MSG Team's other articles

9630 How HR (Human Resources) Function Can Save Time by Automating Routine Tasks

Automating the Recruitment Activities and Tasks Much of the work that the HR Function does is routine and repetitive in nature. Starting with the recruitment process, including training and development, as well as performance management, the work that the HR does consists of manual and routine tasks that can be automated and hence, save time […]

12224 The Age of Oversupply: Why the Future Would be Demanding on the Present Generation

The Paradox of Too many People, Capital and Too Few Jobs and Resources The present times are characterized by an oversupply of everything related to the job market and the presence of so much capital at the disposal of companies. On the other hand, the physical resources needed like oil, gas, minerals, and water are […]

12094 Entrpreneurial Ecosystem

What is an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem? All of us are endowed with skills, abilities, and capabilities. However, the reason why some of us are so successful whereas others languish is mainly due to the way in which these traits are nurtured, encouraged, and enabled. For instance, we need to go to the right schools, have supportive […]

12090 Employee Layoffs – Handle Carefully

The term employee layoff is referred to as temporary separation of an employee from the employer. However, these days it is also used for permanent termination of an employee for business reasons. According to section 2 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the employee layoff is the failure, inability or refusal of an employer to […]

11904 What is Work Life Balance and How Organizations Can Help Employees Avoid Burnout

Why Work Life Balance and Employee Wellbeing Became Hot Issues in Recent Times Of late, the topic of burnout and employee health at the workplace have become hot issues that need the attention of organizations, the employees themselves, and the associated stakeholders such as the Human Resources (HR) professionals and the psychologists who are often […]

Search with tags

  • No tags available.

Job description is all about collecting and recording basic job-related data that includes job title, job location, job summary, job duties, reporting information, working conditions, tools, machines and equipments to be used and hazards and risks involved in it. A job description may or may not have specific purpose. It depends on what HR managers want to determine and what is the objective of conducting the process of job analysis.

Job Description is a summary of job analysis findings that helps managers determine what an employee is supposed to do when onboard. The purpose of job description depends on the level of details the job findings include. Job description carried for general purpose typically involves job identification (title, designation, location) and a statement of duties and functions of a prospective or existing employee. A specifically carried job description includes detailed information about the kind of job, how it is supposed to be performed and what is expected to be delivered. Let’s discuss the general and specific purpose of conducting a job description process.

Job Description Purpose

General Purpose of Job Description

General purpose job descriptions are used by organizations to find the very basic information about a particular job opening. Though data includes worker’s duties but does not contain sub tasks, performance standards and basis for evaluating jobs and establishing right compensation packages.

Advantages

The main benefit of general purpose job description is that it does not consume much time and quickly provides basic information to managers. It does not require much human efforts and is very easy and convenient to carry out. Additionally, a job analyst does not have to conduct deep research to gather the required details.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of general purpose job description is that it does not provide managers with full-fledged information about job context and sub tasks. Sometimes, a manager may fail to extract correct information from such small amount of data.

Specific Purpose of Job Description

Specific purpose job description includes detailed information about job responsibilities of an employee. It also covers sub tasks, essential functions and detailed job duties. It involves huge amount of details such as what an employee needs to do, how it is to be done and what are the performance standards, etc.

Advantages

The main benefit of specific purpose job description is that it offers ample information to evaluate job performance and determine training needs of employees. It serves as a basis for all other HR processes including recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, compensation decision and many more.

Disadvantages

Though it assists managers in decision making process but it has its own limitations. The process, however, may take very long and consume lots of human efforts. Since, it involves collecting detailed information; the biased nature of job analyst can cause severe problems. The data collected may not be 100 percent genuine.

Therefore, it can be said that information collected during job analysis defines the purpose of job description. If data collected is extremely basic, it will serve only the general purpose and therefore, can not be used for making management decisions. On the other hand, detailed data serves the specific purpose and can be easily used while making important decisions.

Article Written by

MSG Team

An insightful writer passionate about sharing expertise, trends, and tips, dedicated to inspiring and informing readers through engaging and thoughtful content.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Benefits of Job Rotation

MSG Team

Approaches to Job Design

MSG Team

Advantages and Disadvantages of Job Analysis

MSG Team