How to write the perfect job description

Effective job descriptions serve several important purposes in your organization. First, and most commonly, they are an effective recruitment tool, since they can be used to attract the right person to the position in the first place. Second, and lesser known, they can be used as a great management tool, and serve as a basis for evaluating an employee's performance, or limiting or expanding the scope of an employee's position. Be sure to keep the job description around even after you've filled the role! Your new employee will also find it helpful to check the description from time to time to ensure it's still relevant.

Job descriptions must be written in a way that conveys appropriate information. An inaccurate or poorly written job description allows the possibility that you won't find the right job candidate, that the candidate may not accurately interpret what is expected in the position, or that you will be accused of not including specific tasks that are integral to the job.

What to include in the job description

Keep the following items in mind when writing out specifics in the job description:

• Responsibilities. Is it easy to see what the job will entail?
• The methods used to complete the tasks. Are there specific skills, degrees or certifications necessary for the role?
• Desirable results. What will the employee ideally achieve. Why is this role important to the company, and what will the correct candidate be able to use to gauge performance?

How to structure the job description

Job title. Your title should be short and clear. "Art Program Director" is a better title than "Director of Art Program at Main Company Training Center."

Job objective. Why do you need this person? What should their overall goal be at your company?

Summary of the position. This will give job candidates a general idea of the level, nature, and function of the job.

List of critical duties or tasks. These should be easy-to-read bullet points listing the major duties assigned to this position. This does not have to (and should not) be an exhaustive list of everything the employee filling this position could ever be assigned. This should be a list of duties that the right candidate can perform now, or will be able to perform with proper training.

List and description of the job's relationship to other roles. Use this area to describe how the role fits into the department. Who will manage this employee? Who will this employee be managing? What are some roles, inside and outside the company, the employee will be expected to work with regularly?

Qualifications and experience needed. Will the person who fills this role need to know specific computer or software skills? Are degrees or certifications required? What other types of hard and soft skills will be necessary for this position? Be specific, but make sure what you’re requesting will actually be used and is an important part of the job.

Salary range and benefits. While some companies don't like to offer the first hint of a salary range, allowing candidates to know what they can expect can help attract the right employee. You do not want an employee whose salary falls greatly to one side or the other of your range. Benefits can also help attract candidates, especially if they are useful for a large number of people (health, dental and vision insurance, gym reimbursement), or unusual (catered lunch every Friday, car service if you work late).

More tips:

• - Write in the present tense. It gives a sense of immediacy.
• - Avoid using gendered pronouns (he or she). Instead, state "the candidate," or "the employee," or structure sentences to remove the need for pronouns.
• - Be specific. Vague words like "seldom," "frequent," or "several" are subject to interpretation.
• - Use action verbs to show what the employee will be doing or achieving in the position.
• - Regulatory compliance is extremely important. Review the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This legislation includes hiring practices and accommodations which can save your company from a lawsuit. They will also hopefully help you craft your job descriptions to appeal to the largest candidate pool possible, hopefully attracting an excellent crop of job candidates.

While a job description is a great basis on which to hire and evaluate an employee, you shouldn’t be inflexible with the enumerated items. Job descriptions can become stale and dated quickly. As technology changes, an employee may no longer require certain skills, or may need to gain new ones in the future. You may also choose to expand or contract the employee's job requirements as the needs of the company change or people come and go from the company. You'll also want to leave the door open to hire outstanding people who may not fit an exact job description at your company, but will inevitably help your business in a key way. Nevertheless, an effective job description is a key starting point for hiring and retaining happy, effective employees.

Should you consider an employee referral program?

There are many strategies when it comes to hiring talent that will help move your company forward. One of the most consistently successful strategies, leading to employing the best-quality people, is an employee referral program. Hiring employees based on a current employee's recommendation is an excellent way to find talent. Your employees want to work with other people they respect and who can help them, and the company, do great work. As people who work at the company day-in and day-out, current employees are likely to know the requirements of the open position and how it fits within the rest of the company. Most of the time, a current employee will recommend individuals who have not only the skillset to do a great job, but will fit in well with other employees and exhibit the values and mission of the company.

When you decide to create an employee referral program, or ERP, you should also make sure your employees want to use the program. Your time and investment in setting up an ERP is only effective if it actually attracts quality employee referrals. Here are the top 5 things to keep in mind when creating your employee referral program.

1. Distribute benefits immediately

According to the Wall Street Journal, it now takes an employer an average of 25 working days to fill a vacancy. That's over a month of work! If you make a referral bonus contingent on an employee being hired and working a certain amount of time, such as three or six months, there's no instant gratification for your employees. While they will appreciate seeing the extra money in their paycheck if that's the award you decide you use in your ERP, it's hard for the brain to link the cause to the effect. Instead, award the benefit on the new employee's hire date. There should be no need to institute a waiting period to see if the employee works out. The right screening and hiring process should guard against most employee attrition in the first six months and all but eliminate the need for a probationary period.

2. Engage social media

Many employees who are well-poised to recommend great people have professional networks that span the globe. These days, people also do lots of networking online, especially through Facebook, LinkedIn, and professional organizations and networking groups. Make it easy for your employees to use social media to invite members of their network to apply while automatically making it clear who is referring them.

3. Prioritize employee referrals

Your ERP won't be as successful as it could be if you add employee referrals to the same queue as all other employee applications. If one of your goals in an employee referral program is to recruit more highly qualified individuals who are a great fit for your company culture, you will want to act on those applications right away. Think of an employee referral as giving a step up to that potential candidate.

