Make Your Document In 3 Easy Steps:
Answer a few questions to customise your document in minutes
Start now and save your progress, finish on any device
Store securely, share online and make copies
This document has been customised over 19.5K times
Documents and communicates
Ask a lawyer questions about your document
Job specification
Position:
Salary: £
Location:
Grade:
Department:
Ref:
Salary: £
Phone:
Website:
Employees and candidates
Preparing comprehensive and accurate Job Descriptions is a crucial part of the recruitment process. Both internal and external candidates will need to understand the requirements of the role. As well as providing relevant details of work responsibilities, a Job Description can help to attract new talent to your organisation, as part of an overall job advertisement.
Employers and managers
Writing a Job Description helps ensure that only the most suitable and qualified candidates apply for a position. This reduces the time spent on filtering applications by management and HR.
A Job Description is also helpful for line managers. This is especially true if they are new or not directly responsible for recruiting the new staff member. In this scenario, a Job Description can help a line manager to pick the right person for a job. It can also help managers to evaluate the performance of an employee and to gauge whether or not they have met expectations.
For more information, read Hiring.
There are no specific requirements for Job Descriptions. However, they often include the following:
the main purpose of the role
responsibilities of the job holder
any required skills and qualifications
days, hours and location of work - and whether there are any flexible working opportunities
salary and other benefits (eg pension schemes or company cars)
who the job holder will report to
details of how to apply for the job
Discrimination
To comply with employment law, you must ensure that nothing in a Job Description (or any other job advertisement materials) can be considered discriminatory.
The Equality Act 2010 sets out certain protected characteristics, including age, disability, sex and race. In general, any protected characteristics should not be taken into account in the process of selecting a candidate. Further, a Job Description should not imply that any of these characteristics contribute to the selection criteria, either directly or indirectly.
For example, phrases like 'youthful go-getter' or 'mature experienced' should be avoided when describing an ideal candidate, as they could constitute age discrimination. However, if there is a 'genuine occupational requirement' (eg a young black male actor being required to play the role of a young black male character in a theatre production), this can be included in a Job Description.
For more information, read Equal opportunities and discrimination.
Terminology
Avoid the use of internal terminology and acronyms when preparing a Job Description. Remember that the candidates reading the Job Description will not be familiar with business-specific terms, unless you are recruiting internally.
Many of the terms contained in a Job Description will form the basis of the Employment contract. However, in order to allow room for negotiation, it's a good idea to keep the terms open and flexible. For example, you can include a pay range (rather than a specific salary) and if you have several offices, you can state that the employee may need to work from any of those locations.
If any contract terms differ from those in the Job Description, these need to be clearly pointed out before the contract is signed. You may want to include a clause in the Job Description stating that terms may change.
Making a Job Description online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.
To make your Job Description you will need the following information:
Employer details
What are the details of the employer (eg legal structure, name and address)?
What are the employer’s contact details?
What is the business of the employer?
Role
Will the job be full-time or part-time? Will it be permanent or for a fixed term?
If the job is for a fixed term, how long is the initial job term?
Where will the job primarily be based?
What is the job title?
What does the job involve?
Who would be an ideal candidate for this job?
What is the grade of this position?
In which department will the job be based?
What other information will be included in this Job Description?
Who will the employee be reporting to?
Salary and hours of work
What is the employee’s salary or wage?
Will the employee have regular hours of work? If so, what are they?
Benefits
Do the additional employee benefits offered to the employee in this Job Description include:
Holiday? If so, what is the employee's annual leave entitlement and are bank holidays additional to annual leave or included?
Bonuses? If so, will bonuses be given up to a maximum amount or as a percentage of base salary?
A company car?
Share options?
A pension scheme? What kind of pension will be offered?
Health insurance?
Other benefits? If so, what other types of benefits are being offered?
Application
Is there a reference number for this position?
Will this Job Description include:
A contact who will provide information if asked and receive applicants' CVs? If so, who is the contact?
A closing date for applications? If so, what is the closing date for applications?
Job Descriptions are used to set out the requirements for new roles. To do this, this Job Description template covers:
Job summary
This section provides specific details of the role. This includes:
the job title
whether the job will be full-time or part-time
whether the job will be permanent or for a fixed-term
the hours of work
where the role will primarily be based
Job description
This section provides details of the job role and what it entails. If relevant, it also sets out the primary responsibilities of the position.
Internal reporting
If relevant, this section sets out who the employee will report to. This may also include the details of any internal and/or external contracts (eg clients or contractors) the job involves working with.
Person specification
This section describes the type of person the employer is looking for for the role. If relevant, this section will also include any other relevant requirements for the role (eg essential qualifications, essential skills and/or desirable qualifications).
Salary and benefits
This section sets out the salary for the role along with any applicable workplace benefits.
Contact details
This section provides the employer’s contact details. This includes the employer’s address, telephone number and website.
How to apply
If relevant, this section sets out how applicants can apply for the role.
If you want your Job Description to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Job Description for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.
Follow a clear and transparent recruitment process
When hiring a new employee, it is crucial that you follow a clear and transparent recruitment process. This is not only to ensure that the recruitment process is as easy as possible but also ensures that you help prevent any unlawful discrimination from taking place during the recruitment process. For more information on this process, read Recruitment. It is also a good idea to adopt a Recruitment policy so that everyone (and especially those involved in the hiring process) has a clear recruitment process to follow.
Understand what employment documents you need to provide
Whenever someone starts working for you, you need to provide them with certain written information. On their first day of work, all employees and workers must be provided with a written statement of employment particulars. This document sets out the key provisions of the employment relationship. The statement can be contained within the employee’s Employment contract.
Before employing an employee using an employment contract, consider using a Job offer letter to offer a role to an employee.
For more information, read Employment documents.
Consider what other workplace policies you should adopt
As an employer, there are various policies you should consider making and implementing to ensure that you comply with your legal obligations and that you ensure the well-being of your workforce. While there are various employment policies you may wish to adopt, key policies include:
a Health and safety policy - setting out how you uphold and ensure workplace health and safety obligations
an Equal opportunities policy - setting out how you comply with your duties relating to ensuring equal opportunities and preventing discrimination under the Equality Act 2010
an Anti-harassment and bullying policy - outlining how workplace bullying and harassment are prevented
a Data protection and security policy - detailing your policies and procedures for processing (eg handling) employee personal information and personal data
a Recruitment policy - outlining the process you follow when recruiting employees
a Disciplinary procedure - outlining your process for disciplinary action and disciplinary appeals
a Grievance procedure - detailing how workplace grievances can be raised and how they will be addressed
For more information, read HR policies and procedures.
Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
Ask a lawyer if:
you are looking for a company director
you are searching for a business partner
you are advertising a position that will be primarily based outside England, Wales and Scotland
this Job Description doesn’t meet your specific needs
