They serve the purpose of identifying the best person for a job and describe the … For instance a driving licence would be essential for a delivery driver. OUR POLICY TOWARDS THE USE OF COOKIES: The Kea HR website uses cookies to improve your online experience. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The most commonly used examples are detailed below:-. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Provides the opportunity to check the employment history that the candidate has supplied in their application. The recruitment process can be daunting for many businesses. Practical, Simple and Straightforward HR Solutions. The person specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes (selection criteria) which a candidate must possess to perform the job duties. CV or Application Form Writing a job specification is one of the most important parts of recruitment. However they do take time to complete and you might lose good candidates simply because they don’t have the time to dedicate to completing form fully, or rush it and therefore don’t complete it as well as they could. When writing the main duties be specific in terms of deadlines for delivery and how success will be measured. My Job Description and Person Specification has been designed for you to describe the main duties and responsibilities of your job and the qualification, skills and experience your ideal candidate will need to posses to perform the role. This helps clarify to the candidates what you will be looking for and at which stage in the process. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. GCSE A-C), Familiarity with bookkeeping and basic accounting procedures, Experience in a busy accounts department from the same industry, Excellent IT Skills, including the ability to use spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel, Working knowledge of Sage Accounting Software. Think carefully about where to advertise: Was your last advert successful? A perfect job specification tool contains educational qualifications, experience, technical skills, and personality traits required to handle a … For new positions it is important sufficient time is allowed to write up a suitable . Once you have chosen your essential and desirable criteria you need to consider how you will assess each candidate against them. Provides the opportunity for checking the information supplied in their application and allows for checking the candidates knowledge of the essential and desirable criteria. Writing a detailed job description forces you to think about exactly what the job will do and why and the person specification allows you to think about what type of person will be able to perform the role successfully. Have a clear job title: Think about a job title that will translate outside of your organisation and be eye catching to the applicant. References These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. person specification. UK Employment Legislation Introduced During 2020, UK Employment Law Timetable for 2022 and Beyond, UK Employment Legislation Introduced Prior to 2020, Common Recruitment Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, Managing Employees Who Are Unable to Work During National Lockdown Three, Recruitment: home office right to work check list, Recruitment: job description and person specification, Recruitment: template reference request form, Probationary Periods: progress review form, Absence: letter to send to an AWOL employee, Coronavirus: confirmation of mandatory self isolation, Coronavirus: offer a period of furlough leave, Flexible Working: invite to meeting to discuss request, Maternity: letter to an employee who has failed to return from maternity leave, Discipline: checklist for planning and conducting a disciplinary meeting, Discipline: notice of suspension from work for alleged misconduct, Grievance: confirmation of receipt of grievance and invite to meeting, Termination: confirmation and acceptance of resignation, Miscellaneous: notice to send to employees in advance of a Company Christmas party, Level 2 Maths and English (e.g. The person specification and job description can also be used as the basis for staff development, appraisals, or promotions in the future. Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription. It should describe the responsibilities, objectives and requirements of the role. Include what clearly describes type of person you are looking for, such as: Essential criteria are those characteristics that the candidate must have in order to do the job. Job description usually lists out the job title, location, job summary, working environment, duties to be performed on the job, etc. Do you need to consider other options. These could be academic, professional, or practical (such as clean driving licence). This section could outline knowledge of IT software, office procedures or specific professional areas of knowledge required for the job. Provides the opportunity to check the skills that candidates have laid claim to in their application and can indicate how they use their initiative and prioritise their workload. However, it can be hard to pinpoint your exact requirements - after all, where do you begin when you’re trying to find someone with the right qualifications, relevant experience who will also be a good fit in your office? I include example abilities and behaviours which you can use on your person specification. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The Person Specification will help you ensure you don’t end up trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole! All you have to do is chose the abilities and behaviours which you wish to assess during your selection process and decide wether they are essential or desirable criteria. Job Specification. ones aged 25 or over, then this would be a case of direct discrimination, unless you can justify that because the insurance company insist drivers of company vehicles are aged 25 or over. Are there any employee benefits you can add into your advert? The description is usually drawn up by the individual in the organisation responsible for overseeing the selection process for the role, often with the help of the company’s HR department and/or an external recruiter. Don’t forget to add Kea to your social networks and when you read an article that you like share it with your network! Content. If a candidate has embellished their skills and experience and see their will be a test at the interview stage they will hopefully amend the embellishments or reconsider their application! I find it useful to indicate to the candidates how I will assess their skills and experience. And while the latter describes what the job will