Think fast—after 30 years with the company, Bob, your VP of Sales, just announced his retirement. Coming in two weeks. (And a Happy Leap Day to you, too, Bob.) That’s not a lot of time for you, the HR rep, to prepare, especially since no one remembers that position without Bob. You may not be sure where to begin answering your questions: What does the position require these days? What type of candidate will work best? And more important, what will you write on the cake?

Party planning aside, it’s time to dust off the old job description and have a look. Bob has been VP of Sales for so long, chances are good that he drastically modified the position in 30 years. The old job description will at least give you an idea of what the position was 30 years ago and why Bob was hired. From there, it’s your turn to create a solid and relevant job description that will be the key to recognizing and attracting the perfect candidate to fill Bob’s shoes.

So what are the goals of a written job description? The job description will detail the experience and skills necessary to perform the position, which will give you a starting point to look for Bob’s replacement. You can draw from this description to write job postings and to develop interview questions. The job description is also extremely useful after a candidate has been chosen, because it provides a basis for performance evaluations, goals, and potential career paths. And how about the job description as a legal record? An employee can forget the old “that’s not my job” if a task is plainly listed in the job description. That can protect the company in a discrimination or wrongful termination suit.

Now that you know what the job description is for, here are some pointers to make your description work for you (and the candidates reading it). For starters, there’s the obvious “job description” portion—what are this position’s duties? Since Bob was hired before the nation learned that Billie Jean was not Michael Jackson’s lover, you’ll want to bring his position into the age of Adele rolling in the deep. Ask Bob for details on his daily responsibilities, and about which tasks should stay with the position and which could be better delegated elsewhere. From there, create a list of tasks in order of their significance. You can include percentages of time spent performing each duty, if you like, but be sure to include the all-important phrase, “Performs other duties as assigned.”

Once you’ve pinned down the duties, the rest of the job description should fall into place. Who is the ideal candidate for this position? Detail the experience and skills necessary to perform the job. These can be as simple as “must be able to lift 50 pounds” to as complex as “must be able to create macros in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.” This is also the place to specify a required level of education or industry experience. If you need someone who can work under strict deadlines or who can recognize nonoptimal business performance, include that, too. This is your wish list, after all. Just make sure every skill you include has a legitimate reason for being there; there is no reason to specify “must be able to lift 50 pounds” unless people in that position regularly lift loads of that size.

With the duties and the employee qualifications out of the way, only the easy stuff remains. There’s the job title, which you already know, and the work location and schedule, including if the job may require overtime or travel. You’ll want to mention this position’s place in the organization, including who the position reports to and how many direct reports it supervises. You may also want to include a brief statement of purpose, which summarizes the position’s main goals and objectives. Should you include the salary in a job description? Stay tuned for an upcoming blog, where we will discuss whether salaries belong in job postings.

Presenting a solid job description is not only an asset to your company, but an asset to job-seekers looking to join your team. It benefits both parties for you to be thorough and forthcoming in your writing, so expectations are not muddled or misunderstood.

If you find you could use a hand with a job description, look to us at YES! Your Human Resources Solution, Orange County’s premier Human Resources consulting firm. We have more than 20 years of experience with the ins and outs of HR, including writing the most effective job descriptions for new positions and oldie-but-goodie positions like Bob’s. We can even assist you with the talent acquisition process, such as exploring new candidate pools using social media (Facebook and LinkedIn). With our free consultation, what have you got to lose? Give us a call when you’re ready to harness the power of saying YES!