1.
Chapter 3: Job Description and Competency Model
Development

2.
Introduction
• Job description defined as a template organizing information about a job
• Serves as a summary of job and is documentation
• Most job descriptions have similar parts
• Job descriptions used for many HR functions and HR activities
Carrie A. Picardi

3.
Job Descriptions in a Perfect World (1 of 2)
• Job descriptions need to have high validity and high reliability
• Validity related to accuracy of job info
• Reliability related to consistency in job data collection methods
• Low reliability and low validity make for poor HR decision-making
Carrie A. Picardi

4.
Job Descriptions in a Perfect World (2 of 2)
• HR processes that use job descriptions
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Performance management
• Training and development
Carrie A. Picardi

5.
Recruitment
• Job postings are reconstituted job descriptions
• Used to generate an applicant pool
• Accurate and up-to-date job descriptions are needed for effective recruitment
• Typical job postings include job title, reporting relationships, KSAOs, and duties
Carrie A. Picardi

6.
Selection
• Task statements and KSAOs included on job description serve as hiring criteria
• Job description information aids in hiring test development and interview creation
• Accurate job descriptions ensure that one hires high-quality employees
• Inaccurate job descriptions lead to misses
Carrie A. Picardi

7.
Performance Management
• Job descriptions used to evaluate performance
• Job descriptions communicate to incumbent performance expectations
• Flawed job descriptions lead to poor performance and ineffective appraisals
because of lack of clarity
• Accurate job descriptions are problematic for constantly changing jobs
Carrie A. Picardi

8.
Training and Development
• Job descriptions are used to build business cases for training and securing
budgetary funds for training
• Training based on job descriptions is only effective to the degree descriptions link
to organizational goals
• Without accurate job descriptions, no information is present on how to improve
one’s performance and what training to seek
Carrie A. Picardi

9.
Job Description Structure and Format
• Strikes a balance with adequate/medium amount of information about a job
• Typically limited to two to three pages
• Includes the following:
• job title, job overview, department/function, reporting structure, FLSA category,
pay grade, working conditions, education, experience needed, KSAO
requirements, and essential duties and responsibilities
Carrie A. Picardi

10.
Job Title
• Needs consistency with titles on other databases, forms, postings, and systems
• Important for alignment of processes and systems across organization
• Abbreviations and modified wording create problems
• Wording can affect FLSA status
Carrie A. Picardi

11.
Job Overview
• Paragraph as a short summary
• Challenging to write
• Completed as last task in job description
• Provides clarity to what job entails and why it exists
• Serves as introduction to more detailing of tasks and responsibilities
Carrie A. Picardi

12.
Department/Function
• The functional area in which one works
• The proper name or correct name should be used for consistency across firm
• Inaccuracies in department names often result from organizational changes
• Linked to job family and organizational chart
• Reporting structure should be detailed
Carrie A. Picardi

13.
FLSA Status/Category
• Fair Labor Standards Act affects pay for salaried versus hourly (nonexempt) work
• Job description should state whether exempt or nonexempt
• Classification guidelines are on the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour
Division website (https://www.dol.gov/whd/)
Carrie A. Picardi

14.
Pay Grade
• Determined by the job evaluation process
• Different jobs across different departments are in the same pay grade
• Structure for pay grades in terms of its minimum and maximum varies across
organizations
• Needs to have logical sequence
Carrie A. Picardi

15.
Working Conditions
• Information about the work context
• Relates to time period for working
• Refers to work being outdoors/indoors
• Includes information about travel needed
• Speaks to physical requirements of job
• Details whether unusual hours or work is required during certain seasons
Carrie A. Picardi

16.
Educational Requirements
• Educational and training needs for the job
• For example, diplomas, degrees, certifications, and licenses
• Should detail minimum education needed
• Provides information for developmental purposes if persons are seeking higher
positions
Carrie A. Picardi

17.
Experience Requirements
• Minimum level or preferred level of experience
• Easier to identify if you consider these requirements across a job family
• Requirements need to align with that of other jobs and job families
• Challenge of work experience/education combination; 2 years of work = 1 year of
college?
Carrie A. Picardi

18.
KSAO Requirements
• Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics
• May be similar KSAOs across numerous jobs in an organization
• Some KSAOs may be unique to a position
Carrie A. Picardi

19.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Job analysis yields information about tasks
• Task statements defined
• Task statements provide the what, when, where, and how a task is performed
• Task statement should describe a group of job duties summarily
• Use active voice and be action-oriented
Carrie A. Picardi

20.
Carrie A. Picardi

21.
Carrie A. Picardi

22.
Competency Models
• Competency model defined
• Skills and competencies needed by all employees core to the company’s success
• Describe how tasks are to be completed across the organization
• May be used to shape training, performance evaluation, hiring processes
Carrie A. Picardi

23.
Developing a Competency Model
• Models developed for a functional area and management levels
• Data collection needed for model creation
• Uses methods similar to the job analysis
• Data collected from high performers
• Most popular is Lominger Competency Model
Carrie A. Picardi

24.
Competency Modeling Case
• Competency models are useful for firms with jobs that constantly change in
content
• Models allow for companies to articulate what KSAOs link to their strategic goals
• Competency models applied to global leadership are fairly similar
• For companies with sites in multiple countries one competency model suffices
Carrie A. Picardi

25.
Summary
• Job descriptions are important organizational tools for many HR activities
• They assist in organizational alignment
• There are several components needed in an effective job description
• Competency models capture organizational relevant characteristics for all jobs
Carrie A. Picardi