills, certifications, education level, and specific experiences relevant to the role.
Hard skills may be measured with ease. They might be viewed as technical skills, such as machine operation skills, licenses or other professional qualifications, math competence, and mastery of programs like Adobe, Photoshop, Excel, and others.
- Collect inside data from the top performers: No one will understand the role and needs for success like the direct manager of the position you’re looking to fill, as well as top performers who have held the same or a similar post.
Start by looking through the validated skills that high achievers have put on their digital credential profile or resume.
- Write an eye-catching summary: Start the job description with a summary that describes the role’s objectives and the significance of the company. Potential candidates should be drawn in by this summary, which also gives them a general idea of the work duties.
- Consider business culture and personality fit: A person’s drive and values, personality fit, skillset, and overall work performance will all ultimately influence one another. Don’t forget to include details about your corporate culture and the personal incentives that will help a candidate succeed in a given capacity in the job description.
Conclusion
Writing a job description is not an easy task, it can be a time-consuming task, but it is an important one. You may recruit and hire the greatest personnel for your company with the aid of this planned method.
A skill-based written job description can assist you in attracting the best possible candidate for your open position and also represent your employer brand, clearly state your expectations, and draw in the people you want by using the best practices and examples we provided in this article.