Analysis and Construction

Discover, Dissect, and Diagnose: Anatomy of a Job Description

The job description plays an important role for job evaluations, performance reviews, and the success of the individual within the organization. All areas of the process rely on the proper analysis and construction of the job description. There are times that the job description and the job posting are one in the same. For this exploration, we are going to look at job description templates and job postings and determine the effectiveness of the design and the impact on intended outcomes. Be sure to do some research on the key differences between job description and job postings.

Discover:

Job Descriptions: Search online for a minimum of two different job descriptions from various sources. Save and attach descriptions to your initial post. (If there is no option to save, copy and paste the whole job description template into a Word document and attach.)

Job Postings: Search online for a minimum of two job ads or postings from various sources. Copy and paste each job ad and/or posting to a Word document, and attach it to your initial post.

Dissect:

Job Descriptions: Review each job description template, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each. Compare and contrast the templates, looking for good aspects and poor aspects of each. What is missing for a solid understanding of what the job requires?

Job Postings: Review each posting, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each posting. Compare and contrast the postings, and define the unimportant pieces of the ads and the information that is lacking for a solid understanding of the expectations. Will the job posting attract the appropriate candidate pool? Why or why not?

Diagnose:

After reviewing job description templates and job postings, discuss the various components of the job description template and a job posting. Is it appropriate to use one template for both tasks?

As a human resource manager, assess the importance of job description templates and job posts in human resource planning and how that planning fits within a larger corporate strategy.

What design would you recommend when posting for a position?