How to Write a Simple Job Description

Article Category : Recruiters Press

1.0 A timely reminderIn a recent decision in a New South Wales court it was found that an employee was psychologically injured and that contributing factors such as not having a job description and controlling management behaviours were responsible. The employee was subsequently awarded $500,000.00 for psychological injury.

Not having a clear job description can lead to significant expense, declining morale and uncertainty. In this is the case, you the employer is the party that will be penalised and the courts’ will not display leniency for ignorance or busyness.

2.0 The Job description

A job is a collection of tasks and responsibilities that an employee is responsible to conduct. Job descriptions are lists of the general tasks and responsibilities of a position.

Typically, they also include to whom the position reports, specifications such as the key responsibilities and qualifications and experience needed by the person in the job and can sometimes includes the salary range for the position.

Job descriptions are usually developed by conducting a job analysis, which includes examining the key tasks necessary to perform the job. The analysis looks at the areas of knowledge and skills needed by the job. A typical job description is used for advertising to attract an employee to fill a position, or to set the boundaries and parameters of the particular position that you want filled.

However, many job descriptions are not framed well and this includes, not worded a job description in a manner such that the employee’s performance can be measured and leaving out key flexibility clauses. It is not uncommon for a person to write a position description, hire the employee and then have the employee refuse to do the banking because banking was not incorporated in their job description.

In cases where the dispute has gone legal the employee has a good chance of winning. It’s all in the documentation.

When drafting a job description it is paramount to include a flexibility clause that will allow the employer the right to direct the employee to perform other work that is within their recognized skill set.

3.0 What should I include in job description

Your job description is an important document that needs to set out a number of key matters.

3.1 Purpose of the position

The purpose of the position summarises the key reason the position exists within the organisation and a short paraphrase of duties the incumbent is required to understand and take responsibility for.

3.2 Position reports to

Having stated professional boundaries is an important part of the organisation and employees understanding in who they report to and what they are responsible for. This prevents any misunderstanding which in the event of dispute will work against you if you do not have it documented.

3.3 Key responsibilities

This section of the job description details the main tasks that the employee is accountable and responsible for.

It should include the macro items however some employers like to include the micro detail as well.

Of paramount importance is point four of the example (you may be required to undertake a variety of tasks, both skilled and semi-skilled, or carry out some other task which is not specifically within your traditional role provided the task is within your core skill competencies and legal requirements). This gives you flexibility to direct your employee to undertake other work not detailed in their job description. We are now living in an age of discontinuous change where today’s tasks change tomorrow and this gives you the flexibility to grow with those changes.

3.4 Core Skills

Core skills are those skills and experience that the incumbent will need as a minimum to perform the job in a professional and responsible manner. As such, you need to take particular notice when interviewing a perspective employee in ensuring they really do have these attributes.

Research has discovered that up to 35% of qualifications, memberships and experience written on a resumes are false. This includes Masters and PhD degrees.

Before giving the position to someone reference check carefully. Recently we assisted an Accountant whose employee warranted they had the skills and passed probation and then after probation dropped the ball.

If a perspective employee signs off to say they have these skills and afterwards displays the contrary you have common law and industrial rights that protect you.

3.5 Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational health and safety is a big ticket item of the industrial agenda today. To many lives lost, over 500 lives lost each year to industrial accidents.

Most job descriptions do not contain reference to the employer and employee working within the framework of health and safety and do so to their peril.

By including this clause, by induction and training you are able to demonstrate your commitment to health ad safety.

3.6 Sign off

Sign off demonstrates that the employee has the core skills, experience, and safety awareness to carry out key responsibilities. In the vent of a dispute this is critical.

You can find more information at www.biz-momentum.com

EXAMPLE

ABC ACCOUNTS

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Senior Receptionist

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

To effectively and in a timely manner undertake the duties of senior receptionist providing secretarial, clerical, financial & administration services to ABC Accounts. To assist with other duties as directed by your Manager.

POSITION REPORTS TO: Administration Manager

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

NO: DUTIES

1. Perform reception duties including answering the telephone in a timely manner, directing client queries to the correct person, screening calls and representing the company in a professional manner.

2. Provide support to the Manager as required including compiling letters, memorandum and reports, screening incoming correspondence and arranging appointments for clients.

3. Process cheques and payment advice associated with the organisation’s creditors, debtors and invoices and other accounts payable and receivable in a timely manner.

