Job Descriptions - What Is a Job Description, Why Use It, and Key Components

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Liam

Job descriptions are formal documents that explain a position’s tasks and duties, required skills and knowledge, reporting relationships, work inputs/outputs, fair labor standards act exemption status, and how and how often the work is performed to support organizational mission and goals. A well written description helps readers understand why the role exists, what it does, and the qualifications needed, while supporting compensation and classification documentation, selection, expectations, performance management, accommodations, and legal readiness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time7 min

AccessFree to download

What is a Job Description

Why Use Job Descriptions

Timing - Developing/Updating

Creating New Role

Success Planning

Hiring for a Vacancy

Reasonable Accommodations

Reorganization

Changes in Roles / Responsibilities

Key Components

U-M Classification and Working Title

Job Summary

Duties and Responsibilities

ADA Compliance

Skills and Competencies

Job Descriptions What is a Job Description • A formal document that explains the position’s: – Tasks/duties; – Skills/knowledge required to perform tasks/duties; – Reporting relationship-title of the position that employee reports to; – Detail of the work performed (inputs/outputs); – Fair Labor Standards Act exemption status; – How the work is to be completed; and – Frequency and purpose of the work as it relates to the organization's mission and goals . A well articulated position/job description will allow the reader (even those unfamiliar with the role) to understand why the position exists in the organization, what the role does for the organization, and what skills and expertise one must possess in order to be able to do the work. For Compensation & Classification, it provides the proper documentation to determine exemption status. Why Use Job Descriptions • Job descriptions are used to: – Describe major functions and duties (limit to 5-7 functions/duties) . – Describe education/license/certifications requirements . – Develop job postings. – Describe knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) necessary to do the job. – Describe effort. – Assess candidate's qualifications during selection process . – Help set expectations . – Guide performance management process . – Guide accommodation decisions . – Serve as documentation in the event of a legal challenge . – Summarize the organization structure (reporting relationships) . – Describe working conditions . Timing – Developing/Updating Creating New Role Success Planning Hiring for a Vacancy Reasonable Accommodations Reorganization Changes in Roles / Responsibilities Key Components • U-M classification and working title . • Job summary. • Essential duties and responsibilities (with percentage of effort) . • Skills and competencies . • Qualifications (education and experience) . – Minimum qualifications . – Preferred qualifications . • U-M provides a standard form to help schools/colleges/units (SCUs) craft a job description (see appendix ) . • Date of creation/last update . • Working Conditions / Physical Requirements . Who Where Why How Does What When/How Work Often U-M Classification and Working Title • U-M classification . – Standardized nomenclature to organize jobs into categories . • Working title . – Reflects specific duties, specialization, or level (Coordinator, Manager, Sr Financial Controls Analyst, Project Facilitator) . – Flexible for unit discretion . – Should be simple and recognizable . Compensation and Classification website has additional principles and parameters . 6 Job Summary • High-level overview (2-4 sentences) of the role’s purpose that includes: – Purpose . – Key responsibilities and outcomes . – Contributions to the unit. – Department role reports into. – Supervisory/managerial responsibility. – Level of responsibility/scope . – Required skills/knowledge to perform each key responsibilities . Example: The Compensation Analyst supports the development and implementation of compensation programs to ensure market competitiveness and internal equity. Reports to the Director of Compensation . Duties and Responsibilities • Most important tasks and percentage of effort. – Percentage of effort should be greater than 10% or less than 50% . • Use action verbs (e.g., develops, manages, coordinates) . – See appendix for a listing of action verbs . • Focus on outcomes, not tasks (e.g., “responds to emails by forwarding to appropriate individual” not “answers emails”) . • Aim for 5-7 major function/duties . – See next slide for ADA compliance . Be mindful of potential inflationary effects when describing duties in a job description. Overstating responsibilities or using language that implies a higher level of authority or complexity than the role requires can lead to misclassification, inequity in compensation,

FAQs

What key elements should a job description include?

A job description should cover tasks/duties, required skills/knowledge, reporting relationships, work details (inputs/outputs), FLSA exemption status, how the work is completed, and the frequency and purpose of the work in relation to organizational goals.

Why are job descriptions used in organizations?

They describe major functions and duties, education/license/certification requirements, help develop job postings, list KSAs and effort, support selection and expectation-setting, guide performance management and accommodation decisions, and provide documentation for legal challenges.

What does ADA compliance mean for duties and responsibilities?

Under the ADA, duties are categorized as Essential or Marginal. Essential duties are critical to the role, highly specialized, or limited to few employees, while Marginal duties can often be eliminated or reassigned elsewhere.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Liam