Job Description Examples & Information

This page describes why your Job Description is an important document and very much an essential part of your employment contract. Although it is something most of us know about, if you don't already know about yours, then you should find out about it now. To make a success of your career, you need to understand exactly what is required of you, so that you can be seen to be doing well by carrying out your defined tasks to the highest standards. You will find some examples of job descriptions below, but to find out more about what some other jobs actually involve go to Career Options.

Your job description is an agreed statement of the duties and responsibilities relating to a particular job and spells out exactly what tasks you are expected to perform in order to carry out your job effectively. It may include contractual hours and locations of work.

A job description is usually some form of a document that identifies a job title, a top level brief summary of the job, with a statement of essential job tasks and duties, and all or some of the following elements:

• What, where, when and how job tasks are done.
• The types of equipment, machines or tools to be used.
• The minimum skills and required qualifications to carry out the job.
• What position the job reports to for supervision and direction.
• The level of interaction with others including: customers, co-workers, or other stakeholders.
• Specific job procedures for carrying out the tasks.
• Frequency of reporting and other communications required.
• Any other information to clearly define the job.

Your personal document will state what knowledge and experience you should possess and what skills and abilities - at the appropriate level - you should have gained prior to the role being taken up.

Most often these are the same subjects that will often come up in your appraisal or employee review.

At your annual appraisal you will be assessed against the job duties and responsibilities in your job description. Keeping a record of what you have done so you can show that you have exceeded the requirements of your job, is a great way to be prepared and you will have the basis for a great annual review.

You can now download the "Phrases for Performance Appraisals Guidebook" and use the exact phrases that professionals use to write their concise and powerful appraisals

Job Descriptions

See these actual examples of a job description for:

• Payroll Administrator

• Recruitment Consultant

• Webmaster

• Nursing Management

• Personal Assistant

You can find job descriptions for just about any type of job you may be interested to know about in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

The original intention of this document was to ensure you knew, and therefore couldn't complain about, what you had to do. from the union perspective it ensured proper demarcation of duties by the relevant skilled workers.

3 Ways to Use The Job Description to Your Advantage

1. Most organizations will provide you with one as part of their recruitment documentation in advance of someone being hired.

This helps you to prepare for the interview because it tells you exactly what they expect from you. Armed with the information about the job, for the precise job you want makes it very easy to predict the types of questions they will ask you at the interview.

2. When you are busy working in your job, its easy to ignore your job specification as the demands of the job ebb and flow. You may find yourself inadvertently taking on tasks that were not in your original job definition. Thats OK up to a point; but if these new additional tasks mean that you cease to carry out all of your defined tasks, your job could be reclassified (could be good or bad) or find your self in the unenviable position of seeming to have failed in your duties.

Importantly then to take the advantage of your role description you must ensure that you fulfill all your defined responsibilities and use the definitions of your role as the basis of your own personal development plan. Which brings us to the third advantage...

3. At appraisal time you will be assessed against the duties and responsibilities assigned to you in your job definition. To get maximum advantage from this you should keep notes of what you have done against the appropriate areas of your job description. Where you can show that you have exceeded the requirements of your job, you will have the basis for a pay raise negotiation.

So this is a functional document designed to protect both parties to the employment contract, but if you approach it wisely, you can turn a distinct advantage from it. If you don't have one yet, make sure you get one it is your right.

Answers to your questions...

Do you have a career change question? Are you wondering about how to prepare for an interview? Are you confused about what should go into your CV or resume? Please submit your question here.

Please remember that this is not legal advice upon which you can rely, it is general information about career change and job finding. If you have a grievance against an employer you must seek legal advice where appropriate as this information is general. Thank you.

You might also want to visit The Top 10 Ways to Manage Your Career because these times require you to have a game plan and an understanding of yourself and human behavior. That is why outplacement consulting and career coaches have become so popular and are being sought out by individuals, not just corporations. A career coach can help you manage more than just your career, they can help you communicate better and get along with others better. Here is what you can do for yourself.

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