4. In addition, you may be required to undertake a variety of tasks, both skilled and semi-skilled, or carry out some other task which is not specifically within your traditional role provided the task is within your core skill competencies and legal requirements.

CORE SKILLS:

1. Minimum of 4 years experience in an accounting firm

2. Minimum of Advanced Diploma of Accounting or other professional education approved by ABC Accounts.

3. Display a professional and courteous manner in representing the organisations core value of excellence in customer service.

4. Ability to remain calm under pressure and effectively manage multiple tasks and deadlines.

5. Experience in compiling letters, memorandum and reports, making appointments and dealing with sensitive organisational issues with confidentiality and discretion.

6. Able to demonstrate a high level of experience and literacy in computer software applications such as Microsoft Office and computerised accounting software.

7. Able to work within the policies and procedures of ABC Accounts.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY STATEMENT

Assist the ORGANISATION to create a safe and healthy working environment by working safely, using equipment provided and following instructions given for health and safety purposes and immediately reporting any unsafe working practices or hazardous working conditions.

I certify that I have read this Position Description have the core skills to carry out these duties contained herein and have had any questions or concerned answered to my satisfaction.

EMPLOYEE SIGNATURE: _______________________________
DATE: ______________________________

EMPLOYER SIGNATURE: _______________________________
DATE: ______________________________

Philip (Phil) Lye is Managing Director of Biz Momentum providing professional services in human resource management and employee relations (HR / IR Matters), training your people to work with you, ‘coaching you’ to be a better executive and commercial business consultation.

Phil is a ‘keynote-speaker’ who speaks with passion on subjects like ‘kindness and the bottom line’, ‘last one standing’, ‘down and outers and up and outers’, ‘more from less on your bottom line’ as well as a diverse range of other topics.

Phil started his working career as the ‘postage clerk’ in banking and finance rising through various business opportunities to CEO and CFO of two companies before leaving to start his own business in 2002.

Phil holds qualifications in Accounting, Leadership, Human Resource Management & Industrial Relations.

For more information and assistance http://www.biz-momentum.com

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What Exactly Online Recruitment Agencies Do?

Article Category : Recruiters Press

Any online recruitment agency can help you to submit for vacancies to the agency by employers.Online recruitment agencies are used by employers for many purposes. Get help with the recruitment process, conceal recruitment activities from competitors, recruit for a new type of post for which they have no expertise.

Anytime you register with an online recruitment agency keep in mind that the primary client for them is the employer, not you.

Also, always check the security of the site, as you will be submitting personal information.

Staffing and contract agencies compile a number of candidates with some exact qualifications and then supply staff to an organization for a contract. These agencies will pay you for the actual work hours and not for holidays or sick pay. These agencies are usually used to find staff to cover sickness and holidays or to avoid having unnecessary staff.

What exactly are the advantages of using online recruitment agencies?

The recruitment agency can be working on your behalf if you’re working full-time.

You can set up work before you’re arrival in a new town. You can work through staffing and contracts agencies to gain varied short-term experience with several employers.

Here are some general rules for using recruitment agencies:

Supply the agencies with a CV that is targeted towards a particular work sector
Keep chasing the agency for progress.
Tell the agency about any important factors.
Using this type of agencies is a good thing and will probably help you but don’t rely on agencies as your only means of finding a job.

For a easy-use-use and familiar simple solution to online recruitment just visit http://www.staff.ie

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Recruiting Excellent Job Candidates

Article Category : Recruiters Press

An independent recruiter, recruiting agency or executive search firm is charged with tracking down excellent potential candidates for available job positions. Despite the fact that there are innumerable people seeking positions of employment in the 21st century, it often seems to a typical recruiting agency that qualified men and women are few and far between.Here are six easy tips that recruiting services, staffing firms, or executive search firms should keep in mind when on the hunt for outstanding potential job candidates in the 21st century.

These tips are equally applicable to companies undertaking their own search without the help of recruiting agency services. Indeed, the headaches associated with finding qualified personnel is magnified for a company undertaking its own recruitment efforts.

1. Post an Ad on an Industry-specific Job Board. Oftentimes, a recruiter will take a scattershot approach to finding candidates that are worthy of consideration for an available position. They broadcast far and wide the fact that a certain position is open and available, in big city newspapers and on major Internet job boards.

If a recruiting agency were more thoughtful about its recruitment efforts, it would realize the benefits of positing an announcement of an available position on an industry-specific Internet job board. By posting in a selective and admittedly limited manner, recruiters and staffing firms would be reaching out precisely to the pool of people most likely to be qualified for an open position.

