Develop a Position Profile
The primary goal of the Human Resources Department is to match the best person to the job in the company. This maximizes both effectiveness and efficiency for the company. In order to achieve the best matching of resources to the positions in the company, the human resources director should develop a position profile. This profile identifies the job title, describes the job in detail, pinpoints the best hours of work, defines the duties, and sets out the skills needed to perform the job. By referring to the position profile during the application process, the company can hire the best person for the job.
Position profiles are often misused with the term ‘job description’. In actuality, the job description is an element of the position profile. The position profile encompasses much more. Remember, the key is to maximize effectiveness and efficiency of the position. Effectiveness comes with performing the job at the right time (time frame), performing the correct duties and having the right set of skills to fulfill the requirements of the job. A job description is no more than a narrative of what is involved in the job itself, i.e. an explanation of what happens.
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When the human resources director prepares the human resources manual, one of the sections of the manual is the Position Profiles. It is here where every position in the company is identified and a profile is developed. The goal is to hire or train someone to fulfill that position within the organization. From the head guy right on down to the most tedious functions, all positions should have a profile developed. This allows interviewers to match the best candidates to the job at hand.
One of the key components of the position profile is identifying the personality type that best fulfills the position. This is customarily found in the skills section of the profile. There are various tools or tests to confirm the personality of the candidate to the personality type needed. However, this takes more time and resources to fully qualify potential applicants. Therefore it is best to identify those applicants that meet all the other criteria before spending the resources to test for the best personality to fit the position profile. Many organizations use outside psychological testing services to score the potential applicants.
During the interviewing process, your assessors should have an understanding of the position profile before meeting with applicants. By gaining an understanding of the position and all the requirements, they can identify the best candidate for the position.
By documenting a position profile, job applicants can fully understand what the job entails, what is expected of them, and what role they play in the company. During performance reviews, all employees should be reminded of their respective position profile. Then performance should be gauged against the position profile and not some arbitrary set of guidelines.
As the small business owner it is up to you to make sure these profiles are developed and documented. By having a well written profile, you can truly evaluate the staff and the company. If some position is no longer needed or has diminishing return; modify the profile and either train the existing employee to fulfill the new role or hire someone new. Remember, this is about matching human resources to the needs of the company to maximize the overall production of the organization. Act on Knowledge.