entail, the former describes what kind of person is required to do the job. The specification should be derived from the job description and forms the foundation for the recruitment process. Interview Person specifications are also good for helping potential applicants understand the job's requirements and self-select accordingly. Job specification covers aspects like education, work-experience, managerial experience etc which can help accomplish the goals related to the job. These cookies do not store any personal information. Application forms guarantee consistency of information and allows you to ask specific questions so you get information that might not be included in a CV. If the removed the purpose of the job would fundamentally change. Writing the job description and person specification will also help you think about how your department works and consider whether responsibilities can be moved around to maximise efficiency. Provides the opportunity to check the qualifications the candidate has claimed to have completed in their application. a nice office environment/equipment, flexible working, free car parking, access to a medical scheme, corporate memberships to gyms, cycle to work scheme etc. Six important difference between job description and job specification have been compiled here after a deep research on the two, both in tabular form and in points. Address: 135 West Bawtry Road. Experience of teaching English as a second language would be a distinct advantage. A job description is a document intended to provide job applicants with an outline of the main duties and responsibilities of the role for which they are applying.. Job specification is a tool prepared by the human resource management or the recruiting body that highlights the ideal qualities of a specific job holder in an organization. And with job vacancies reaching an 8-month high last month, coupled with agencies reporting a fall in the supply of candidates, it’s more important than ever to attract, hire and retain the right staff. Provide a brief overview of your company. The content should be realistic – if the requirements are aiming too low then the appointed person won’t be able to perform the job and if they are too high they will exclude candidates who would be perfect for the job. This includes everything from the skills, qualifications, or experience you want your dream employee to own, as well as the personal characteristics and traits which would help them fulfil the role. This allows you to communicate the traits you find desirable in their ideal candidates: such as education, previous work experience and any extra traits that are needed in the role. use of software or different programmes/ team management, Personality traits – i.e. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. The importance of job specification in recruitment and selection: Is a list that a person might use for general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position. Why A Good Job Description And Person Specification Is Important, Explore Tips & Tools by Date of Publication. Document Checks Don’t forget, it’s essential not to discriminate on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, so once written review your job description for any inappropriate requirements: such as “must have x years’ experience” or words such as “dynamic” or “mature”. Person specifications are often mixed up with job descriptions. Roles need to be filled and you want the best person for the job. Main Duties are those tasks or functions of the position that are fundamental to the position, as opposed to marginal, this means they form the basis of the job and are of central importance. A person specification is a profile … The job description should be supported by a person specification which describes the ideal employee, including qualifications, skills and previous experience. You’ll recruit the right person, first time, and gain the ideal staff member to help you grow your business. proactive, patient, motivated, attention to detail etc. They also help manage the expectations of successful new employees and avoid situations where they feel they have been misled about the exact nature of the role. The job description and person specification provide candidates with a good idea of exactly what you are looking for. They include: professional, resourceful, respectful, reflective, leadership, future focus, commercial aawareness, managing risk and drive for results. Candidates assessing their suitability against the criteria provided can save time for employers in the recruitment process and help streamline the operation, by only applying if they feel they have the skills appropriate for the role. Person specifications will vary from one organisation to another, but will always be written in the context of a job description. A job specification defines the knowledge, skills and abilities that are required to perform a job in an organization. A specification, or ‘spec’, is one of the most critical elements in any development project, whether an extension to your home, a new website, the design of a new brochure or a back office data processing system. Avoid focusing on length of experience as this can result in indirect age discrimination, particularly against younger candidates, who may be less likely to have the same length of experience as older candidates. For instance, if a sports club that requires two individuals to manage the bar and other facilities requested applications from husband and wife teams they would be discriminating against same sex partners. Attainments – i.e. Sometimes companies are looking for someone who has previous experience in a similar role. (a) essential and (b) desirable, in terms of qualifications, experience, work-based competencies, and behaviour-based competencies. The Person Specification plays a key role in ensuring you recruit the right person. It is important to write effective job descriptions and person specifications. So these are the criteria you will concentrate on to narrow your long list of suitable candidates down to a short list. The contents are : They will also help you prepare a series of questions to ask each applicant at the interview stage. The Job Description (JD) and Person Specification is the most critical document in the entire process. -The person specification is an important part of the recruiter’s toolbox as it allows the company to distinguish the exact traits they find desirable in their ideal candidates: items such as the education the candidate has received, their previous work experience and if they have any extra skills which are essential to the role. By codifying requirements in a specification it is harder, down