Author Topic: How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat!  (Read 5473 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline بلوچ

  • Balochi Group
  • *
  • Posts: 493
  • Karma: 91
How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat!
« on: January 05, 2009, 09:25:25 PM »
How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat!

A job applicant is typically interviewed by at least 2 or more people. These interviewers have different background and different skill sets. In order for a candidate to get the coveted job offer, s/he must impress most, if not all, of the interviewers. Having a complete command over your area of expertise will get an applicant 90% close to the goal of landing the job. However, the other 10% is dependent on the other “softer” side of the candidate that is explored during the interview. Typically, the higher-up the interviewer asking the question in the food chain of the company (read, his feedback about you is extremely important), the more s/he will ask these behavioral questions.

We have assembled below answers to some of the questions faced by most job seekers. By no means, they replace your knowledge and hence your confidence in your own field. These questions are in addition to queries specific about your skill sets and your background.


1. Tell us about yourself.
Usually an initial question, an ice-breaker. I have typically asked this question for different reasons. One, I did not get a chance to review the candidate’s CV beforehand and this will give me time to peruse through his CV while he is talking about himself. Another reason is because I want to hear the interviewee talk to ascertain how good of a communicator he is. A concise 2-minute answer to this question that hits all the main points of the candidate will impress upon me that the person can think analytically and is a good communicator. Generally speaking, this question maybe asked more from those candidates seeking non-technical jobs, or those seeking higher positions.

2. What do you know about our organization/company?
A question asked typically toward the end of the interview. This should clue you that the interview is about to come to an end. You don’t have to spend hours researching each company that calls you for an interview but you should at least visit their web site and get a basic understanding of their product offering and/or the services they offer. This will leave a very good impression upon the interviewer that you are genuinely interested in his organization. Remember, the interviewer has already made his decision to work for the company that he is interviewing candidates for. The few candidates who can walk in and tell him that they care enough to learn about his company will endear those candidates to the interviewer.

3. Why should we hire you?
This is typically asked to get right to the point. What do you bring to the table that other candidates do not? Why are you better than other candidates that came before you and ones that are going to come after you? Nailing this question will greatly enhance your chances of getting the offer. Think about what is being asked for a moment. You must link your abilities to the job duties. That is, you must establish that you have the qualities that will meet all the job requirements.

Impress the interviewer. Tell them about your achieved targets. Cite specifics from your resume or list of career accomplishments. Establish that your skills and interests & a result oriented history make you a valuable candidate. Mention your aptitude to set priorities, categorize problems and your experience and vigor to resolve them.
A 3-5 minute answer is something that the interviewer is typically looking for. Anything under either means that you don’t have enough capabilities or that you cannot express yourself; either is bad. And anything longer means that you are rambling and are going to lose the interviewer’s attention.

4. What do you find most/least attractive about this position?
To answer this question, you should have studied the job requirements and its duties. Mention anywhere up to four or five features of the job that fit well with your background or with your future plans. For example, if the position is for a PHP Web Developer, you can say that it attracted you because you have already some experience in this technology and you want to further enhance your skills as Web Development is an area where you want to build your career.

Be careful about the unattractive part. Again, you do not want to unnecessarily offend the interviewer. You can jokingly say that there is nothing unattractive, which is a reason why you are so interested in this job.

5. Why do you want to work for us?

A good answer comes from good homework to articulate a prompt reply in terms of company’s requirement. You can say that according to your research the company is working on projects that greatly interest you. For example, if the organization is known for quality management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of the team that does quality testing. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on building products emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that this company is a great place for such activity. Basically, your answer should be a combination of what the company does and what you want to do, or what you are good at doing.

6. What do you look for in a job?

Focus your answer to the opportunities available at the company you are interviewed for. Tell them about your yearning to perform and be acknowledged for your contributions. Emphasize on opportunity rather than personal security. That is, tell them that you value opportunities for growth where you will learn new concepts. Typically, we should all look for those job opportunities that would enhance our existing skills and get us to the next rung in the corporate ladder. Money and job security is important but something that should not be overly emphasized. Your research on the company should already tell you how secure the company is before going there for an interview. Like the companies who only call candidates that best match their criteria, so should you only call upon the companies that best match your minimum criteria of places you’re where you will spend more than 8 hours every day?

7. How long will you stay with us?

Establish that you are interested in a strong and long career with the organization, but you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. At no point should the interviewer feel that you are a job-hopper. This type of question is typically asked of those candidates that have switched multiple jobs too quickly. The interviewer wants to ascertain that you will stay with them for a long time. Your answer should put them at ease.

