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Competency-Based

Job Descriptions

in a fairly small town in the Midwest. The new plant was

going to have the best equipment, with all the latest technolo-

gy. The first positions to be filled were for 15 maintenance

workers. Sherri, the human resources manager for the new

plant, was in charge of finding candidates to be interviewed by

the maintenance and production managers. The response to

an ad in the local paper was incredible: hundreds of candi-

dates replied. After four days of interviewing, only three job

offers had been made, and only one candidate accepted.

What happened?

Everyone had a different idea about what a “qualified”

candidate looked like. The HR manager used an old job

description to help her decide who to schedule for interviews.

The maintenance manager felt that, with the new equipment,

Programmable Logic Controls (PLC) experience was definitely

a job requirement, and therefore eliminated all candidates

without that particular skill. The production manager thought

that training in PLC skills would be provided by the company,

so he didn’t even ask about PLC knowledge. Instead, he

focused on the candidates’ ability to work with others,

V exelle Manufacturing Inc. decided to build its second plant

Hiring Great People

because he was planning to implement a team-based work

environment. Since everyone was evaluating the candidates

against different criteria, there was no agreement about who to

hire. The end result was that Vexelle had devoted extensive

time and resources to a selection process that yielded only

one hire.

In this chapter, you will learn the first step in developing a

structured selection system that can help identify “qualified”

candidates. Specifically, we’ll provide answers to the following

questions:

• How can a job description accurately define today’s

“work”?

• What does a competency-based job description look like?

• How do you identify “critical competencies”?

• How can a success profile help you select better workers?

How Can a Job Description Accurately Define

Today’s “Work”?

Everyone needs a job! Millions of job seekers scan the

employment sections of the Sunday newspapers regularly,

seeking that perfect job. Headhunters spend their careers try-

ing to fill jobs. The 1990s is the decade of too many “jobs”

and not enough candidates who can actually do the “work.”

Yet with all this talk about “jobs,” we are seeing a surprising

trend away from discussing jobs in the traditional sense.

Traditionally, companies defined a job by a specific set of

tasks, duties, and responsibilities, listed in the form of a job

description. The job description let employees know exactly

what they were expected to do on the job. It also helped the

company make hiring decisions. A candidate’s background

and experiences were compared with the job description.

Often, with this approach, “experience performing the tasks in

similar settings” was a major criterion that managers would

use. Although this approach has worked for many companies

over the years, today it is becoming obsolete.

Competency-Based Job Descriptions

The world of work has gone through some dramatic

changes. Many of us have experienced the trauma of some

sort of a “sizing” (whether it’s downsizing, upsizing, or rightsiz-

ing). The objective is always the same—to find more produc-

tive ways to do the work! Increased productivity often requires

a more flexible workforce—one that is multiskilled and able to

perform more than one job. Yesterday’s singularly focused job

descriptions just can’t capture the full array of skills, abilities,

and motivations necessary for tomorrow’s workforce.

Why Should I Develop Job Descriptions?

Don’t misinterpret what we’ve said so far about job descrip-

tions. We are not saying that you should do away with them.

On the contrary, I strongly suggest that you do create job

descriptions. However, the nature of today’s job descriptions

should reflect the nature of today’s work. Let’s take a look at

some reasons why we still need job descriptions.

Ever try sending a friend to the grocery store without a list

of exactly what you want? Breakfast cereals may be breakfast

cereals, but there clearly are different types. Ever try to fill a

position and have the hiring manager reject your top candi-

date? You and the hiring manager need to be reading from the

same list of job requirements. A good job description can

serve as the basis for developing structured selection tools

that will help you identify the best candidates.

Candidates want to know what is expected of them and

how they will be evaluated. A good job description is the basis

of any performance evaluation system.

The value of any job can be traced back to the job

description. You will need information when presenting the

case for how much a job candidate should be paid. Without

the job description, your guess will be as good as anyone’s

regarding how much to pay the new employee.

The job description also serves as a reality check! Too

often we ask for individuals who do not exist in our job market

or in the job’s salary range. So we waste a lot of time search-

ing for job candidates who, even if they did exist, would never

Hiring Great People

take the position at the salary we are offering. Run your job

description by other HR professionals or headhunters. This will

ensure that if the job candidates do exist, you will not be wast-

ing your time by offering them noncompetitive wages.

As you can see, the reasons why we need good job

descriptions haven’t really changed that much over the years.

What has changed is what makes a job description “good”

(i.e., accurate and useful).

What Should I Be Looking For?

A good job description accurately reflects the work that

employees will be expected to perform. In the past, a good job

description specifically outlined the duties, tasks, and respon-

sibilities that the employee would perform in the position. This

made sense. Job duties were fairly static, and jobs were dis-

tinct from one another.

Today, it’s not unusual for companies to have 100 or more

specific job titles, based on varying tasks and duties. The

human resources department of such companies could spend

months developing specific job descriptions for each of these

titles. This doesn’t make sense. In addition, the duties and

tasks of today’s jobs are more fluid and dynamic. Employees

are expected to wear many hats—whatever it takes to help the

company achieve its goals. This is another reason why job

descriptions cannot be as narrowly defined as in the past. But

how can we accurately define work without writing a descrip-

tion for every position that involves different duties and tasks?

First, we need to look at work in a broader sense than we

have in the past. Traditionally, it was appropriate to ask,

“What tasks, duties, and responsibilities are required to per-

form the job well?” Today, it’s more appropriate to ask, “What

competencies are required to succeed on the job?”

For instance, “leadership” is a competency that may

require knowledge of various management techniques, effec-

tive verbal communication skills, the ability to inspire and

empower others, and the motivation to be a change agent.

Competency-Based Job Descriptions

Knowledge The information that an employee

must possess to effectively perform the required

work. This should not include specific knowledge

that will be learned on the job. For example, a Spanish transla-

tor may need to have knowledge of technical vocabulary.

Skills and Abilities A level of expertise reflected in perform-

ance in relevant areas. Examples of technical skills and abilities

are welding, tool and die work, drafting, technical writing, and

accounting. Examples of nontechnical skills and abilities are

planning and organizing, oral communication, interpersonal,

decision making, and leadership.

Motivations Characteristics that motivate an employee to

perform well on the job. (This topic is covered in detail in

Chapter 8.) For instance, a successful salesperson may need to

find satisfaction in interacting with many different types of

people, working on commission, and conducting presentations.

Other Requirements If it doesn’t fit one of the other three

categories, you can stick it here. Legal documents such as cer-

tificates or licenses are included in this category.

By including competencies and a broader range of respon-

sibilities in the job description, a number of HR functions can

benefit. To begin with, a competency-based job description

will provide greater flexibility in assigning work to your

employees, allow you to group multiple jobs that require simi-

lar competencies under a single job description, and lengthen

the life cycle of your job descriptions.

What Does a Competency-Based Job Description

Look Like?

There are several key elements that make up a good job

description. These include:

• Job Title: The title normally found on the new employee’s

business card or the term used to refer to his or her posi-

tion. In a traditional or stable environment, the job title

would be specific (e.g., Second Shift Supervisor, Cab Trim

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