One excellent tool for finding industry-specific job boards can be accessed at the Online Recruiters Job Board Directory.

2. Use Recruiters that Specialize in a Given Field. As with advertising, choosing an effective recruiter might be just a matter of targeting, particularly for a managerial or executive position. These positions can be very hard for in-house personnel directors and human resource managers. While these people do have responsibility for hiring, the search for a new employee with skills beyond the norm for their company can best be targeted by a professional executive head hunter.

The same can be said for specialized fields, such as accounting or information systems. In-house human resources staff might know all about pharmaceutical skill-sets required for a multitude of research and administration positions, but they might rarely have to deal with hiring staff to track money or to keep the computers functioning. That’s when recruiting agency services specializing in IT or in accounting can come in handy.

3. Develop an In-House Referral Program. In many instances, exiting staff members can help speed up the search for quality job candidates. Employees often have contacts elsewhere within the industry, some of which may be looking for a change of employment.

By cultivating this internal resource, a personnel director can develop a wealth of ready information about prospective employees who might well serve the organization as valued employees.

4. Search Resumes Posted on Job Boards. In addition to advertising on an industry specific job board, a diligent personnel director or recruiting agency will want to take the time to search and consider resumes that have been posted on job boards.

Often, a person pounding the pavement looking for employment may not have the time to take in and review all of the various available positions that have been posted on a every job board. This is even more true if a given prospect is a highly sought-after candidate, who might be still busy in a current position of responsibility.

5 .Use a Directory of Recruiters. Because there are so many different type of recruiters in business in the 21st century it can often be difficult for in-house human resources staff to pinpoint the recruiter that will be best able to meet the needs of a given employee recruitment campaign. But there are resources available, such as directories of recruiters. One such directory is the Online Recruiter Directory.

By using a professional directory, in-house human resources staff will be able to identify the most appropriate resources for their company and for the recruiting task at hand. Even staffing firms can benefit from such a recruiters directory to seek help in a specialized field they don’t often work with.

6. Don’t Rush the Process. Finally, while it is an overused saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” In the same vein, 99 times out of 100 there is no need to rush the process of seeking, identifying and hiring a new employee, particularly an executive level employee.

A personnel director should take his or her time to identify, screen, interview and hire the best candidate. Throughout this process, a human resources manager or specialist will rely on the services and support tools identified in this article.

By using these tips, in the long run the best possible candidate for a given position will end up being hired, and the company will benefit from the best possible employees.

David Leonhardt is an effective SEO consultant from Canada.

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Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd

Article Category : Recruiters Press, Others

When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:

? Advertise the position on Internet job sites

? Network

? Probe the Internet for viable candidates

? Use recruiters

When a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.

Since decision-makers know other decision-makers, a hiring manager’s network can be quite extensive. In time, good candidates can be located. The problem with this approach is that the hiring manager may simply be too busy to engage in the time and human interaction required to make this happen.

Employers and recruiters utilizing keyword searches scour the job sites in search of candidates to fill job openings. A major segment of these openings are unadvertised. When you post your resumes to a job site, you gain visibility, indirectly, into the hidden job market, and have access to a greater number of jobs.

On the downside, since most people searching will post their resume to a number of different sites, the number of potentially viable candidates for any one particular position is huge. Employers have also frequently found major discrepancies between candidates and their resumes. The fine line between reality and the realm of imagination becomes razor-thin for creative resume writers.

Screening and reviewing hundreds of resumes for accuracy and position viability, is time-consuming. If the job also requires a certain type of personality which doesn’t materialize at the interview, more time is wasted. For this reason, more and more employers turn to recruiters for a more efficient hiring process. A recruiter will conduct exhaustive screening procedures as part of their candidate search process. They will charge a fee to the employer for this service, but it is worth it in terms of time and effort.

One of the best ways to capitalize on a recruiter’s mission is to post your resume to the career sites. Using keyword searches, recruiters will find you as long as your resume comes up a match. While this may not seem like a very strong proactive approach, it is by far the most sensible.

Recruiters do not work for you; they work for employers. They are in business to help companies find people, not the other way around. Attempting to contact a recruiter regarding a particular job will only lead to disappointment. Do not be surprised or put off if your calls and emails are not returned. Their allegiance is to their client, the employer who is paying their bill.