8. What if you are subjected to long periods of silence or your appearance is criticized?

Stress interview is a technique to check the candidate’s patience level. In such interviews a candidate is made to wait before the interview and, in some cases, in the presence of the interviewers who apparently does not give any attention towards the candidate sitting their room. This is not something typical and is mostly limited to certain types of industries or job types such as Hospitality industry or Sales positions. This is a technique used to see how the particular candidate will react under stress or specific conditions related to the job nature. You need to be very patient during such interviews. Keep smiling and do not show that you are bored or irritated or angry. You can break the silence by politely asking the interviewer if there is anything that you can elaborate upon or anything else that you can answer. Remind yourself of the goal ahead i.e. getting the job.

9. What are your interests outside of work?
Tell them about your one or two favorite past times keeping in mind the job nature. This is more of a filler question where interviewer just wants to know what kind of a person you are or he is asking you this question while reading more details in your CV, or he is simply finished with his questions but wants another parting shot before he calls off the interview. Your answer should supplement the job nature. If it is a sales position, maybe you can say that I like to meet people outside of work. If you are applying for a Customer Support position, you can say that I like to read to help me in my communications skills (be sure to know what you read in case the interviewer probes you further).

10. What is your salary expectation?
Salary is a delicate topic. Don’t sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don’t leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.

But whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the “final” stage of the interview process. At that point, you know that the company is genuinely interested in you and that it is likely to be flexible in salary negotiations

Offline بلوچ

  • Balochi Group
  • *
  • Posts: 493
  • Karma: 91
Re: How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat!
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2009, 10:55:57 PM »
How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat! (Part II)

our response to the Part I of Tricky Question & Answers during job interviews, published last week, is overwhelming. We are publishing the another set of the Tricky Question & Answers during job interviews and hope they will be of help and guidance for you.

In this series we have tried to cover other possible questions asked during interviews that were not included last week, and incorporated their respected replies. ROZEE is always there to help if there are some more queries on your mind. You can always post your questions and comments and we will try to provide all the help required.

Once again, the usual disclaimer that by no means, these questions replace your knowledge and hence your confidence in your own field. They are in addition to queries specific about your skill sets and your background.


Q1. Your resume suggests you are over-qualified/more experienced for this position. What’s your opinion?

A question like this is categorized as a behavioral question. Such a question is generally asked to get an idea about your knowledge about the position you have applied for. That is, if you know for sure what the position is and do you know about its market value. It is also sometimes asked to throw you off-balance and to see how you react. Shrewd interviewers employ such techniques to better understand a candidate’s personality, to judge your general reaction and attitude as a qualified professional.

To answer such a question you must focus and talk about your skill set and professional background to-date and balance it with the job requirements without going into the murky details of formulating a personal opinion about being over-qualified; simply state the facts. Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization and make a point that powerful companies always have tough teams & experienced executives who always keep them on the top. Since you are a qualified professional so you have every faith that the company will get a fast return on its investment by hiring you. You can say that, “A growing, dynamic company can never have too much talent.” Exude confidence but do not  let the interviewer feel that you are over confident.


Q2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Although this question may seem as though you should answer with a positive answer for your strengths and a negative for your weaknesses, try to give two positive answers. When discussing your strengths highlight strengths that specifically apply to the available post. When indicating your weaknesses never detail a character defect rather try to explain where you identified a problem area where you were able to remedy it and explain how you did so.


Q3. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?

Again the employer, by asking such a question, wants to know if you are a dedicated, goal oriented person who is serious about a career with his company. Do not give a long-winded answer. Try to keep it very brief and to the point and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. For example if you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision and the result of your action. Avoid mentioning personality conflicts. Under no circumstances talk ill about your previous employer as the person interviewing you will take an impression that you might talk about your new boss in the same context if you two ever go on wrong ends. The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue, particularly if it is clear that you were terminated. The “We agreed to disagree” approach may be useful. Remember that your references are likely to be checked, so don’t fabricate a story for an interview.


Q4. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most/least?

Similarly, as mentioned before, you should be very careful and positive while answering this question. You will not want your future boss to jump to a wrong conclusion that you are a difficult employee who likes picking out flaws in the company. A negative image at any stage of the interview can prove fatal so be very focused and positive about every word that comes out of your mouth. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you remained there until now. Pick not more than one thing that would be considered a bad practice professionally everywhere. In this regards, the interviewer will not be able to argue with you. If you can back up with anything you did to improve the practice, it will be considered a plus.