4. Hold networking events

A breakfast, lunch, or information session where employees are encouraged to bring their prospective referrals can help increase employee participation and allow your recruiting or HR team to meet with candidates and make informal connections before reaching out to schedule interviews. A tangible benefit like catered food, networking, and social engagement can be a fun way to get employees involved, and the event’s presence will help remind other employees of the opportunities that exist when you refer a candidate.

5. Reward outside referrals

Expand your ERP to include non-employees. If you offer a cash bonus, which is one of the most common benefits in employee referral programs, determine if your accounting system can be set up to make outside payments in the same amount. Retirees, former employees, employee spouses, vendors and clients may all have insights into your business and know people who would be a great fit. Let these people know you will pay for the right referral and expand your pool of potential candidates.

With quality employee referrals, it's highly likely you can reduce your recruitment costs and increase employee retention. Employee referrals require no outside advertising, and perhaps less original vetting than cold resume submissions. Aside from feeling appreciated and helpful when they refer someone who ultimately gets hired, your employees will enjoy working with people they know, like, and with whom they can effectively collaborate. Building on social and professional bonds outside your company makes your company stronger, which also creates more productivity and employee satisfaction.

3 Tips to See Your Company the Way Others See You

The days of introducing job prospects to your company's strengths, core competencies, and corporate culture in person, during the interview process or job offer stage, is over. A potential hire will have already researched your company online long before he or she actually speaks with anyone in the office. With the exception of a few industries, most customers and job candidates will only ever interact with your company through online portals. You may need to evaluate how your company's web presence looks to the outside world in order to attract the candidates you want. Here are 3 tips to help you put your best foot forward.

1. Google Your Name

Probably the first thing a prospective job candidate will do when considering whether or not to apply to your company is Google your company name. You should do the same. Almost three quarters of clicks happen on the first page of Google, with almost two-thirds measured from the top five results. Is your company website one of those results? Do your social media pages have good standing? Can you find positive news articles, blogs, or websites such as Glassdoor mentioning your company? Are any of the top results negative, or do they portray your company differently from how you want people to see you?

If someone Googling your company can't easily find positive information that conveys how you would like to be viewed, you will need to work on search engine optimization to raise the rankings of your site. If your corporate website has not been updated in several years, it’s probably time to write new copy and design the page to better serve the needs of those searching for you, including job candidates. This task might be handled by your internal marketing department or an outside vendor, depending on your resources.

2. Maintain Active Social Media Profiles

For job candidates who do more than simply read your company website, the next stop is probably social media. Alternatively, many job candidates might find out about your company or job postings through LinkedIn, making that site a common place for first impressions. Do you update your social media pages regularly? Are you easy to find on social media? Each social media site will require specific attention. Let's take a look at three common social media channels:

Facebook should contain your company contact information in an easy-to-find manner, including your company website at the very least. You may also choose to display a physical address and phone number, depending on the business. Facebook is a common way for people to contact and review companies. Facebook gives you a rating for response time and completion when customers or others send you a message. You should make an attempt to respond to your company's Facebook messages as soon as possible in order to display a positive customer service rating on your page. Update your profile picture and cover photo regularly; no one wants to see that a photo of your corporate headquarters surrounded by snow is still up in July. Facebook is perfect for pushing new content, such as blog posts, and works best with photos or other images. You should try to post or link new content on your Facebook page at least one to three times per week.

Twitter is designed to be an easily-digestible place to source information. Twitter uses only 140 character posts, and company descriptions are also short and sweet. The small profile picture should be easily-identifiable as your company, most likely your logo. This social media site is a great way to distill only relevant information because of the space limitations. You can link content to Twitter, just like on Facebook, but you will need to shorten your links or consider the amount of space a lengthy link will use. You should also consider researching hashtags so people can find your information. You can use photos on Twitter as well, but keep in mind attaching images will use some of your character limit. Twitter is a perfect avenue for not only content produced by your company, but also industry news and related information. Twitter accounts should be updated daily.

LinkedIn is a professional social media resource used by many job seekers. Many companies use LinkedIn, as well, to advertise open positions or B2B services. Your company's main LinkedIn account or those of your key executives, should aim to be influencers in your industry or market niche. Executives should exude a professional persona, but one that shows there’s an individual behind the screen. Job seekers are eager to see who works at your company, what kinds of jobs they do, and what kind of people they are. Industry-related content should be posted to LinkedIn regularly. Consider adding at least one post per week.

3. Review External Communication

When a job candidate finally gets in touch with you, you want to make sure their impression is positive. Most prospective employees will first contact you electronically, usually by emailing their cover letter and resume, or submitting them through an electronic system. Do you have automatic replies created to let people know you have received their materials? Do you have appropriate voicemail messages or phone menus for job seekers who are calling your office to follow up on their submission or return a call for an interview? Do all of your employees have consistent and appropriate email signatures, containing easily-referenced company contact information and brand awareness? These small communication methods can mean the difference between a satisfied and interested job-seeker and one that becomes frustrated with your business.

An employee chooses the company where he or she wants to work much in the same way the company chooses the individual. The hiring process should be considered a give-and-take scenario, with the candidate interviewing the company to see if the culture is the best fit for them while the company evaluates the candidate’s qualifications, talents and goals.
With consistent branding and honest accounts of your company, you will attract better job candidates who more closely fit in with your company culture and agree with your company vision. This will make not only the hiring process easier, but ensure you find team members who are the best for the role and the best for the company over all.