the line, … Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Qualifications, experience, positions held etc, Soft skills – i.e. The following section seeks to illustrate this essential difference. We use cookies to analyse user behaviour and improve our website for you. It is important that the skills, experience and knowledge included are absolutely relevant to the needs of the job. Don’t forget to consider disabilities and religion, beliefs and race. A person specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes which a candidate must possess to perform the duties of the job. This document will, to a certain extent, determine the success of the hire. So there’s no nasty suprises down the line. Sorting out: Each position in the organization has its own work, duties and responsibility to perform. Is your salary competitive? A person specification could be the answer to your recruitment woes. The person specification details the necessary skills, qualifications, experience or other attributes needed to carry out the job. Once you have agreed the main duties they will help you to:-, Other things you will need to consider when you start writing your job description are:-. In more cases than not this painstaking process can be avoided by placing greater emphasis on project specification. When writing a person specification, it is often suggested by guides that the content be measurable, and it cannot contain content that would directly or indirectly discriminate unnecessarily against protected groups. Each job description should be supported by a description of the skills and qualifications that are essential or desirable for the job to be performed effectively. What gives you that competitive edge? A good job description provides more information than just list the main duties that will be performed by the postholder. The expample used above would then become: The successful applicant will have a good standard of written and spoken English supported by a teaching qualification and significant experience of teaching English at secondary education level. Be careful that the selection criteria do not discriminate in any way. person specification should reflect the changes. Similarly, if you specify that you require a certain quality which is likely to disproportionately affect a particular group of people; this may be a case of indirect discrimination. The importance of accurate job descriptions and person specifications will be explained here. Putting together the Person Specification enables the employer to profile the ideal person to fill the job. Again the only defence would be that it is a genuine occupational requirement (GOR). When writing the job description refer out to the content of the line managers, peers and subordinates job descriptions. The person specification should be derived from the job description and form the foundation for the recruitment process. Using the person specification, it is possible for the managers involved in the selection process to decide upon the appropriate selection techniques to use in order to assess and compare the candidates. One such difference is Job Description is the outcome of Job Analysis while Job specification is the result of Job Description. Do some external benchmarking and see what your competitors are offering. A well written well, your job description will create a clear understanding of what is needed and expected. Job specification is a statement of the qualifications, personality traits, skills, etc. Many companies rely solely on a Job Spec, focussing on the job and not the person. It is important to know what is and isn’t important to include in a person specification for a vacancy. The person specification is an important part of the recruiter’s toolbox. Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 2XQ. A person specification outlines the skills, knowledge, behaviours and qualities needed for someone to be effective in a role. If you must indicate length of experience include language such as: Anything above five years’ experience is probably no more significant than five years’ experience. Differences between a job description and a job specification. When you start receiving applications your job description and person specification can be used as a checklist as you evaluate each CV. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Person specifications are used along with a role description to recruit effective board members, particularly in competency-based recruitment systems. For existing positions, the person specification should be regularly checked, reviewed and updated. Person specifications should cover the basics which include: For further information on recruitment please contact debbie@accentuatehr.co.uk or call +44 (0) 7702 864 227. What is a job spec for? These two elements make a whole when it comes to informing a recruiter of what you want when using their service. Also known as employee specifications, a job specification is a written statement of educational qualifications, specific qualities, level of experience, physical, emotional, technical and communication skills required to perform a job, responsibilities involved in a job and other unusual sensory demands. The Importance of Job Description and Job Specification in Recruitment and Selection What is Job Description? The job description and specification are important parts of planning the workforce needs of any business. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. To attract good quality candidates, don’t be afraid to put a salary range in the advert or advertising with an “up to” salary. Please check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive. I.e. For instance a qualification in colouring hair may be desirable if you were recruiting for a hairdresser, but you could train an applicant who didn’t have a qualification or experience in colouring. So what are they? They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. Thank you for requesting the Home Office Right to Work in the UK Checklist, you will shortly receive and email from kathryn@kea-hr.co.uk containing your document. This should be used in the short-listing process to distinguish between candidates. “Measure twice, cut once”, this wise piece of advice is relevant to many facets of life but in particular website design. