How to Write an Effective Job Description

A job description is a useful, plainly written document that explains the tasks, duties, functions, and responsibilities for performing a given job. It details the specific type of work to be performed, how that work is to be completed, who performs the work, the frequency of the work, and the purpose of the work as it relates to the organization’s mission and goals.

Employers use job descriptions for a variety of reasons:  

• Aiding career planning.

• Clarifying missions; this could apply to the mission of the role, the department or the organization overall. 

• Conducting performance reviews.

• Creating reasonable accommodation controls. 

• Determining salary levels.

• Establishing titles and pay grades. 

• Establishing legal requirements for compliance purposes.

•  Recruiting.   

A job description gives an employee a clear and concise job performance guide. It also gives a supervisor a measuring tool to determine if the employee is meeting job expectations. Follow these steps to craft high-quality job descriptions:  

Step 1: Perform a Job Analysis

Here is how to get started:  

• If the job is already filled, interview the employee to find out exactly what tasks they are performing.

• Observe how they perform the tasks. 

• If the description is for a new position, consider asking employees or the position’s manager to complete questionnaires or worksheets.

• You can collect data on jobs from other resources such as salary surveys and the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The results should be documented and reviewed by the employee currently in the position—if there is one—and/or their supervisor. Their feedback, along with the results, will help you draft key requirements for performing the job that will appear in the final description, including:

• Ability: Competence to perform an observable behavior or a behavior that results in an observable product. 

• Credentials/experience: The minimum level of education, experience, and certification acceptable for the position. Whereas candidates previously needed a four-year degree for many professional jobs, many companies are moving away from that antiquated requirement as it often does not even apply to a given job. Instead, they are breaking the “paper ceiling” by screening—when appropriate—for applicants with relevant experience or credentials that demonstrate an industry-approved level of skill and expertise.

• Environmental factors: Working conditions of the job or workplace (inside or outside the office). 

• Knowledge: Comprehension of a body of information acquired by experience or study.

• Physical requirements: Physical or mental requirements essential to performing the job. To remain in compliance with the ADA,  avoid including physical or mental demands that are not essential, as they could exclude individuals with disabilities who would be able to perform the job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. 

• Skill: A present, observable competence to perform a learned activity.

Step 2: Establish the Essential Functions 

The employer should next establish the functions of the position to define them and establish which are essential and which are marginal. Any “essential function” should be labeled as such and included as part of the job description.  

Defining the essential functions encompasses:

• Ensuring the tasks listed as part of the job function are truly necessary or a requirement to perform the job. 

• Determining the frequency of performing a task or how much time is spent performing a task.

• Determining the consequences of not performing the function and whether this would be detrimental to the employer’s operation or result in severe consequences. 

• Determining if the tasks can be redesigned or performed in another manner.

• Determining if the tasks can be reassigned to another employee. 

Defining how the job is performed can help your organization if it ever needs to evaluate Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation requests related to the position.

Step 3: Concisely Organize the Data  

The job description structure may vary from company to company; however, all the descriptions within an organization should be standardized. Include the following topics:

• Job title: Name of the position. 

• Classification: Exempt or nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)—which determines whether it is eligible for overtime.

• Salary grade/level/family/range: Compensation levels, groups, or pay ranges into which jobs of the same or similar worth are placed, including minimum and maximum pay bands.  
  (See How to Establish Salary Ranges)

• Reports to: Title of the position the person performing this job reports to. 

• Date: When the job description was written or last reviewed.

• Summary/objective: Summary and overall objectives of the job. 

• Essential functions: How an individual performs tasks and the frequency with which the tasks are performed; the tasks must be part of the job function and truly necessary or required to perform the job.

• Competency: Knowledge, skills, and abilities. 

• Supervisory responsibilities: Direct reports, if any, and the level of supervision.

• Work environment: Temperature, noise level, whether the job is inside or outside, and other factors that will affect the person’s working conditions while performing the job. 

• Physical demands: Such as whether the job entails bending, sitting, lifting, or driving.

• Position type and expected hours of work: Full-time or part-time, typical work hours and shifts, days of week, and whether overtime is expected. 

• Travel: Percentage of travel time expected for the position where the travel occurs—such as locally or in specific countries or states—and whether it is overnight.

• Required education and experience: The base level of education, degrees, or years of experience in the same or related field that the employer deems necessary to perform the role.  

• Union eligibility: Note if this job is performed by a member of a union.

• Contractor: Note if this job is performed by someone the employer considers a contractor and summarize the project’s scope, payment terms, and any employer-provided benefits. See the U.S. Department of Labor’s fact sheet on regulations around the classification of independent contractors per the FLSA. 

• Additional eligibility qualifications: Certifications, industry-specific experience, and experience working with certain equipment or programs.

• Affirmative action plan/equal employment opportunity (AAP/EEO) statement: Clause(s) that outlines federal contractor requirements and practices and/or equal employer opportunity statement. 

• Other duties: Disclaimer, see Step 4.

This job description template from SHRM can serve as a starting point for your organization’s job descriptions.  

Step 4: Add the Disclaimer

It is a good idea to add a statement indicating that the job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. They may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice. 

Step 5: Add the Signature Lines

Signatures are an important part of validating the job description. They show that the job description has been approved and that the employee understands the requirements, essential functions, and duties of the position. Signatures should include those of the supervisor and of the employee. 

Step 6: Finalize

Present a draft to upper management and the position supervisor for review and approval. A draft allows a chance to review, add, or subtract any detail before the final job description is approved. 

Finalized job descriptions should be used for job postings, interviews, accommodation requests, compensation reviews, and performance appraisals. Employers may also wish to post them on their intranet.

Whether digital or paper, these final job descriptions should be secured, such as in a password-protected digital file or similarly protected space.