id="x7_x_7_i51">Unlike the other interview types described above, this technique focuses on the future of a job. Senior leaders or others who have deep insight on the organization are asked about how the target job is likely to change in the medium to long term, with the aim of eliciting a list of behaviors, skills, experience, and motivations that should be prioritized now to future-proof any talent management strategy. These techniques are summarized in Figure 1.3.
Figure 1.3 Summary of Job Analysis Techniques by Source of Information
When bundling job descriptions, practitioners should establish and maintain a model that will work well within their organization. Having a common job template drives consistency and allows for comparison or links across jobs. One such model could be the categories used in O*Net. Although this is a fine model to employ, I have found that the majority of clients prefer a simpler model that focuses squarely on the individual tasked with doing the job (not so much the organizational context). In my client interactions, I commonly refer to the five key ingredients of any job, which are not so different from the categories used by other consultants:
● Key Activities: What the individual is typically tasked to do.
● Behavioral Competencies: How effective job incumbents go about the job.
● Skills: The education and training that enable job performance.
● Experience: Knowledge gained in a given context that can be applied to the job.
● Motivation: Employee needs and preferences that require fulfillment.
The best job descriptions are focused and concise. Practitioners and line managers have a tendency to create a laundry list of characteristics across these five key ingredients. They want a little of everything, and by the time they are done, they have described a superhuman and written a document that is totally useless for selection and development decisions.
When writing a job description, I challenge my clients to hone in on no more than six absolutely essential points to include for each key ingredient. Next, I have them describe with as much precision as possible what is meant by that characteristic, to give direction to those responsible for talent management decisions. For example, if I were creating a job description for my favorite coffee shop barista, I might include the following for one of the key activities:
Key Activity of Pulling Shots
Prepares to pull shots of espresso by using the portioned amount of coffee from the grinder, tamping the grounds flat, and inserting the filter handle into the group head. Pulls each espresso shot for approximately twenty to twenty-six seconds, watching to see that a rust colored Crema has been produced. Empties the filter handle of the used grinds, wipes clean with a towel, and purges the machine.
What you’ll notice is that this description captures the essence of the activity from beginning to end, using the actual names of the equipment being used. This level of description would be absolutely the same if I went on to describe the behaviors, skills, experience, and motivation characteristics included in the job description.
The reality is that most job descriptions I come across suffer from three fatal flaws. I have already mentioned the first, that job descriptions must be focused. Including too many characteristics waters down the effectiveness of the document for identifying candidates who have the greatest fit, as well as which skills and experiences should be nurtured by on-the-job development. Moreover, a lack of focus could interfere with the legal defensibility of decisions, by pulling attention away from critical characteristics onto those with anecdotal attachment to the job.
Second, the language of many job descriptions is so vague that it renders the document useless. It is no longer surprising to me just how many job descriptions still use phrases like talented, team player, or self-starter. It goes without saying that employers want a candidate who can do the job, get along with other people, and strive to achieve goals. To me, generic phrases like these are a warning that the person who wrote the job description has limited knowledge about the job or has not taken the time to commit his or her thoughts to paper.
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