Traditionally a job description is drafted by conducting a full analysis of the role and breaking down each task into levels of priority. A job description is the first taste of what an employee is to expect from the role and therefore writing one should be a priority to any organization.

1. Where to start?

It may sound patronizing, but the best way to analyze a position is to have it described by the current employee, first-hand. Take some time out of your day to sit down with your employee(s) and discuss what they do, how they feel about each task, what they find challenging and what they find rewarding. Knowing about the extra bits of their role holds more value than you may think! Getting first-hand information like this is not only beneficial in writing job descriptions, but also as a resource in the case of sudden spikes in employee turnover.

2. How to be accurate?

As mentioned, job descriptions rarely meet the actual job’s demands and instead reflect a basic outline of what the employee should be doing. Most employee’s work longer hours and transfer their skills across more divisions than what was initially described. New Zealand especially, with a market dominated by small businesses, requires employees to be ‘jacks of all trades’.

Despite the need for transferable skills, stating the basics is a crucial part of the job description. Will the employee be answering phones? Compiling reports? Cleaning the kitchen? Completing end of month sale budgets? Analyising stats? The best way to be accurate is to be honest. There is no reward in omitting the ‘less favourable’ tasks in order to bolster the position. False advertising eventually leads to employee dissatisfaction, and reflects poorly on the organisations’ ethics.

3. What is included in a job description?

Arguably, the most important aspect of a job description is whom the employee will report to. Make this clear in your job description; even if it means including a graphic to illustrate how the company operates. The more senior the position, the more important it is to have this understood by the applicant – if an employee is unsure about whom they report into, they will be unsure of their standings within the management umbrella. Other important areas to include are:

• tasks / everyday functions
• key clients / employees / suppliers
• percentage of time dedicated to each main function
• the goals or mission statement of the company
• key skills required
• milestones (if relevant)
• KPI’s / sale targets (if relevant)

4. Is a job description really that important to a business?

In short – yes. Of course, for every one HR Advisor or Recruiter that agrees to this, they will be inevitably challenged by the majority of other departments. Put simply – job descriptions are a lot of time and effort with absolutely no monetary gain. However, dynamic managers and successful organizations will agree that a business is built ‘from the ground up’. Therefore, the effort and time that goes into foundations is invaluable.

As an employer, it’s important to have current documents, so if it’s been more than six months, go through the job descriptions on file and consider whether they are still relevant. You’ll be surprised about how quickly a position can change, and at what extra duties your employees have picked up!

Questions? Suggestions? If you’d like to know more about job descriptions please email our HR Advisor- michelle.reasbeck@crackerjacks.co.nz!

We would like to offer our contractors a few pieces of advice to help update and send their CVs to the top of the pile.

The Content:

• Keep it short, simple and relevant.

• Use plain language- cite specific key achievements but try to keep technical jargon to a minimum (for all you IT gurus we appreciate that you need to use terminology and a good employer will understand this!)

• Tailoring an application- employers expect your CV to match the job advertised. If you’re applying for an administration job and have experience in customer service, research and labour, leave the labour work out as it’s irrelevant.

• Include technical or business skills where appropriate- if you’re skilled in C#.NET but don’t have a qualification this is where it goes.

• Provide examples of your professional achievements- did you increase profit? Reduce office costs? Introduce a new and successful system? Employers like to know these things!

• Cover letters are important- they allow a candidate to expand on information in their CV, explain any career changes or gaps and give the employer a glimpse of their personality.

• Avoid fillers- were you a prefect in high school? Captain of the social ultimate Frisbee team in year 12? Unless it’s your very first role, most employers won’t be looking at those sorts of achievements. Instead, try including large scale milestones i.e. running your first marathon.

• Extracurricular- community involvement helps an employer understand your personality and what drives you. If you’ve volunteered with the Rena clean up or taught children how to read, include these activities in your CV.

The Format:

• Use bullet points- they’re much easier to read than a long sentence.

• Keep it concise- forgo the cover page, instead put your details (name and contact details) alongside “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the first page.

• Format your CV- space your CV, use a basic font that’s easy to read, keep it black and white, spell and grammar check and leave the graphics out.

• List your career history chronologically- include the month and year for your career history, for example: Jan08-Sep10.

At Crackerjacks we tailor our candidate profiles so that businesses are given a snapshot of your experience and skills without all the clutter. Any questions? Need a bit more advice? Leave a comment for us below and we’ll get back to you!

We would like to congratulate existing team member, Michelle Reasbeck, on being promoted as the HR Advisor for Crackerjacks. Michelle is your ‘go-to’ person for all recruitment and business queries.

Her passion is people, and she is driven by ambition, hard work and success. Having been with Crackerjacks since March 2009, she is well versed with online recruitment in the professional contracting arena. Michelle’s email address is michelle.reasbeck@crackerjacks.co.nz and she can be contacted on (09) 9148540 ext 450.

Deanna Yang – Communications Advisor

Welcome to Crackerjacks brand new Communications Advisor – Deanna Yang. In her last year studying journalism at university, Deanna loves to be around people and has a passion for writing.  She will be in the ‘driving-seat’ for Crackerjacks marketing and PR initiatives – so watch this space! She begins on the 4th of April and can be contacted directly on deanna.yang@crackerjacks.co.nz, (09) 914 8540 ext 453.

From left to right, Frane Karaman – Chief Technical Officer, Helen Sedcole – HR Consulting Advisor (Director) and Tony Wai – Managing Director.

Tony is an experienced Business Manager and a fully qualified Accountant (holding both NZ and UK professional accountancy qualifications) he is the founder and MD of Crackerjacks. He brings a strong commercial focus to the company and has an intimate knowledge of the contracting market from a business perspective.

Helen is a seasoned HR practitioner and brings a commercial HR perspective to the company both in terms of design and business development.

Frane Karaman has almost 20 years of experience in information technology and has been involved in many corporate projects within New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

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