Job descriptions

Job descriptions are lists of skills and responsibilities pertaining to a role in the company. For example, one might list the skills and responsibilities of a junior salesperson.

Job descriptions are useful during recruiting, but not only. They are a conspicuous reference. They can be used to know who does what in the company – by both managers and workers. They can be used to request training (again, both by managers and workers), to trace career paths, and for many other tasks.

A company whose job descriptions are written rather than oral tradition works better, more tightly, and has fewer misunderstandings, politics, and drama.

My favorite kind of job descriptions comprises of the following:

• Role title
• Responsibilities
• Skills required
• Who they report to
• Career paths
• “Good vs Bad”

The last point is a two-columns table, along the lines of “good project manager” vs “bad project manager”. It is both a to-do list and a not-to-do list, very useful to clarify desired and undesired behaviors.

I talk more in detail about setting expectations in my “Best Practices For Operational Excellence” and in my “Teams Are Adaptive Systems”.