Job Description & Person Specification Gillian Barclay Cheryl McAllister

Job Description Job description clearly defines the duties and responsibilities associated with the job. It may include any constraints for example; working at a different location. It determines what tasks have to be done in the job and may be reviewed and updated to meet the changing needs of the organisation.

Person Specification A person specification states the personal qualities and attributes needed to do the job. This is a summary of the most important knowledge; skills and characteristics required in order to be able to do the job to the required standard. When using a person specification for recruitment purposes, features are often labelled under the headings “ Desirable or Essential”. A person specification is a useful tool to help insure every candidate is treated equally and fairly in the interview process. E.g. measured against the same criteria.

Job Description Person Specification

Conclusion Usually the person specification and job description are used together to determine full details of what has to be done in the job and the qualities needed to do the job well.