Q5. How successful do you think you’ve been so far?

Confidence is the key to answer this question while over confidence can create a problem here. This question is actually asked to see if you exude over confidence while answering or you give a humble answer while knowing perfectly well about your success rate during your professional career. Although the type of job being interviewed for may dictate the amount of chutzpah you want to display here but a general rule of thumb is to stay safe with a more low-key, just-the-facts type of an answer. You can say that, all-in-all you are happy with the way your career has progressed so far. List your key achievements and what was their impact to your employer(s).


Q6. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

This question is asked to see if you are a career oriented person & how seriously you have thought about your career. More importantly, it is used to gauge if the company can offer you a growth path that is in line with your aspirations. The employer also wants to see if you have that vigor and energy that the company requires for a team leader or simply a team member. Remember that a focused and target oriented employee is always an attraction for the employer. So here it is for you to establish that you are very particular about your goals in future. You can tell the interviewer that you would like to grow with the company and you will make sure that your every effort is directed towards becoming a successful and reliable part of the company.

Following are some questions asked from individuals being interviewed for managerial positions:

A. What do you look for when you hire people?

This question is asked to see that if you are given the task to hire people for your team in future, will you be clear as to who you want on your team for the specific job completions. In short what kind of a team maker are you? This is again a question to gauge your decision making power. A safe answer is that you will prefer people with good skills, initiative and adaptability to be able to work comfortably and effectively with others and those who appear capable of moving up in the organization. Start with a more generic answer and end with a comment to the interviewer that hiring criteria varies from one job to another and you will change what you look for in an employee based on the job description.

B. Have you ever fired any staff? How did you handle the situation?

Firing of staff is not an easy situation to deal with and it needs a proper procedure to follow. For those of you who have been on managerial positions know that such tasks are pretty nasty. Generally such a situation is not much discussed. But if you are asked this question admit that the situation was not easy, but it worked out fine for the company and, you think, for the individual as well. You can say that you don’t enjoy unpleasant tasks but you can resolve them efficiently and -in the case of firing someone- humanely.

C. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager/ executive?

Being a manager is a position of responsibility. Companies rely on these people for their facing challenges, smooth working and successful target achievements. So the interviewer wants to see how a committed manager they can find in you. You can start by saying that nothing particularly is too difficult but each task brings with itself a set of its own challenges and a good manager learns from each task. Some of the more challenging tasks have been working with difficult employees (be ready for a follow-up question as to how you dealt with them), motivating employees to work under tight deadlines, and working with difficult clients.

Offline بلوچ

  • Balochi Group
  • *
  • Posts: 493
  • Karma: 91
Interview Basics: The Twelve Commandments
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2009, 10:23:54 AM »
Twelve key points to bear in mind in order to transform your hard-won job interview to a lucrative offer.
Below are twelve key points to bear in mind in order to transform your hard-won job interview to a lucrative offer.

1. Practice
The importance of practice and preparation cannot be emphasized enough. Generally, a jobhunter is much more versed in the fine art of interviewing if they have been out looking for jobs and interviewing for a while; it is critical however for newcomers to the interviewing scene to know what to expect, how best to behave in an interview setting and how to answer the questions in a manner that reflects on them most positively. Read the current literature on interview trends, prepare answers to the most common interview questions and perhaps rehearse by having a friend or better still, a peer in the industry conduct a realistic mock interview and analyze your conduct and answers. You should know your CV inside out and be able to answer any questions that relate to it without hesitation. Job descriptions for a given role are key wellsprings of information on the skills required - aim to present each and every one of these required skills in a personal skills inventory as you answer the interview questions.

2. Have the company, industry and product line well researched
You are much more likely to impress and convince the employer of your unique suitability for the job if you are intimately familiar with the company, its position in the industry, its product lines and what may be required for a candidate in your role. Once you can see yourself as part of a "big picture" you can better formulate your answers, prepare your skills inventory and formulate your success stories as they directly relate to the company's requirements.

3. Arrive early
Respect the interviewer's time. Aim to arrive 15 minutes early and busy yourself with the company or industry literature while you wait. You can also use the time to go over your CV and answers you have prepared so you feel more relaxed and in control during the interview. If disaster strikes and you are running late, make sure to call the interviewer to inform them.

