EMPLOYEE JOB DESCRIPTION

Job description is an essential part of every job in every organized working environment. Writing and compiling job descriptions is another very important job of a Human Resources person in an organization. It is very important because it covers details of the day-to-day duties expected from each employee in all departments of a given firm. While writing job descriptions for each position, it should cover such areas as skills, tasks, functions and general responsibilities to be carried out by employees of that department.
A typical job description should cover and clearly state the following;

• The title of the position
• The department under which the position is
• The duties/tasks/functions/responsibilities expected of the occupant of that position
• Educational qualifications needed for the position
• Experiences needed
• General and particular skills needed
• Membership of Professional bodies required
• The reporting format (who reports to who, in what order)
  
  Before a complete job description is prepared, there is need for the HR person to conduct a comprehensive job analysis. This analysis will expose answers to each of these items above and help in getting the job done faster.
  Aside from the above, abilities and competencies of the candidate is also put into consideration and has a place in the job description.
  In compiling and preparing a job description, the HR person always has an onerous task to prepare the description for each position in all departments. The HR personnel gets these information by interviewing existing staff, conducting research, asking employees to fill in an already prepared questionnaire, observing performance of certain tasks etc.
  A very good and well-prepared job description is a valuable asset to the firm because it saves cost in the long run for the firm. Summarily, a good job description can do the following for the firm;
  Helps during vacancy placement. It will assist the HR person to know exactly what to write in the advert to attract the experienced employees.
  Helps in preparing interview questions and to monitor answers given by interviewees.
  Helps to match employee skills, experiences and competencies during interview before employment.
  Draws a clear line between duties of one position from another position.
  Clarifies the issue of who reports to who.
  Helps in career path planning as well as succession planning.
  Helps to make the appraisal exercise simple and straightforward.
  It helps to draw a clear line between achievers and non-achievers in a department.
  
  In summary, job description is prepared to explain to employees what their duties/tasks are in the workplace. It also tells an employee where his duties ends and where the duty of another employee starts in order to avoid duty conflict and employee job duty related grievances.