subject: Description of job specifications [print this page] Description of job specifications Description of job specifications
Job specification is an umbrella term which includes the knowledge, education, qualifications, experience, skills and abilities that are need to perform a particular position. Job specifications are derived from or based upon job analysis or job description. By mentioning the job specifications, the employer can highlight what it requires from the applicant and this helps in the hiring process.
What are the various areas of a job specification?
Education: Educational qualifications are the most important and basic requirement of any job, especially for freshers who do not have any prior work experience. They may consist of marks, degrees and certificates
Experience: Job experience consists of the number of years the applicant has worked elsewhere and it increases one's chance of scoring in the interview because it is assumed that the applicant already knows about the job and the responsibilities
Skills: Besides educational qualifications and experience, skills constitute an important part of the hiring process as these are like the special talents and qualities a person possesses to excel in a particular post
External attributes: Some physically-demanding jobs also look for certain external attributes which are essential in the performance, like health, height, sight etc
Besides these, job specifications are universal as well and can be applied to any job posting no matter where you work; there are some which deal specifically to one job. There are like some special qualities that you are expected to possess keeping with the company policy like dress code or manners.
Job Specifications serves two fold purposes, for an employer it helps to define proper skill set which is needed for a particular post so as to hire the right candidate and for the employee it helps to identify himself with the job profile and apply accordingly.