4. Be aware of the importance of first impressions
As you have heard a myriad times before, you will not get a second chance to make a first impression so make sure your first impression conveys a successful, enthusiastic, well-mannered professional who will be an asset to the team. Smile and shake hands firmly when you meet the interviewer and be aware that over 60% of the cues being communicated to the interviewer are non-verbal cues. Watch your body language, gestures and tone of voice and bear in mind that the manner in which you are conveying information may be as important as what you are saying. Stay calm and focused and demonstrate self-confidence and professionalism in your answers and how you deliver them. Your attire MUST be professional and you must be well-groomed for your interviews, it is far better to err on the conservative side than to arrive dressed in a slovenly manner and communicate a complete disregard and disrespect for industry norms and the company culture.

5. Keep your answers brief and to the point
Answer the questions directed at you in a precise and succinct manner and make sure you do not ramble or get carried away on an irrelevant and inconsequential tangent. The more you get carried away on a given question the more likely you are to slip up and communicate weaknesses or factoids that are best not brought to bear at the interview stage. Demonstrate clarity of mind and thought process by making your answers simple and to the point - this does not however involve killing the conversation flow with yes/no answers. Aim to keep the conversation going on a pleasant professional respectful tone with answers that illustrate your strengths and experience and keep the intervi ewer excited to learn more.

6. Bring to bear facts and data from your past experiences to support your answers
Make sure to support all your answers with accurate facts and figures to gain credibility with the interviewer and show you have a keen eye for the bottom line. Expound in detail on targets achieved or overachieved and talk about measurable milestones and contributions to the bottom line whether they be in terms of money made, money saved, losses averted or otherwise. Be very specific about your skills and describe past success stories that support them in accurate, quantifiable detail.

7. Know your strengths and make sure you communicate them at least once
The interviewer is looking to hire a winner who has had a record of achieving success in a similar capacity in the past. Be prepared to elaborate on past successes that bear in a direct manner on the present job and show how those experiences are directly relevant to the role, responsibilities and skillset required for the present job. Keep in mind that the employer is looking to minimize his/her risk by hiring a candidate who has excelled in a similar or identical role in the past and can brings these skills to bear on the present job. Even if your past job was very different than the present one, you will be able to come up with success stories that relate directly to the job requirements in that they highlight key skills or character traits whether they be creativity, initiative, problem-solving acumen, sales skills, negotiation skills, communication skills etc.

8. Do not dwell on weaknesses or personal matters
Two areas that have no place during the interview stage are your weaknesses and your personal life. Avoid talking about personal matters and answer any question on weaknesses with either a brief explanation of what area you would like to further develop your skills in or by reiterating a key strength of yours that you perhaps take too far. The first shows you know what key skill you need further work on and are willing to take action on it and the second approach reiterates a key point of strength. You may also mention a weakness that is completely unrelated to the position at hand eg if you are applying for a creative role in and advertising agency you can mention that your accounting or investment management skills are not your strongest point and you are much more comfortable in a creative role. Whatever you do don't open a can of worms and torpedo your chances of securing the job by dwelling on real weaknesses and shortcomings that directly relate to your ability to excel at the job.

9. Ask questions
Have a list of questions prepared beforehand that are designed to impress the employer and show that you are familiar with current company/industry issues. An appropriate line of questioning can make for excellent conversation and will leave the employer with the impression that you have done your due diligence and researched the company and industry thoroughly. Do not ask about salary and vacations at the early interview stages.

10. Talk like an insider
If you have researched the company, industry and product lines thoroughly you will be able to talk like an insider and impress with your insider's insight on relevant issues. Keep the conversation flow fluid and informative by bringing up facts you have learned about the company and its products and competitors and show how you, armed with your unique skillset and experiences, can positively impact the bottom line.

11. Do not discuss salary too early
Asking about salary too early in an interview will make you appear mercenary. A potential employer will look for enthusiasm for the job itself, not just the salary on offer. Most serious companies will have a formal wage structure - so don't be afraid to ask about it at the appropriate time. Prior research into realistic salary expectations will also help avoid embarrassment.

