Tag: Job Descriptions

10 Critical "Compensable Factors" in Job Descriptions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we talked about the three different job descriptions most jobs have. Today, we’ll look at 10 specific factors you can evaluate as you work to unite those three job descriptions into one. These 10 elements describe the specific job requirements in terms of “compensable factors.” You can use these factors to gauge […]

Every Job Has 3 Job Descriptions

Every job has at least three job descriptions: the company’s (the written one on file), the boss’s (rarely the same), and the employee’s (the one that describes what he or she actually does). In an ideal world, they would all be the same. But in the real world, they aren’t the same, and that causes […]

Can Job Descriptions Lose Your Case in Court?

Job descriptions may seem mundane, but when they show up in court, they can kill your case if they’re not accurate. About.com‘s Susan M. Heathfield shares three key warnings for employers. 1. Job descriptions sometimes become outdated as soon as you write them. In this fast-paced, changing, customer-driven environment, it’s a challenge to keep job […]

The Delicate Business of Mental, Physical, and Environmental Job Requirements

HR managers developing job descriptions often face a tough question: What is the best way to list special job qualifications—such as mental, physical, or environmental job requirements—without running afoul of the law? Some job description writers are reluctant to list such requirements for fear that doing so might discriminate against an individual with a disability […]

Maestro’s Job Description for Managers

In yesterday’s Advisor, Maestro Roger Nierenberg helped flesh out leadership’s “job description” by sharing lessons he’s learned about leadership as the conductor of an orchestra. Today, we’ll take a few more music lessons, and get a look at an extraordinary job descriptions management tool. Nierenberg, an accomplished symphony conductor, has recently released Maestro (Portfolio, Oct. […]

Does Your Website Engage or Enrage Potential Candidates?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we offered Gerry Crispin’s examples of great recruiting websites. Today, Crispin evaluates the visitor’s experience on your recruiting website, and we look at a program for dealing with the most basic recruiting tool of all, the essential job description. For a good example of a company that is getting its branding and […]

15 Rules for Writing Tight Job Descriptions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered the first 4 common job description mistakes; today we’ll cover number 5, and introduce an elegant solution to your job description challenges Mistake #5: Forgetting Format, Organization, and Grammar (Click here for Mistakes 1 to 4) To achieve the two primary goals of job description writing—accuracy and brevity—you must check […]

Top 5 Job Description Mistakes

Job descriptions—just the thought brings tears to your eyes. Yet job descriptions are central to hiring, compensation, and appraisal (not to mention avoiding lawsuits). Today, BLR editors reveal the top 5 mistakes managers make with job descriptions. One key to getting them done right is to give someone responsibility—and put it in his or her […]

Accommodation: ‘Sometimes it Can Be Overwhelming’

Accommodation. “Sometimes it can be overwhelming,” concedes the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). But a good job description is a “constructive tool” for focusing on reasonable accommodations. JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. JAN offers the following accommodation scenarios to show how to match job description requirements […]

Taming Tyrants: An ‘Essential Function’ for Managers?

Today we continue our look at taming TOTs—Terrible Office Tyrants—and we’ll take a look at an invaluable source for prewritten job descriptions. (Should all HR job descriptions list taming TOTs as an "essential function"?) Dealing with tyrant bosses is "a little like parenting minus the diapers and spitting up," says Lynn Taylor, whose tips were […]