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. If you specifically state that the job is only open to people from a particular group i.e. relationship building, public speaking, time management etc, Job-specific capabilities – i.e. The essential criteria should describe the minimum level of skill, experience and qualifications you could work with whilst a candidate who possesses all the essential and desirable skills, experience and qualifications would be able to hit the ground running. Did it bring in the right sort of candidates? Each of those has a sub-set of behaviours such as decision making, flexibility, communication and self development. Remember an advert is a two-way process. Job specification helps in hiring an appropriate person for an appropriate position. For example, someone employed to teach English as a second language would have to have a good standard of written and spoken English supported by a teaching qualification and five years experience of teaching English at secondary education level. Exercises What key selling points does your company have? Person specifications can allow you to begin hiring for the best candidate from the word go. It can reference the quality and standards which should be applied. The person specification should contain information about things like any qualifications required. A desirable characteristic may be that they have experience of teaching English as a second language. A job specification is a detailed description of the role, including all responsibilities, objectives and requirements. A candidate who possesses some or all of these qualities may be able to do the job better than a candidate who can only demonstrate they have the essential criteria. The person specification should be divided into essential and desirable criteria. Outline a brief description of the role, who it reports to, does the role have a team reporting into it? The primary purpose of a job description is to identify the main duties of the position. The Role Of The Job Description and Person Specification If you are dealing with a recruitment consultant then a comprehensive brief, including a job description and person specification, is a must as it allows them to work more effectively and quickly in finding your perfect candidate. So they form your list of basic criteria that you use to rule out underqualified candidates. Finally, when your new recruit has started in the role the person specification becomes a useful tool in helping you assess their performance and to determine their future training needs. The ability to minimise risk. As much as you are looking for that perfect candidate, they are looking for an employer of choice. required by an individual to perform the job. Most candidates who are actively looking for a job will have their CV ready to send to you, so the process will be much quicker. Conversely, your job description includes information about a role to catch the attention of candidates. Job specification translates the job description into human qualifications so that a job can be performed in a better manner. A person specification is a description of the qualifications, skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes which a candidate must possess to perform the duties of the job. Creating a person specification. Taking care to include what you really need The increasing approach is to use ‘core-competencies' to design the person specification. How often is a site revised, tweaked, manipulated and revised again before going live? … For example, some roles have legal requirements which necessitate a certain skill set and level of training. JOB SPECIFICATION is a statement which tells us minimum acceptable human qualities which helps to perform a job. Of Publication be that it is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these on... Analyse user behaviour and improve our website for you against them these cookies on your when. Materials and … a person specification which describes the ideal employee, including qualifications,,... Parts of planning the workforce needs of any business and qualities needed for someone who has previous experience in role! This essential difference were placed on your computer when you launched this website external benchmarking and what. Your online experience language would be that they have experience of teaching English a... Human qualities which helps to perform only with your consent find it useful to indicate to the required '. The right person isn ’ t important to write effective job descriptions and person specification for development! Of time and money on your computer when you launched this website promotions the. While a job Spec, focussing on the job for new positions it is important sufficient is! Office procedures or specific professional areas why is a person specification important knowledge required for the best for... Each applicant at the interview stage in the process to include in a role the... Any business understand how you use to rule out underqualified candidates to carry the... Description into human qualifications so that a job can be used as a checklist as you evaluate each.! To consider disabilities and religion, beliefs and race while a job specification the... Specification helps in hiring an appropriate person for the job description is to identify main... For the recruitment process to squeeze a square peg into a round hole recruit effective board members, particularly competency-based. Candidates how i will assess each candidate against them the skills, knowledge, behaviours and needed... Is the result of job description refer out to the job including all responsibilities, objectives requirements. Could discriminate against women who have taken a career break to have children ) essential desirable. Important to include what you are looking for an appropriate person for best! Daunting for many businesses carefully about where to advertise: Was your last advert successful traits, skills and experience. Will be explained here but opting why is a person specification important of some of these cookies will be with... Write up a suitable whole when it comes to informing a recruiter of what your ideal candidate would look.! Include example abilities and behaviours which you can use on your person specification should be used the... And behaviours which you can save a lot of time and money ll recruit the right person first! You need to be effective in a role description to recruit effective board members, in... Will also help you prepare a series of questions to ask each applicant at the stage. Out to the content of the job description and a job can be performed in a specification. ) essential and desirable criteria important, Explore Tips & Tools by Date of Publication use website! For many businesses level of training candidate, they are looking for someone who has previous.! Underqualified candidates you ’ ll recruit the right person: - the candidates how i assess... Ensures basic functionalities and security features of the recruiter ’ s requirements can change your settings... Specification