12. Do not overpromise
Don't promise what you are not in a position to deliver. Your over confidence will eventually catch you out, with potentially serious consequences, should you actually get the job. Promote your skills enthusiastically but stick to the facts.

http://www.bayt.com/en/career-article-861/

Offline بلوچ

  • Balochi Group
  • *
  • Posts: 493
  • Karma: 91
Transferable Skills in the Workplace
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2009, 10:27:05 AM »
Transferable Skills in the Workplace

Do you have the transferable skills that ensure your employment resilience?
In this era of high employment turnover and mobility, your transferable skills are the arsenal that ensures your marketability, increases your professional competitive advantage and eases your transition into any new role. No matter how specific, specialized and limited you may think your past or present role to be, you are likely to have a set of highly valuable skills that are transferable across workplaces and hence essential to your career success. Transferable skills are the skills that employers look for when they are interviewing you so it is essential that you take stock of these and are able to cultivate them, add to them and recite them freely and confidently at job interviews.

Definition of Transferable Skills:-

Very simply explained, transferable skills are those versatile skills that you can apply and make use of in a number of different roles.

Why are Transferable Skills Important:-

Transferable skills are the inventory of assets that help you transition into and excel in a new role. They ensure your professional resilience and the robustness and longevity of your career. Moreover they allow you to more easily and readily explore lateral dimensions in your career and acquire added skills and expertise. While highly specialized skills may be essential to building your own personal competitive advantage and ensuring success in a particular role or organization, it is the transferable skills that ensure you do not become professionally redundant or obsolete over the long term.

How Do You Acquire Transferable Skills:-

Everyone has transferable skills and they are acquired all through a person’s life from infant and grade school through to college via formal courses, informal education, personal reading, social activities, professional activities and life in general. Once you have identified the set of essential skills that you can take with you and apply anywhere you go, you can embark on a dedicated mission to cultivate these skills further and add to their inventory.

How Do You Identify Transferable Skills:-

Self-awareness gained through rigorous, systematic and ongoing self-assessment is essential to ensuring your marketability. There are plenty of sophisticated self-assessment tests that allow you to analyze your own personal strengths and weaknesses. You can also go through a skills checklist and tick all the ones that you are confident apply to you. Enlist the help of your boss or peers or professors or family if you would like a sounding board or external feedback and advice.

While the laundry list of transferable skills is huge, they can essentially be broadly consolidated under five main categories:-

Soft Skills

Also known as interpersonal or people skills, these entail the set of skills that allow you to positively relate to, communicate with, influence and inspire others. Some examples:-

Delegating skills
Coaching skills
Listening skills
Presenting skills
Co-operation skills
Analytical skills

These are the intellectual skills that enable you to identify and analyse problems and find creative, innovative and feasible solutions. Some examples:-

Research skills
Data gathering skills
Data anaylsis skills
Creativity
Risk analaysis
Technical Skills
These are the practical hands-on skills like computer proficiency, ability to work with specific machinery, softwares, hardwares, ability to build or repair etc. Some examples:-

C++ Programming
HTML coding
SQL knowledge
Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator proficiency
Organisational Skills
These are the skills that allow you to sort data, plan, arrange projects or resources, maintain accurate, effective and user-friendly records and coordinate multiple resources or tasks.

Prioritising
Time management
Task management
Resource management
Coordination
Personal Skills
These are the set of skills to do with workplace character. Some examples:-

Integrity
Reliability
Punctuality
Diligence
Decision-making ability


Offline بلوچ

  • Balochi Group
  • *
  • Posts: 493
  • Karma: 91
Re: How To Master Tricky Interview Questions? Bell The Cat!
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2009, 10:31:01 AM »
Writing Effective Job Descriptions

Detailed job descriptions are more helpful than you think. Here, Bayt.com outlines the essentials of writing effective job descriptions.
Different corporations have different philosophies towards job descriptions with some subscribing to the notion that these should be very broad and vague leaving maximum leeway for individual flexibility, and others preferring highly detailed descriptions which hone down from overall objectives of a specific role to each of the monthly, weekly and daily duties involved. Whatever degree of detail selected, job descriptions serve an essential function in many key areas of business from recruitment to performance appraisals, compensation and benefits, legal and compliance; and training and development. Here, the recruitment experts at bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 jobsite, offer some guidance in effective job description drafting techniques.

Some Basic Rules:-

Whatever format you opt to chose in drafting your company’s job descriptions it is essential that they follow the “Five C’s” and are:-

Clear and concise with no ambiguous terms.
Comprehensive with no key category missing.
Communicated to the people they need to be communicated to.
Consistent across the organization.
Clever in the sense that a lot of research and thought has gone into preparing them.

