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Conceptually, “essential functions” seems easy enough, but it’s tricky when you get down to specifics. And there are common mistakes that are easily avoided. Here are some “essential” guidelines, courtesy of attorney Natividad Valdez of the Washington State Department of Personnel. Why Are Essential Functions So Important? From a human resources standpoint, identifying essential functions […]
Should our company use job descriptions? How long should they be, and what information should they contain? Do they really serve a useful purpose? Employers attorneys get those questions all the time, and the answer is always the same: Yes, employers should use lean, practical job descriptions that accurately reflect essential job duties because they […]
Writing job descriptions that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is tricky. In your efforts to be clear, you can also be exclusionary. Here are tips for handling this delicate duty. Pritchard’s tips for job descriptions are included in an article on HRTutor.com. Do You Have to Have Job Descriptions? No, says […]
Writing job descriptions that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is tricky. In your efforts to be clear, you can also be exclusionary. Here are tips for handling this delicate duty. Take, for example, the requirement to be “able to walk” around the office. That language would be unnecessarily exclusionary if the […]
Yesterday’s Advisor covered legal issues with job descriptions; today’s issue features key do’s and don’ts and introduces an extraordinary resource of prewritten job descriptions. Here are BLR’s editors’ do’s and don’ts for worthwhile job descriptions that will really support HR operations. 1. DO give specifics For example, rather than stating that a maintenance worker “keeps […]
Can job descriptions prevent lawsuits? Actually, they do, in many ways. Lack of clarity is the basis for many lawsuits—e.g., clarity about pay or about the reasons for employment decisions—and many of those suits can be avoided by clearly written, up-to-date job descriptions. Specifically, how do job descriptions protect against lawsuits and money damages? Here […]
Yesterday’s Advisor introduced the “interactive” job description—a productive new take on an evergreen topic. Today we’ll review more interactive job description tips, and introduce a unique new job description system. Irving H. Buchen, an HR researcher and consultant, is a member of the doctoral business faculty at Capella University. Here are his tips for making […]
The job description can be a great marketing tool and even “replace” the first interview, but not without a determined effort to put real meat on the job description bones. Most job descriptions offer “pablum,” says Irving H. Buchen. The dull boilerplate language doesn’t reveal very much about the job and isn’t going to enthuse […]
Recruiting techie talent is all about understanding what they are looking for—and that’s true for recruiting any type of talent. In yesterday’s Advisor, we learned how retention gives a boost to recruiting; today, “techie” retention tips and an introduction to a unique new way to manage the first step of recruiting–job descriptions. Here are techie […]
Recruiting techie talent is all about understanding what they are looking for—and that’s true for recruiting any type of talent. First, let’s look at a survey that recruiting firm Dice, which specializes in technology and engineering employees, recently conducted among more than 650 passive and active information technology (IT) candidates. What’s Missing from Job Postings? […]