Are your job descriptions doing their job?

Job descriptions. You might not think they’re worth spending much time on, but that’s simply not true. Job descriptions are an important starting point when hiring and later, serve as your “road map” when managing the employee.

You don’t hire an employee based on generalities, so why should the description for a particular position be broad or vague? You’re looking for more than just a warm-blooded human who can read, write and sit through long-winded meetings, right? You have specific needs to be filled with each new position … and goals to be met by bringing that person on board … right?

An in-depth, carefully constructed job description lets you hone in on the skills, experience and education the job requires. With these details, your job postings will be more targeted, your interviews will be more targeted, and your selection process will be more targeted.

And down the road, you’ll save time and money letting a ho-hum employee go and replacing that person with someone more qualified – or investing in training to fill in the gaps and bring a ho-hum hire up to speed. Your appraisal process will be easier, too. When that first performance review rolls around, you can compare an employee’s contributions against the goals and objectives stated in the job description. There’s even the added benefit of legal protection, especially in cases where an employee may cry “that isn’t my job” when asked to do something.

Bottom line: An in-depth job description can help you make a better hire, while supporting the management and ongoing review of that hire.

So what does a well-written job description look like? Here are some guidelines:

Title. Give the job a title that fits the desired experience level and that indicates the rank within the company hierarchy (such as managerial, supervisory, clerical, etc.). Don’t use a title that is gender-specific. (For example, say “salesperson,” not “salesman.”)

Individual skills needed. Does the job require the use of certain equipment or computer programs — or some other specialized knowledge? List specific workplace qualifications, as well as broader qualities, such as “willingness to learn,” “customer service skills” and “team-playing skills.”

Responsibilities/duties. Describe the tasks the person will do routinely on the job, as well as the expected outcome. (For example, “Schedules building maintenance and repairs to ensure uninterrupted business operations.”)

Education or training requirements. Are specific degrees or certifications required for the job?

Minimum experience. What types of jobs will the ideal candidate have held previously? How many years of experience? Remember that more years of experience generally demand higher pay. Never refer to experience in terms of age. (For example, say “entry-level,” instead of “recent college graduate.”)

Work schedule. Will there be set hours? How many days a week? What type of flexibility is needed? Specify any environmental factors that may affect the position, too. (For example, excessive noise, high temperatures or outdoor work.)

Are your job descriptions doing their job?

ADA Amendments Act, Part 1: What changed?

In September, President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act as an effort to restore protection for disabled individuals that were created in the original 1990 bill. The new ADA Amendments will go into effect on January 1, 2009 and every employer and HR professional must be prepared to stay in compliance with the new regulations.

The new ADA changes allow more protections for disabled individuals by reversing Supreme Court decisions that once narrowed the definition of disability and what is a major life activity. It also forms broader parameters to how the law may be interpreted by the courts in the future.

One of the biggest questions the amendments answer is in regards to: What is a major life activity? As written, the new ADA states that it shouldn’t be interpreted strictly and whether someone is disabled “should not demand extensive analysis.” According to The Word on Employment Law with John Phillips, Phillips explains:

The Act includes a nonexhaustive list of activities that constitute major life activities, including caring for oneself; bending; performing manual tasks; speaking; seeing; breathing; hearing; learning; eating; reading; sleeping; concentrating; walking; thinking; standing; lifting; communicating; and working. Are you beginning to get the picture? If an employee can’t perform one of these activities, he/she is automatically disabled. Wow!

We’re just beginning, however. The Act also includes a subset of major life activities called “major bodily functions,” including functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, and digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions. There is no requirement that the functions have any relation to the ability to perform a job. Indeed, some are completely unrelated to work. If these functions are substantially impaired, however, you have a disability.

In another big change, the Act reverses Supreme Court rulings that denied disability status to people with conditions in remission or improved by medicine or medical treatment. The new amendments state that such a condition is still considered a disability if it limits a major life activity when that person is active. According to Phillips:

A disability is to be determined without regard to the ameliorative effects of mitigating measures such as “medication, medical supplies, equipment, or appliances, low-vision devices . . . prosthetics including limbs and devices, hearing aids and cochlear implants or other implantable hearing devices, mobility devices, or oxygen therapy equipment and supplies; use of assistive technology; auxiliary aids or services; or learned behavioral or adaptive neurological modifications.” The only exceptions are eyeglasses and contact lenses.

Additionally, the amendments make the process of claiming a disability less involved. To prove that an employee was disabled under the original ADA, one had to prove they were regarded as having a physical or mental impairment and that the impairment considerably limited a major life activity. “Pandora’s box will be opened,” by the new act, in that an employee may be considered disabled “whether or not the impairment limits or is perceived to limit a major life activity.”

The definition of disability has been significantly altered by the new ADA Amendments Act, employers must be educated on how to fully comply with the latest changes. In our next post, we’ll explain how employers should prepare for the new ADA changes before it becomes effective on the first of the year.

For help managing ADA accommodation requests under the new amendments, take a look at the ComplyRight ADA Administration System. It contains all the necessary forms, tools and information to effectively manage employee requests for reasonable accommodation.

ADA Amendments Act, Part 1: What changed?

New Recruitment Trend: Video

Do you agonize over writing job descriptions? Struggle to find the right words to attract the perfect applicant?

Why not show them how great you are? - make a video.

Popular recruiting sites are joining the YouTube revolution by incorporating video into online recruitment ads. Writing job descriptions may be a thing of the past.

Recently, the online job network Monster.com began offering video-hosting services. Along with written advertisements, companies can post a video to show job candidates what they can offer.

Another site, CareerTV, allows companies to entertain while recruiting job candidates. Google, Disney, BMW and even the FBI have posted videos to grab the attention of promising applicants.

And it works both ways. Job seekers also can post video resumes. All videos are open to the public to rate on a 1-5 scale. Videos can be viewed by highest-rated, most viewed, and how recently they were posted.

More than just a job description, videos allow insight into a company's culture and can help potential applicants make more informed decisions when job hunting.

Video recruiting is the next big thing for the latest generation of employees, so make a video and show your future employees what you’ve got to offer.

New Recruitment Trend: Video