A job description is an internal document that sets out the responsibilities, authority, and expected results of a given position. Unlike a job advertisement, it does not serve to attract candidates but to manage – without it, performance cannot be evaluated, pay cannot be fair, and it is impossible to resolve situations where two positions each claim they are not responsible for something. A usable description contains the purpose of the position in one sentence, the main areas of responsibility, specific results by which success is judged, decisions the person makes alone and those they escalate, links to other positions, and the knowledge required. Avoid a list of activities such as other tasks as instructed by a superior, which devalues the document. Update the description whenever the scope changes, not once every five years.
See also: Job advertisement, Selection process, KPIs for a marketer.
