Starting with a well written position description can become your cornerstone to effective people management. It will be the go-to resource for both employees and managers when discussing performance, compensation, recruitment, training and development, and many other leadership activities.
Whether you are drafting a position description for a new position in your organization, or updating old ones, make sure to include only important and relevant information for that position. It is not an exhaustive task list! It’s to define the important essential duties and qualifications.
Here is what you should include at a minimum:
- Position Title – try to make the position title an accurate reflection of the role…both in terms of function and level. Overinflating these can lead to confusion about responsibilities.
- Position Summary – the summary should only be one sentence...two at the max…and should summarize the role. It should not include every duty and responsibility performed by the employee.
- Duties and Responsibilities – the duties and responsibilities should include some more specific items than what was outlined in the position summary, but it should not look like a daily task list of what the employee does from start to end during their workday.
- Experience – these items should be distinguished by what is required versus what is preferred. Required means the employee or candidate absolutely needs this qualification or experience to perform the position. Preferred means that a qualification or experience are nice to have, but not absolutely necessary for the role.