Aww, BOO! As a Halloween trick-more-than-treat for your office, Janice, your all-seeing and all-knowing Finance director, just announced her resignation. In two weeks. After 25 years with the company. How’s that for scary? And what’s worse, you now have the daunting task of quickly replacing this seemingly irreplaceable employee who has been with the company for as long as anyone can remember. Best dust the cobwebs off the old job description and jump in.

What Are the Goals of a Job Description?

An updated job description will detail the experience and skills necessary to perform the position, which will help you find Janice’s best replacement. Excerpts from the job description will be used to develop job postings and interview questions. The job description, as a basis for performance evaluations, goals, and potential career paths, will also be invaluable to help the new hire know what duties to focus on.

How Can a Job Description Work Its Best Magic?

To craft its best magic, a job description must clarify for the company and its job candidates what the position actually does. In the quarter-century since Janice joined the company, she really made this position her own; today’s duties don’t look a thing like they did when the world couldn’t touch M.C. Hammer’s parachute pants. So you’ve got some work ahead—and that involves grabbing Janice before she walks out your glass doors for good.

Ask Janice about her daily responsibilities. Get her take on the tasks that should stay with the position and the ones that should be delegated. Then translate this Janice-ese to the job description by listing the tasks in order of their significance. You can even break up each task as a percentage of time spent, but be sure to include the all-important phrase, “Performs other duties as assigned.”

How Can You Attract the Ideal Candidate?

Once you’ve detailed what the job does, it’s time to create a wish list of job-related skills. Think about what skills candidates must have going in, what skills you would prefer they have, and what skills you’re willing to teach them. This is also the place to specify a required level of education or years of experience. Yes, this is your wish list, but don’t go nuts! Every skill should have a legitimate reason for being included; there is no reason to specify “must be able to lift 50 pounds” unless your new hire will regularly lift heavy loads. You wouldn’t want to scare off the ideal candidate based on a whim, right?

What Are the Fine Details?

Round out your job description with the job title, work location and schedule, and whether the job requires overtime or travel. Mention the position’s place in the organization, including who the position reports to and how many employees it supervises. You may also want to include a brief statement of purpose, which summarizes the position’s main goals and objectives.

Writing job descriptions doesn’t have to be spooky, even if it means resurrecting an ancient description from the HR vault. A thorough and forthcoming job description will benefit company and employee, so expectations are not muddled or misunderstood. But if you find you need a hand crafting spooktacular job descriptions, let us know! As Orange County’s premier Human Resources consulting firm, we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution are happy to put our 20 years of experience to work for you at Halloween and all year long. To find out more, visit our website or contact us for a free consultation.