Do Job Descriptions need to change – both during & post Covid-19?
We learned recently from the Minister of Health that, even after the current restrictions are scheduled to be lifted at the beginning of May, social distancing is going to remain a “very big part of life” until an effective treatment or vaccine can be found.
This means that for the foreseeable future, not only may you need to conduct an interview process totally remotely , you may also need to review the way you lay out your Job Descriptions for vacancies in order to give both you (as a Hiring Manager) and the successful Applicant the greatest possibility for success.
Traditionally Job Descriptions are very descriptive, setting out an overview of the role along with the more detailed responsibilities for the position. While some Job Descriptions are quite detailed, the vast majority are not and only give an overview of what is required in the role.
In order to overcome this, we recently recommended to a Hiring Manager that an appendix should be added to the Job Description which sets-out the key ‘deliverables’ for the position under a number of headings. These would be agreed in advance with the successful Applicant and would form the basis by which they would be measured over a 30, 60 and 90 day period after taking up the role;
- Technical: Outlined the specific daily, weekly and monthly deliverables for the role
- Cultural: Outlined the expectations in the applicants 360 Degree interactions in the role
Even though the appendix will only cover 85%-90% of all potential deliverables in the position, it gives both the Hiring Manager and successful Applicant a clear ‘road-map’ of the expectations for the position over the first 90 days.