Getting Started:-

Before beginning to draft job descriptions a certain amount of homework needs to be done both in gaining an intimate understanding of the job itself as well as in coming to grips with industry best practice. Spend a lot of time asking questions and collecting answers about every facet of the job as it is and as it should be. Look at the history of the role in your organisation and its place in the organisational structure and ask if any changes need to be made. Descriptions should evolve to incorporate learnings and suggestions from incumbents, new business requirements, changes in business priorities, changes in organisational structure and changing efficiency guidelines. Moreover, in designing a role it is essential to always consider measures that can be taken to make the position more attractive, competitive, rewarding and productive.

Once you are completely familiar with all aspects of the role, spend some time reading external third party job descriptions to maximize your preparedness for the task ahead. Look in industry journals, HR journals, leading jobsites, newspaper classifieds sections, government HR manuals and specialized job description reference books to adopt phrases, ideas and formats that work best for your role and organisation. Completing this essential groundwork will help ensure that job descriptions are actually an asset and engine for growth rather than an unnecessary hindrance. Remember that job descriptions should be forward-looking and a work in progress subject to amendment as you analyze how to maximize the attractiveness and productivity of a certain role and not simply a static snap-shot of the job as it is in your organisation today.

The Components:-

Job descriptions should ideally include at a minimum each of the following components:-

Job title
Job Summary
Job Responsibilities
Reporting Lines
Minimum Qualifications/Requirements
Job Location
Salary and Benefits
Job Title

The job title should accurately and concisely reflect what the position entails. It should reflect both the nature of the work as well as the level or seniority of the role eg Senior Accountant, Chief Engineer, Marketing Associate, Assistant Controller, Sales Manager. Be careful what titles you choose as different titles entail different responsibilities; for example Office Manager, Secretary, Personal Assistant and Executive Assistant to Chairman are not identical roles. Also be careful that t he titles are consistent with the work culture and the organisational structure and that they are compatible with identical roles in the industry.

Job Summary

This is a broad overview of the job parameters and should in no more than three or four sentences summarize the objective, general nature, function and scope of the position as well as the level of the work entailed. You can think of it as the mission statement and goals for the specific role.

Job Responsibilities

This is a description of what the person holding this role will actually do and be accountable for. It should be a clear and concise list of the principal tasks, duties and responsibilities associated with the role and that are critical for the role’s success. In addition to the major tasks, it is very wise to include the non-essential, second tier of tasks and responsibilities that are of lower priority and consume less time but are also an integral part of the job. Be as specific and concise as possible in describing tasks to avoid ambiguity and confusion and try starting sentences with targeted action verbs that detail specific tasks eg “Trains, conducts, checks, leads, analyzes, researches, procures, hires, ensures, sorts, manages etc.” You may want to add a sentence like “Participates in other projects that contribute to the overall objectives of the firm”, or “performs other non-essential functions” to ensure flexibility of the role if/as the need arises.

Reporting Lines
This should indicate clearly who this position reports to and any other important supervisory roles, reporting lines and relationships.

Minimum Qualifications/Requirements

This section should list the minimum requirements needed to perform the job. Education, experience, training, skills, abilities, knowledge; licenses and qualifications all fall under this category. Special characteristics and abilities essential to successful performance on the job should also be noted eg. highly proactive, high levels of motivation, strong desire to succeed, high level of integrity, strong work ethic, ability to work in a team environment, ability to work under pressure, willingness to travel, ability to lead a large team, willingness to relocate etc.

Job Location

The location where the position is to be based should be clearly stated. Travel requirements if any and plans to relocate the job are also helpful.

Salary and Benefits

In order to determine the appropriate salary and benefits you will need to ascertain the value of this role to your business. Industry benchmarking analysis should accompany internal benchmarking as you decide how to grade and compensate this role. Salary surveys such as those published annually by bayt.com can also be helpful in this exercise. Many companies prefer not to include actual figures for job descriptions used for recruitment purposes and prefer instead to state “salary commensurate with qualifications” or “salary to be discussed during interview”. Leaving the salary field undetermined however may fail to filter out candidates whose expectations are widely divergent from the parameters of the role.

In Conclusion

A clear, concise, precise and well researched job description will help not only at the recruitment stage to ensure full relevance and competence of candidates hired; but also at the day-to-day management and performance appraisal stage. Confusion and ambiguity regarding job role and responsibilities is eliminated once the roles are clearly defined as are costly redundancies and inefficient overlaps. Moreover in many industries regulatory and compliance considerations necessitate the need for clean and clear lines of responsibility and accountabilit