job description

(noun)

an outline of the description of the tasks and responsibilities in a post within an organization

Related Terms

  • job analysis
  • recruitment

Examples of job description in the following topics:

  • Finding Good Candidates

    • This information is captured in a job description and provides the recruitment effort with the boundaries and objectives of the search.
    • Often a company will have job descriptions that represent a historical collection of tasks performed in the past.
    • These job descriptions need to be reviewed or updated prior to a recruitment effort to reflect present day requirements.
    • Each job description should be associated with a list of critical skills, behaviors, or attitudes that will make or break the job performance.
    • Starting a recruitment with an accurate job analysis and job description ensures the recruitment process effort starts off on a proper track for success.
  • Internal equity

    • A job description summarizes the information collected in the job analysis.
    • See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_analysis for more information about job analysis.
    • Job evaluation is a process that takes the information gathered by the job analysis and places a value on the job.
    • Job evaluation is the process of systematically determining the relative worth of jobs based on a judgment of each job's value to the organization.
    • The result of the job analysis and job evaluation processes will be a pay structure or queue, in which jobs are ordered by their value to the organization.
  • Brief history of traditional approaches to job design

    • Frederick Taylor developed this theory in an effort to develop a "science" for every job within an organization (Taylorism).
    • In regards to this theory employers are encouraged to design jobs that enhance and motivate employees beyond simply meeting a daily or weekly quota.
    • Simple recognition is often enough to motivate employees and increase job satisfaction (Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory).
    • More effective jobs can be created when specific goals are established.
    • If a company wants to implement goal setting theory with regards to job design than a reasonable job criteria and description must be established.
  • Recruiting workers

    • In either case, the establishment of a comprehensive job description for every position for which the company recruits will help to narrow the scope of the search, and offer more qualified candidates, aiding in search efficiency.
    • Job fairs and campus visits: Job fairs are designed to bring together a comprehensive set of employers in one location so that they may gather and meet with potential employees.
    • Finally, many professional associations may have websites on which a company may post job openings.
    • To learn more about the growth of internet job postings: http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?
    • To learn how to create an effective online job posting: http://www.yourhrexperts.com/posting.html
  • Elements to job design

    • Job design is critical to the success of any organization.
    • In order to better understand job design it is helpful to define some key elements and their relationship with job design processes.
    • In job design it is necessary to identify and structure jobs in a way so that the company's resources are being efficiently used.
    • Reward systems also play a role in job design.
    • An outline or description of reward packages needs to be established while constructing jobs.
  • Evaluating recruiting policies

    • Each job description should be associated with a list of critical skills, behaviors or attitudes that will make or break the job performance.
    • Therefore, the companies also need to ensure that the process is accurate, with a high level of validity, reliable and related to critical aspects of the job.
    • The purpose of behavioral interviewing is to find links between the job's requirement and how the applicant's experience and past behaviors match those requirements.
    • Employers may choose to use just one or a combination of the screening methods to predict future job performance.
    • Research shows that the "degree of cultural fit and value congruence between job applicants and their organizations significantly predicts both subsequent turnover and job performance" (Pfeffer & Viega, Putting People First for Organizational Success, 1998).
  • Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

    • The Two-factor theory indicates that one set of factors at work cause job satisfaction, while another set of factors cause dissatisfaction.
    • It was developed by Frederick Herzberg, a psychologist, who theorized that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction act independently of each other.
    • However, the absence of such gratifying job characteristics does not appear to lead to unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
    • Instead, dissatisfaction results from unfavorable assessments of such job-related factors as company policies, supervision, technical problems, salary, interpersonal relations on the job, and working conditions.
    • The subjects were asked to relate times when they felt exceptionally good or bad about their present job or any previous job, and to provide reasons, and a description of the sequence of events giving rise to that positive or negative feeling.
  • Discussion questions, exercises, and references

    • Read the description of SAS Institute in the section on Employee Benefits.
    • Job Design.
    • What is "Job Design?".
    • Initial Comparisons of Patterned Behavior Description Interviews Versus Unstructured Interviews.
    • Good Job Design and High Job Performance.
  • Quality Control

    • Inspectors will be provided with lists and descriptions of unacceptable product defects such as cracks or surface blemishes.
    • Elements such as controls, job management, defined and well-managed processes, performance and integrity criteria, and identification of records
    • Inspectors will be provided with lists and descriptions of unacceptable product defects such as cracks or surface blemishes.
  • Appraisal methods

    • Ratings can be numerical ranges (1-5), descriptive categories (below average, average, above average), or scales between desirable and undesirable traits (poor ↔ excellent).
    • While extremely useful for jobs where behavior is critical to success, identifying behaviors and standards for employees can often be very time consuming for an organization (Kulik, 2004).
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