Writing a Professional Staff Job Description Questionnaire ( JDQ )

1. Human Resource Services Writing a Professional Staff Job Description Questionnaire ( JDQ )

2. What is a Job Description? • Job Descriptions outline: • Major responsibilities and duties • Decision making authority • Supervisory/managerial requirements • Budgeting • Organizational Relationships • Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) • Working conditions Who Does What Work Where How Why When/How Often

3. Why Complete Job Descriptions? • Job descriptions can be used to: • Assign work and document work assignments. • Help clarify and align with the organization’s mission & values. • Establish performance requirements. • Act as a communication tool between employees and managers. • Determine classification and benchmark to the external job market. • Recruit for vacancies. • Explore reasonable accommodations. • Train employees. • Help the organization comply with legal requirements related to equal opportunity, equal pay, FLSA (overtime eligibility), etc. • Make decisions on work flow and job restructuring. • Suggest ways to enrich the work experience. • Support and inform succession planning efforts.

4. When Do I Write or Review Job Descriptions? • The JDQ should be written, reviewed or revised as a cooperative effort between the employee and manager when: • Adding/revising major job duties and/or responsibilities (not intended for minor changes). • Requiring additional and/or new minimum qualifications. • Creating a new position. • During the annual review process (Performance Evaluations). • Recruiting for a replacement in an established position. • During re-design/re-organization efforts. • Identifying revisions based on exploring reasonable accommodations. • Development of other HR-related programs such as: • Work Planning • Performance Management • Work Re-Design • Succession Planning

5. Ask Yourself: In the past, have you completed a new job description focusing on: --what you want to pay? --what level of position you want? --the skills or potential of the employee? --the desire to give someone a raise? FOCUS ON THE WORK, NOT THE PERSON There are two systems that impact employee compensation: --Classification System (based on job duties) --Compensation System (based on employee performance) The JDQ is designed to describe actual work performed and is not intended to drive the compensation system.

6. Job Descriptions – JDQs First Section Identifying information about position, department, incumbent, supervisor and account codes/distribution. Question 1 Indicate purpose of job description and summarize position changes Question 2 Brief statement on job purpose. Answers “why does this job exist”? Question 3 Major Duties and Responsibilities – typically the largest & most detailed area of the JDQ.

7. Job Descriptions – JDQs Question 4 Include position’s responsibility for a program or department’s budget Question 5 Indicate supervision responsibilities and list staff supervised Questions 6 & 7 Describe internal and external organizational relationships and provide examples of decisions made Supervisor’s Section List Minimum Qualifications (MQs) at the entry level of the position

8. Job Descriptions – JDQs Question 4 Attach an organizational chart reflecting the reporting relationships of this position Question 5 Report information about physical demands if the job’s work environment is something other than an office setting

9. Job Description Questionnaires Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), job duties are categorized as either essential or non-essential. Job duties may be considered essential (E)if: • The position exists primarily to perform that duty • The duty is highly specialized • There are a limited number of employees among whom the job duties can be distributed A job duty may be considered non-essential (NE) if: • The duties can be eliminated or assigned to another employee

10. Tips for Writing Job Descriptions • Organize like an outline • Describe and group the primary duties of the position into 3 – 5 major sets of duties • Estimate the approximate amount of time spent in each major heading • List more important duties first • Identify each set of duties as essential (E) or Non-Essential (NE) • Update JDQ as necessary (major changes in job duties or reorganization, for example)

11. Tips for Writing Job Descriptions When writing duties, structure sentences in the format of verb / object/ explanatory phrase. • Collects(action verb) • key job information(object) • from various sources, e.g., work interviews and direct observation(explanatory), • Analyzes (action verb) • the data(object) • to identify job content and critical evaluation issues(explanatory), • Prepares or revises(action verbs) • job descriptions(object).

12. Tips for Writing Job Descriptions Caution • When writing a job description, • beware of the “inflationary effect” that can occur • when describing the extent of responsibilities • or scope inherent in a task. • Be sure to consider the full working year and the full range of duties throughout the school year, calendar year or business cycle. • Do not include duties that are cross-covering in someone else’s absence unless it’s a set responsibility to fill in for that position (for example, an Assistant Director filling in for the Director or acting in absence of the Director).

13. Tips for Writing Job Descriptions No need to reinvent the wheel! Referring to “good examples” can ease the time-consuming task of writing JDQs. Sample materials used in job descriptions are available online at http://hrs.boisestate.edu/compensation/jobdescriptions.shtml Caution Remember, sample documents are very generic and general in nature and it may be tempting to copy these examples directly which can result in an inaccurate job description. If you utilize a sample job description, be sure to clarify the duties to the specific job and department and involve both the employee and supervisor in the development process.

14. Achievement Action Verbs The terms reflect typical achievement activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Activate Check Decide Delete Determine Encourage Enforce  Execute Expedite Further Implement Initiate Maintain Motivate Organize Prevent Return Stop

15. Activity Action Verbs The terms reflect typical activity actions whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Accept Accumulate Acquire Allocate Buy Collect Compile Deliver Distribute Exchange Forward Furnish Gather Get Give Issue Keep Obtain Pick-up Procure Provide Purchase Receive Render Secure Solve Submit Supply Take Transfer Withdraw

16. Administrative Action Verbs The terms reflect typical administrative activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page).

17. Assistance Action Verbs The terms reflect typical assistance activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Advise Aid Conduct Cooperate Counsel Explain Guide Instruct Participate Protect Serve Show

18. Communication Action Verbs Inform Inquire Interview Mail Negotiate Notify Pull Recall Recruit Report Request Sell Send Solicit The terms reflect typical communication activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page).

19. Control Action Verbs The terms reflect typical control activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Allocate Assign Audit Commit Conserve Edit Ensure Evaluate Guarantee Regulate Restrict Verify

20. Creativity Action Verbs The terms reflect typical creative activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Create Design Devise Develop Estimate Forecast Formulate Install Originate Project Schedule

21. Evaluative Action Verbs The terms reflect typical evaluation activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide (click on View, Notes Page). Appraise Analyze Ascertain Check Compare Consider Criticize Evaluate Examine Identify Inspect Interpret Investigate Measure Rate Research  Resolve Study Summarize Survey Test Weigh

22. Online Resources Link to Job Description Questionnaire (JDQ) form: http://hrs.boisestate.edu/forms/professionalstaffjobdescription.doc Link to Sample JDQs: http://hrs.boisestate.edu/compensation/jobdescriptions.shtml

23. Human Resource Services For more information, please contact Human Resource Services’ Classification/Compensation staff: Joan Thies 426-1648 Andy Cover 426-4419 Debi Alvord 426-1740