Having said that, it may be advantageous for you to present yourself to recruiters as a potential fee-paying client once you have been converted from candidate status. If, for example, you are a middle manager or decision-maker, this point can be easily made. You can also name-drop a referral to meet with a recruiter. Recruiters strongly favor these types of candidates. In a letter to a recruiter specializing in your field, make a case for yourself in the strongest and most specific way possible.

Recruiters play a tough game yet serve a valuable purpose. They do not work for you, yet you can formulate an approach for working with them. By utilizing recruiters in your overall job search efforts, you will find yourself a step or two ahead of the crowd.

Copyright ?2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved.

David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology. David’s website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com


How Hedgehogs Hire

Article Category : Recruiters Press

In my last column, I explored Jim Collins’ “hedgehog” principle, and how powerfully this can be used to attract great employees. After many dozens of CEO interviews, I’m convinced that leaders with well-defined hedgehogs deploy the most successful hiring models.

Recent job growth figures mean that more firms are competing for the same talent. This causes additional pressure on us to determine how we can minimize attrition of our best people.

I interviewed CEO’s of successful small to medium-sized companies to find out how they are addressing this trend. They had to meet two criteria: First, they had to report consistent profitable growth for the last 3-5 years, and second, they had to demonstrate a serious passion for attracting and retaining good people.

Rod Walker, President and CEO of Knightsbridge Technology, a consulting firm based in Chicago, meets the criteria. According to Walker, “recruiting the best talent is my number one priority. As we experience 41% CAGR, we’ve been challenging ourselves to attract premium people quickly while maintaining our culture.” It’s no wonder that Knightsbridge boasts a 15% voluntary turnover rate, much lower than today’s services industry average of 25%.

I also spoke with Janet Amirault, President of Software Consortium in Towson, MD. This firm provides strategic IT consulting services to clients such as Black& Decker, Sylvan Learning, and Marriott Corporation. They have delivered 15+% annual growth in the last 9 out of 10 years. Of the two good performers who resigned in the last year, both became corporate clients.

These leaders shared common strategies:

1. Design the position first, then recruit. Amirault suggests, “Document the key knowledge, skills and behaviors that you need for every position.” In my experience, many firms still rely on job descriptions to attract good people and skip this critical step. Some positions will always require certain credentials and education. What’s often missing are the key behaviors you’ll need to rapidly align this person with your company’s culture, processes, and values.

You’ll also need to review your interview questions. For example, if you want to ensure this person has a commitment to lifelong learning (a behavior), how would you know? Amirault recommends that you “Ask very specific questions, such as ‘what were the last two courses you enrolled in while you worked at ABC Company?”

2. Implement multiple candidate data collection methods. Consider personality surveys (such as PDP/Dynapro and Myers-Briggs) and external background checks (such as Kroll America). Most of these programs require less than 30 minutes of your time and may cumulatively cost less than $500. The investment is a fraction of the cost of one bad hire, which ranges from $100K in IT to millions for mortgage brokers.

3. Beef up your systems and enabling technology. According to John Walsh, President of Del Mar Database in San Diego, “Growing your own leaders can be a very effective strategy, but it requires very good business processes and technology. Internally promoted teams need better tools because of their lack of experience.” The Mortgage Bankers Association projects a 47% IT capital budget increase in 2004–two thirds of which is slated to streamline processes for loan origination professionals.

4. Increase your commitment to consistently providing professional development. Knightsbridge invests over $1M annually in training and pays special attention to new hire and junior consultant development. That’s nearly 3% of revenues. Software Consortium have shifted a solid percentage of their training budget from standard technical skills to leadership and sales disciplines.

These great examples prove that if you treat your hiring system like gold, and your hedgehog is strong, you just may ‘outfox’ your competitors!

Lisa Nirell is President of Nirell & Associates in Del Mar, CA. (http://www.nirell.com). She helps services leaders who create outstanding client experiences by attracting great employees. She recently completed a 10-month study of top performing services CEOs. For a free subscription to NirellNews and a Special Report on this study, call 858-481-8787, visit http://www.nirell.com, or email marketing@nirell.com. Please mention “ezinearticles.com” in your response and you may qualify for a free audio CD ($37 value) on profitable growth strategies.

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Four Important Questions to Ask Your Interviewer; Do You Really Want to Work for This Person?

