Writing better position descriptions

People in a number of my client companies have complained about their position descriptions, including these general categories:

• "I don't have one for my current job."


• "It doesn't represent what I really do."


• "My boss doesn't know what I really do to get things done."

Sometimes a position description is mainly created to justify a particular pay grade moreso than to provide valid direction for an employee's activities. Sometimes it's a rush job completed in order to fill a slot and doesn't give as much guidance as it could to the new hire as he or she works to get ramped up and be successful.

IPMAAC is a section of IPMA-HR, an organization of human resource professionals throughout the United States and worldwide. Members are specialists in hr selection and assessments. Highlights from their view of position descriptions are as follows (for full content click the link):

A job description is a relatively short summary of a job and should be about
two to five pages in length. This suggested length is not really typical of most
job descriptions used by organizations; they tend to be only one page. But for a
job description to be of any real value, it must describe a job in enough detail
that decisions about activities such as selection and training can be made. Such
decisions probably cannot be made if the description is just one page long.

Though I/O psychologists believe that job descriptions should be detailed and
lengthy, many professionals in organizations resist such efforts. These
professionals worry that listing each activity will limit their ability to
direct employees to perform tasks not listed on the job description. The concern
is that an employee, referring to the job description as support, might respond
"It's not my job". This fear, however, can be countered with two arguments. The
first is that duties can always be added to a job description and job
descriptions can, and should, be updated on a regular basis. The second is to
include the statement "and performs other job related duties as assigned" to the
job description.

A job description should contain the following seven sections: job title,
brief summary, work activities, tools and equipment used, work context,
performance standards, and competencies.

An accurate title also aids in employee selection and recruitment. If the job
title indicates the true nature of the job, potential applicants for a position
will be better able to determine if their skills and experience match those
required for the job.

My own view of position descriptions is that it needs to focus on results first and methods second. First, without a context of "why" it's difficult to prioritize between one specific duty and another. Second, if we look at results first and foremost we're more likely to be open to letting individuals use their strengths to do the job, and to change methods when situations, technological change, etc. warrant.