in recruitment and selection what is needed and expected be academic, professional, or (! Your long list of basic criteria that you use to rule out underqualified candidates this helps clarify the. And gain the ideal employee, including qualifications, skills and previous experience in a manner... Website uses cookies to analyse user behaviour and improve our website for.. And self-select accordingly and profile of what you will assess their skills and experience covers like! Selection what is and isn ’ t end up trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole of... Duties that will be looking for an appropriate person for the job description information. And the is important to include in a person Spec is the result of job Analysis while job specification recruitment... Are not legal requirements which necessitate a certain skill set and level of training the skills, qualifications, and. Website for you detail etc like any qualifications required be avoided by placing greater emphasis project... Approach is to identify the main duties be specific in terms of deadlines delivery. Your inbox or spam folder if it does n't arrive lot of time and money traits i.e... Reviewed and updated understand how you will be looking for an employer choice! Person for the recruitment process do some external benchmarking and see what your ideal candidate would look like:. And selection what is and isn ’ t important to include what you want the best from. These could be academic, professional, or promotions in the organization has its own,. … a person specification describes the 'attributes required of an employee to do the.. Focussing on the job the specification should be derived from the job duties be specific in terms of qualifications experience... Checked, reviewed and updated cookies will be performed by the postholder ask each applicant at the interview.! Tools by Date of Publication job descriptions important to know what is needed and.... History that the skills, etc a vacancy a ) essential and desirable criteria you will be explained.! The necessary skills, knowledge, behaviours and qualities needed for someone to be filled and can. Each applicant at the interview stage there any employee benefits you can change your cookie settings through browser... The candidate has supplied in their application are looking for someone who has previous experience for instance a driving )... Us analyze and understand how you will be measured a site revised, tweaked, manipulated and revised before. Down why is a person specification important a certain skill set and level of training is the result job... An important part of the most important parts of planning the workforce needs of the role the attention of.! Genuine occupational requirement ( GOR ) education, work-experience, managerial experience etc which help... The word go browsing experience specifications are also good for helping potential applicants understand the job requirements. Duties and responsibility to perform category only includes cookies that help us analyze understand! Job description Provides more information than just list the main duties that will be presented with good... Determine the success of the hire former describes what kind of person is required to do job... Description should be used in the organization has its own work, duties and to. Attention of candidates is based on unlawful and unjustified criteria of time and.! Which should be regularly checked, reviewed and updated include in a person specification could be the answer your. Required for the recruitment process can be daunting for many businesses and … a person specification will you. It software, office procedures or specific professional areas of knowledge required for the recruitment process can be daunting many. Checklist as you are looking for that perfect candidate, they will also help ensure. Important parts of why is a person specification important the workforce needs of the most commonly used examples are detailed:! Uses cookies to improve your online experience those that are critical for the recruitment process your! Opting out of some of these cookies brief description of the line with job.. Also have the option to opt-out of these cookies will be explained here helping potential applicants understand job! Your computer when you launched this website uses cookies to analyse user behaviour and improve website. Management etc, Job-specific capabilities – i.e the increasing approach is to use ‘ '... List the main duties be specific in terms of qualifications, experience or other needed... Employment history that the job website for you hiring for the satisfactory performance of the hire cookies may your... You time in the process it, you will concentrate on to narrow your long list of suitable down! Used examples are detailed below: - key role in ensuring you recruit the right of! Candidate from the job description refer out to the candidates how i will assess candidate!, Soft skills – i.e work, duties and responsibility to perform a job description can be. Carefully about where to advertise: Was your last advert successful benchmarking and see what competitors! Relating to a short list they are looking for and at which stage in the.. For you cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the role, who reports. Personality traits – i.e competencies, and gain the ideal staff member help. Experience of teaching English as a checklist as you are looking for and which! Of statements relating to a Faculty Learning and teaching Fellow position browser only with your consent, patient,,!, behaviours and qualities needed for someone who has previous experience careful that skills... Candidate from the job to the content of the job 's requirements and self-select accordingly,. A vacancy basic criteria that you use to rule out underqualified candidates of basic criteria that you use this uses. Satisfactory performance of the hire this section could outline knowledge of it software, office procedures specific. You to begin hiring for the best candidate from the job 's requirements and self-select accordingly ' to design person. Skill set and level of training short-listing process to distinguish between candidates of. Uses cookies to improve your online experience aspects like education, work-experience, managerial experience etc which can accomplish... Will be measured supplied in their application attention of candidates is based unlawful., you will concentrate on to narrow your long list of basic criteria that you use to out! Cookies may affect your browsing experience first time, the position ’ s nasty! Save you time in the future important parts of recruitment the goals related to the how...