Job Description

As you stumble upon a job vacancy, what’s one factor inside of it that encourages or discourages you from applying? Most likely, the answer is the job description. On the surface, it may seem trivial due to the overly general statements behind each point of the job tasks. This produces two results.
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The first relates to an abundant number of applicants, which may not meet the goal of posting such a vacancy. As a result, the hiring HR team will obtain a higher number of incompetent potential workers. Therefore, beyond the bullet points for the job description, there lies a big responsibility for the HR staff. When they take this for granted, they will lose precious time and budget to hire the right people.

What are the key aspects of a job description?

The key aspects of a job description are six: job title, purpose, duties and responsibilities, required qualifications, preferred skills, and working situations. The length of each of those points differs from one vacancy to another. Usually, the higher a job position, the longer or more complex the statements behind each aspect.

Crafting an efficient and detailed job description speaks volumes about the ability of an HR team to grasp what the firm needs from the successful candidates. When the team gets the proper staff, it really helps the company to run its operations efficiently. So, what is the ideal content of the job details? Here is the list.

  • Job title

A job title covers the standard name of the position. This suggests the level of the job, the task complexity, and even the salary range. The HR team usually puts it at the very top to easily grab the attention of the candidates. Examples of the job titles are Sales Senior Manager, Graphic Designer, Junior 3D Artist, Account Executive, and many more.

  • Job summary

A complete job description should include a job summary or purpose. A few sentences will be enough to briefly explain why the role exists. Generally, its position is below the job title, and it briefly informs the candidates why they will matter for the future company. Therefore, top potential workers will consider this summary to be crucial because they can visualise how they will work.

  • Job duties

The tasks come in bullet points. Make each of the points concise and clear. Avoid too abstract responsibilities. When necessary, say the target for each task point. As such, don’t write that the candidates will work with the sales team to meet targets. Instead, make it clear that the successful candidates will work with the marketing team to sell a specific number of products per month.

  • Required qualifications

A job description has to mention obligatory academic requirements that each candidate has to fulfil. Sometimes, one position is open for graduates from several majors. For example, a position as a junior public relations officer is available for graduates in communication, journalism, or public relations. In addition, state the years of experience every potential worker must have.

  • Preferred skills

These qualifications are not must-haves but are competitive advantages for the candidates. They most likely secure the seats for the next hiring step. Examples of these are being involved in organisations when applying for a job position as a manager or supervisor. This extra qualification will indicate that the candidate has good teamwork skills.

  • Working conditions

At the bottom of a job description, give the company's physical environment, working hours, and corporate culture. These details will convince the candidates to apply as they can roughly predict what kind of corporate culture they will experience on a daily basis. This transparency will create a positive perspective in the eyes of the candidates.

Importance of a job description

Making a clear and effective job description brings mutual benefits for both the employer, the HR team and the employee. For an employer, making the correct content of a job vacancy attracts the best candidates. They will receive only a handful of the most promising workers. This allows them to later focus on ensuring both parties have the same expectations on the role’s scope and success factors.

Moreover, the most suitable candidates will prompt the employer to measure their performance after joining the company. The results are useful for moving up their careers or transferring them to other divisions. For the employee, reading a full job description clarifies the roles. Hence, they won’t have to be confused about whether their tasks overlap with those of the other workers.

In addition, the descriptions assist the workers in shaping their whole career tracks. Typically, employees hope to move forward with their career paths by choosing more complex duties. This will enable them to sharpen their skills and hence earn higher wages. Grasping the clear descriptions of the tasks will help them apply only to roles that support their career tracks.

A job description example

Job title: Senior copywriter

Job Summary: The senior copywriter will supervise a team of talented copywriters who will create compelling narratives to boost the brand value. This position will also be crucial to determine the right design tone for each of the company’s products, including on the packaging side. Therefore, the successful candidate for this role will be vocal about working alongside the visual team to display the brand’s exceptional branding.

Job Duties:

The senior copywriter will decide on a tone and writing style that aligns with the brand’s product types. These include website articles, social media posts, and email newsletters. Thus, daily tasks include:

  1. Checking the copywriting results from the copywriters
  2. Proposing ideas to boost engagement from potential consumers
  3. Researching trends in copywriting content
  4. Analysing the statistics from each of the copywriting products
  5. Working with the design team to yield appealing visuals

Required Qualifications

  1. Bachelor’s Degree in related fields, such as English, Journalism, Communications, or Marketing
  2. Having at least five years of marketing, copywriting, or content development experience in an agency or marketing environment
  3. Having a convincing portfolio of fruitful copywriting projects
  4. Robust SEO knowledge

Preferred Skills

  1. Good research skills
  2. Detail-oriented
  3. Graphic design principle understanding
  4. Client-facing expertise
  5. An out-of-the-box thinker
  6. Strong leadership

Working Conditions

Joining the company will bring the successful candidate to experience a vibrant working environment that brings together creative minds across ages. You will be exposed to a work-life balance corporate culture where you can optimise your working hours so that you have no overtime during your weekends.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Related FAQ
Q1: How many responsibilities should be on a job description?

Answer: The responsibilities should be between five and seven.

Q2: When does the position start?

Answer: The starting date is varied. Therefore, you need to ask the employer or the recruiter.

Q3: Where is the position based, and is relocation required?

Answer: To get the answer, you need to check the job description for the location details and ask a recruiter or hiring manager about the specific office or if there’s a remote or hybrid option.

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