To make a successful hire, you need to start with a clear idea of what you want the person doing the job to do, hence the notion of job descriptions. However, good job descriptions are more than just a list of duties and responsibilities – they anchor the job in the organiza- tion’s mission, and they provide a sense of why the role is important.
k k This notion that work should be meaningful has cropped up several
times already – in the MPS (meaning, pleasure, and strengths) process (#21), the discussion of transformational leadership (#54), the use of OGSM (objectives, goals, strategies, and measures, #26) and OKRs (objectives and key results, #27) in structuring work, and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory (#51.).
To hire good people, it is important to start with a well-developed, motivation-focused job description. To draw up such a job descrip- tion, follow these steps:
1. Understand the job in detail.Clarify the purpose of the job from the perspective of the organization, and talk with exist- ing jobholders to understand the detail of the work they’re doing. Analyze the day-to-day activities people perform, the skills and experience they need to do a good job, and the personality profile of those who flourish in the role (#1).
2. Define the essential results that the person needs to achieve. Jobs evolve over time, and there can be a gradual divergence between what the individual is doing and what is actually needed. Also, there may be several ways of doing the same thing so that people can achieve the same result in different ways. This is why it helps to focus on defining objec- tives and key results (#27) rather than specifying precisely how people should do the job.
3. Write the job description. Organize your job description into these sections:
Position identifiers– Clearly identify the job title, the team and department, the job’s reporting lines, the job roles reporting to the job holder, and the salary band for the role. Make the job title customer-focused – for example, customer success manager instead of account manager.
Job purpose – Specify how the role contributes toward the mission of the team and the organization, and con- dense objectives and key results into an easily understood, inspiring statement of purpose.
Description of key results– Specify the key results the per- son should achieve so that he or she has clear goals to
k k work toward and can feel the satisfaction that comes from
achieving these goals. As you’re doing this, make sure the results you’re asking for fit with the personality types of high achievers in the role and that people with these personality types are likely to find that the job attractive.
Competency requirements and competency development– Identify the knowledge, skills, aptitude, education, certifi- cations, and experience levels needed to achieve the key results. And go beyond this to map out the career paths the position can lead to and the skill development you expect jobholders to engage with.
Personal characteristics – Describe the personality traits and values that you’re looking for from your new hire and the interpersonal skills they’ll need, as well as the skills, education, and experience that are required.
Other requirements– Finally, detail any strenuous or dif- ficult aspects of the work – for example, uncomfortable working conditions, unusual physical demands, nonstan- dard hours, or extensive travel. These things need to be clear right from the start so that they don’t come as an unpleasant surprise when the new person starts work.
With a clear, well thought-out, motivationally focused job description – that is, with a well-designed job – it’s much easier to create compelling job advertisements, attract exceptional candidates to your organization, run an effective recruitment process, and get the best from new hires once they’re working for you.
Tip
It’s essential to work with your HR team when it comes to developing job descriptions – this is a core part of the work they do. For new types of roles, they can draw on standardized job descriptions that give you a good starting point for designing jobs, and they’ll ensure that job descriptions comply with national employment legislation. Make sure, though, that
k k motivating factors and the meaning of the role come through
clearly in the final copy – it’s easy for these to get “watered down” or lost while developing job descriptions, but they reallymatter.
Learn more about designing jobs and writing job
descriptions: http://mnd.tools/65