How to write a good Job description(JD)

How to write a good Job description(JD)

or

Characteristics of a good JD

Whenever there is an open position or a requirement is identified in a company, 1st thing technical people have to do is to understand the requirement properly and make a  job description(JD). Job description becomes all the more important because it is used by recruiters as a reference point while sourcing. Again JD is sent to candidates , so that they can understand the requirement properly. a good JD can play a crucial role in closing a position quickly.

So, What should be the components of an ideal JD?

1) Designation: Designation he is going to get eg: Software Engineer/ Marketing executive/ Business analyst etc.

2)  Experience range: How many years of total experience and how many years of relevant experience the job requires? eg: 3-6 yrs

3)  Educational qualification: BE,MBA(according to the requirement)

4)  Reporting to : Position of the person whom the candidate is going to report after joining.

5)  Required Skills: Mandatory and desired : Every requirement needs some mandatory skills. Other than this there are some good-to-have skills which if possessed give a candidate edge over other candidates but that is not mandatory. So in JD mandatory and desired skills should be mentioned separately.

          

6)  Roles and responsibilities: Here we have to mention the kind of role he is expected to perform in the current job.

7)  Working environment: Some requirements demand shift work. In such cases it should be made explicitly clear in the JD so that it doesn't create any confusion in future.

So these are the basic components of a good JD.

Many times technical people are not in sync with the talent availability in the market. Suppose they are looking for combination of some specific skills, but there are extremely few profiles with such skills in market. In such cases in stead of searching for something unrealistic, I suggest you to  go back to the technical panel and inform them about the market trends and availabilities. Most of the times after getting understanding of the market availability technical panel give a more feasible list of skill sets. But before approaching panel , please have a detailed look at the market.

I hope the information is helpful to you.

Happy recruiting!