eSift Ltd
Kings House
7 Kings Road
Fleet
Hampshire
GU51 3DJ
Tel: 01252 624699
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How to write a Job Description
Writing a job description
Job descriptions are useful to help decide on the scope of the role where it is going to be best to advertise it and to clarify what the candidate will have to do in the job. It can also help to clarify your expectations for the employee, provide you with a basis of measuring job performance and highlight any training requirements.

A job description should include:
  • Job title

  • The position in the company (how does this position fit within the company, who will they be reporting to and who will report to them, if any)

  • The location of the job

  • Summary of the objective of the role

  • List of the main responsibilities the role will involve


    • The person specification
    Person specifications are helpful when you are writing the job advertisement. Include the skills, knowledge and experience you would like the successful candidates to have, it is worth putting these in to two groups those which are essential for the role and those that are desirable.

    Please note when creating a job descriptions and person specification it is illegal to discriminate against employing anyone due to their sex, age, race or disability, unless for a genuine reason (or 'genuine occupational qualification') for example a female support worker needed for a female welfare service.

    Top Tips:
  • Don’t rely solely on the history of a role remember you are putting together a job description for today. Look at the current needs of the business and it’s long term objectives.
  • A responsibility is what the person in the job will actually do. Qualifications are the skills, attributes, or credentials a person needs to perform each task. Clarify the actual tasks and responsibilities first then think about what qualifications will be needed to complete them.

  • Use a job title people will recognize for example Administrator rather than Sales Coordinator.

  • If possible it is always worth asking an employee to confirm that the job description is accurate especially if they are fulfilling a similar role. The reality of what a line manager perceives the role to be and what the true tasks are on a day to day basis can differ.
  • Use specific wording. For example instead of computer literate state the software packages the candidate will be using (Word, Excel etc)


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