Lately, much of my work has been very operations oriented. In this time of economic turmoil, companies are returning to the basics. Companies that are still alive today are going back to the drawing board and spending some time to clearly define job descriptions & responsibilities.
(picture provided by KateL366 on Flickr through Creative Commons license.)
Why spend time on something so basic? In the apartment industry, more so than many industries, we have many people classified as a "Jack-of-All-Trades." I hear this term used so much in our apartment industry. But consider for a moment, the translations of "Jack of All Trades" into other languages:
(Translations found on Wikipedia.) I don't know about you, but a "dull knife" sounds like another way of saying, "not the brightest bulb in the pack." Why classify a position as a "jack of all trades," or worse, hire a "jack of all trades" or even worse, classify yourself as such? When I hear someone tell me they need to hire a "Jack of all Trades," I think, this guy has NO IDEA what he needs. When I hear someone say, "I am a Jack of All Trades," I think, this gal has no idea what interests her/what she is good at.
Each month of 2010 I will outline a trend that I see based on the conversations I have, questions that are asked of me, and trends that I see happening in our apartment industry. If possible, I will also try to elaborate on the trend.
For January 2010:
IN: Clearly Defined Job Descriptions
OUT: "Jack-of-All-Trades"
What makes a a good, clearly defined job description? Every job description needs to have 4 sections: Basic information, Job Summary, Detailed Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Basic Information: Job Title, Who the position reports to, Job Status (FT/PT, salary or hourly), Expected Schedule.
Job Summary: A short 1 paragraph summary of the job.
Detailed Responsibilities: This can be a list of responsibilities expected of the job. Be as detailed as possible, without getting into the minutia. Be clear, but leave some room for interpretation depending on circumstances.
Qualifications: This would be a short list of the minimum requirements that YOU/YOUR company requires for the job.
Here is a sample of what my job description as a blogger might look like.
Basic Information:
Job Title: Blogger
Reports To: RENT SODA Readers
Job Status: PT, non-exempt
Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:00AM - 10:00AM
Job Summary:
Bloggers are one of the most important roles of a dynamic social community. Bloggers must write good content for their readers, continually mine for new topics/ideas and respond to readers' comments. Bloggers should foster a community of collaboration through their own participation and readership of other blogs. It is the goal of a good blogger to provide good content, express a point of view, present an examination of facts, or tell a good story. The end goal of a successful blogger is to increase readership, collaboration and community.
Detailed Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
Minimum 4 year degree.
5+ years of industry experience.
Above average people skills. (for networking)
Well-developed writing skills. (for writing)
Computer Skills-Excellent computer skills required. Proficient in MS Word, and different blogging platforms.
I hope this description and exercise help those of you working on expanding/clarifying job descriptions.
Don't get it? RENT SODA. GET IT!
-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN
Daisy Nguyen is owner and CEO of RENT SODA, a business, operations and marketing consulting company. Become a FAN of RENTSODA, connect on LinkedIn, FOLLOW RENT SODA on Twitter, visit her website, RENT SODA, or read the blog, RENT SODA, Don't Get? GET IT! for more information and regular blog entries.