15 Tips for Writing Tight Job Descriptions

Job descriptions -- two words certain to add gray hair to any HR professional. But writing and editing job descriptions doesn't have to be painful, and here are some tips from the HR Daily Advisor that will help expedite the process.

To achieve the two primary goals of job description writing—accuracy and brevity—you need to check and double-check the words you have chosen to describe each job activity. Here are 15 guidelines to follow:

1. Use a terse, direct style throughout the description.
2. Keep sentence structure as simple as possible; omit all words that don't contribute necessary information.
3. Be clear and use nontechnical language whenever possible. A good job description explains the objectives, duties, and responsibilities of a job so that they are understandable even to a layperson.
4. Avoid imprecise words such as "situation," "facilitate," "interface," etc. Ask yourself if the word you have used might be interpreted differently by two different people.
5. Begin each sentence with an active verb, third person singular. Always use the present tense.
6. Wherever possible, describe the desired outcome of the work, rather than the method for accomplishing that outcome. For example, instead of "writes down phones messages"—a task-oriented approach—you might say "accurately records phone messages."
7. Focus on essential activities. However, remember that a task that is performed frequently throughout the day may not be as essential to the job as something done only once or twice a week.
8. Avoid the narrative form. You are writing a job description, not a story.
9. Be consistent when using terms like "may" and "occasionally." Their meanings should be spelled out to avoid confusion. For example, make sure that if the word "occasionally" is used in the essential functions section of the description, the occasional work performed truly is essential to the job.
10. Avoid words that don't tell specifically what the employee does, such as "handles." Others you may want to avoid: "checks," "prepares," "examines," "sends." If these words are the most accurate and specific ones available, it may be acceptable to use them. But if a more specific term would describe the task more clearly, use it.
11. Refer to job titles rather than people. For example, "Reports to Human Resources Director" instead of "Reports to Estrella Simpson."
12. Be precise in defining responsibility. The degree of responsibility given indicates the importance of the job and is a vital factor in evaluating it.
13. Qualify whenever possible. Don't just say that a file clerk "files" materials; say that the clerk "files alphabetically."
14. Stick to a logical sequence in describing duties and responsibilities whenever possible.
15. Remember that the length of a job description does not indicate the importance of the job. The job description for the president of a firm can be put into one sentence: "Responsible for the successful operation of the company."

For more keys to to writing concise and legally compliant job descriptions visit the HR Daily Advisor.