30 Jul The Importance of Job Descriptions
Well-written job descriptions are crucial to the hiring process because they assist you in clarifying the skills you expect of an applicant and they help you to defend yourself should you be sued over a hiring decision.
In preparing a job description, ask yourself why you need someone in this position and how the employee would fit into your company structure. Then you want to determine what duties that person will perform.
In making this determination, distinguish between job requirements that are absolutely necessary (also known as essential functions) and those that you would prefer in an ideal world, but that you can do without or could have someone else perform. Essential functions must be listed separately, because when considering accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they are the functions that the applicant must be able to perform with or without reasonable accommodation.
Job descriptions should provide an interviewer who has no personal knowledge of a job with enough information to weed out unsuitable applicants and send only the best-qualified people on for further consideration.
To prepare a good job description, take a survey of others who have done the job before or observe someone who is performing the job. Determine what qualifications the applicant must have to be able to perform the essential functions of the job. These qualification standards must be job related and consistent with business necessity.
Qualifications should include the required education, work experience, physical abilities, mental capacity, skills, licenses or certifications and other requirements such as judgment, ability to work under pressure, or interpersonal skills.
Not sure if your job descriptions are up-to-date or ADA-compliant? Contact Prestige for assistance.