Article Category : Interview Tips, Career Management, Work Place, Recruiters Press

Many job seekers miss a golden opportunity when they are asked towards the end of an interview if they爃ave any questions. If they feel the interviewer adequately explained the position, they make the mistake of answering “No” to this question. But this is the perfect time to find out if you really want to work for this person!?After all, even a wonderful job can turn into a miserable experience if you don’t get along with the person you work for.

Here’s how to find out if the boss will be as great as the job — ask these questions during the interview:

1.?”What’s your ideal employee like?”?Asking this question will give you an idea of what this boss would expect from you. Listen carefully to the answer and deduce what it will mean for you.?For example, if her ideal employee works independently, you’ll know this boss is not a爉icromanager. If her ideal employee follows procedures without question, you’ll know it may be an uphill battle to implement changes or new ideas. If her ideal employee works long hours, don’t expect to leave on time every night.

2.?”What are the other people in the office like?”?Does this boss really know the people who work for her? Does she list their accomplishments with pride or say something vague and unimpressive??Note her tone of voice when she talks about her team. Is she enthusiastic or disappointed?

3.?”How does an employee succeed on your team?” Hopefully she’ll give you something more enlightening than “Do the job right.”?You want to learn what standards are expected. For example, if it’s a sales position, will you be expected to exceed a specific dollar value in sales or obtain a percentage of satisfied customers? So if her answer is too generic, you may have to follow up with more questions to get specifics.?Ask about the typical career path for an employee who successfully meets goals.

4.?”How do you go about solving problems?”?How she answers this question can give you insight into her management style. Does she prefer to take charge when things go wrong, or encourage her team to develop solutions?

In addition to the answers themselves, note this person’s overall attitude about answering these questions. If she was open to them and answered thoughtfully, she’s probably someone who enjoys promoting good working relationships.?If you’re offered the job, you shouldn’t have any hesitations about working for this person.?But if she appeared to resent the questions and didn’t answer them to your satisfaction, she’s not someone you’d
want to work for.

It’s better to know this sooner rather than later!?

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, “Career-Life Times.” Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.


Dos and Don’ts for Jobseekers

Article Category : Interview Tips, Recruiters Press

When looking for a job you can take advantage of many methods: either you turn to your friends’ protection, or surf the net and peruse the newspapers or finally use the services of the recruiting agency. Even if your friends have no influential connections or can’t assist you in employment at the present moment, let them know that you are seeking a new job. A worthy position may turn up in a week’s time. And during this week you are to conquer the net, newspapers and recruiting agencies. So, let’s start…

Composing a resume. There can be two approaches here. You write it yourself or entrust this mission to one of the most reputable resume writing services. Each of the approaches has its strong and weak points, though of course a resume writing company has more chances to turn your nurse resume into incarnation of the employer’s dream. You want to write the resume yourself - Ok. Before setting yourself to do it, look through a number of resumes for the identical position. It will help you to define the salary and to formulate the necessary skills and experience. There are a lot of books and internet sources explaining how to win over your future employer with your resume, so we are not going to cite them here. Skip through some of the resume writing guides and make some general rules for yourself. The aim of your resume is to get the employer interested in you, your professional experience and skills. If you get job offers you have managed to do it.
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Recruiting is a Contact Sport

Article Category : Recruiters Press

There are many ways to go about finding prospective agents.
 Some of them are active methods, while others are passive.
 Active recruiting methods are things like Personal
Observation, Personal Prospecting, Public Speaking, Agent
Referrals, Networking, and Centers of Influence, while
passive methods include internet recruiting, newspaper
advertising and direct mail campaigns.

Passive and active recruiting will both produce results,
however they differ in efficiency and effectiveness - and
understanding those differences will make all the
difference to you and your results.  Passive methods are
easy to implement, but they attract 1) “tire kickers”, 2)
people looking for a job, and 3) people simply looking for
a way to make money.  Please understand, these methods do
produce results and can uncover fantastic people who become
great agents, but generally the quality of results is poor.
 When these methods are implemented, plenty of activity is
generated, but few prospects become agents and fewer still
go on to do well.

Active methods, on the other hand, take more time on the
front end, but because they are so much more effective, end
up being much more efficient.  They are so much more
effective because interviews are only generated with people
who have an interest in working with you and also share
your purpose.  They’re often coming on board because they
identify with you and what you stand for, they see it as a
good opportunity to build a future, and they see the
opportunity as one which offers unlimited financial growth.
 Not only are active methods more effective, but agents who
are recruited through active methods historically are
better producers.

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