Defining the job vacancy

Defining the job

This is a critical but sometimes overlooked part of a quality recruitment and selection process. Getting this part right will give you something against which to judge the candidates and help the decision making process - in terms of both time and quality.

It is also important to focus on the needs of the job rather than what the current (or previous) job holder did or did not do.

Some Key Questions

• What is the key purpose of the job?
• How does it fit into the organisation?
• Have you a job description?
• What are the outputs required?
• What are the dimensions - responsibility in terms of budget, assets, people
• What are the legally required, if any, qualifications, certification?
• If you use a job evaluation system or salary benchmarking, you need to ask if the job been assessed?

Recommended Practice

• It is good practice to have a standard approach to defining jobs - so to use a template. This not only ensures you do not leave out something but also makes it easier for everyone involved in recruitment to immediately find their way round the document.
• Try not to cut short this stage - time invested now will save more time in the long run.
• Consider the benefits of a job profile which you can also use to induct and develop the job holder