2.2.2 - Recruitment documents

The job description

A job description tells applicants and the employer what a particular job involves.

Recruitment seeks people who may fill a vacancy; selection chooses a suitable person from those applicants. Before either can work well, the employer needs to understand the vacancy. A job description focuses on the job rather than the qualities of a particular applicant. It can state who the employee reports to, the tasks to perform and the responsibility for staff, equipment or decisions. Hours or employment arrangements can also help explain the role.

For an illustrative small bicycle retailer in Vietnam, a repair-assistant job description might include inspecting bicycles, completing routine repairs, recording work and explaining completed repairs to customers, while reporting to the workshop manager. “Able to explain technical information clearly” instead describes a quality required of the person. Keeping the two separate lets the business derive suitable person requirements from actual duties.

An accurate description helps applicants decide whether to apply and gives managers a clearer basis for explaining expectations. If an illustrative large logistics business omits night-shift work from a vacancy description, applicants may withdraw after learning the true hours, wasting recruitment time. A description that includes irrelevant duties or has not been updated can attract the wrong applicants. It should reflect the real role, rather than exaggerating responsibilities to make the job sound attractive.

The person specification

A person specification turns the job's duties into the qualities needed to perform them.

The job description answers “What will the employee do?” The person specification answers “What must the employee be able to bring to that work?” An employer may separate essential requirements, without which the applicant cannot perform the role, from desirable requirements that would be helpful. Requirements should relate to the work rather than unnecessary personal characteristics.

For the illustrative bicycle repair assistant, the duty of completing routine repairs supports a requirement for relevant practical repair skill. Explaining repairs to customers supports clear communication. Experience with a particular stock system might be desirable if the business can train a competent new employee. Demanding that experience as essential could exclude good applicants unnecessarily.

An illustrative global software business recruiting a customer-support specialist may require the ability to diagnose its customers' problems and communicate in the language used by those customers. It should identify how applicants can demonstrate those abilities. A vague requirement such as “excellent person” is difficult to compare fairly; a relevant skill with an observable example provides a better selection criterion.

The specification supports consistent shortlisting: applicants' evidence can be compared with the same job-related criteria. Too many unnecessary requirements narrow the pool, while requirements that are too weak may admit applicants who cannot perform critical tasks. Neither document is an applicant's account of their own history; both are prepared by the employer to define the vacancy and its requirements.

The application form

An application form collects information from each applicant in a format chosen by the employer.