Developing a Job Description and Person Specification

Why?
Getting this stage of the process right is key to ensuring that the entire process runs
smoothly. A well-designed Job Description and Person Specification will not only
ensure that you attract the candidates with the skills and competencies required to
do the job, but will also form the basis for shortlisting decisions, interview questions
and selection decisions. You can seek advice and guidance from Human Resources
by contacting the HR Manager who supports your School/Directorate.
Cardiff University takes an objective, systematic and transparent approach to
recruitment and selection and should remove potential discriminatory factors from
the process. This will help to ensure that the most appropriate candidates are
selected and provide evidence of a logical methodology in the event of a complaint
of unfair discrimination.
What to include?

Job Description
In this section you should outline the principal duties to be carried out in this job and
the main responsibilities which will be held by the postholder.
It is important to be succinct, comprehensive and accurate when completing the Job
Description. All Job Descriptions should be reviewed each time a vacancy arises
and the duties of the post should be appropriate to its grade.
All Job Descriptions and person specifications should be reviewed by the HR
Manager who supports your School/Directorate, prior to commencing the online
recruitment process to ensure that they are clear, unambiguous, objective and nondiscriminatory. They will also be responsible for analyising the role to confirm the
correct grade.

Person Specification and Criteria for Shortlisting

This specifies the essential and desirable criteria a person needs to possess in order
to perform the job. It provides the basis for the advert, shortlisting and the interview.
All specified criteria must be job-related, testable, justifiable and non-discriminatory.
Criteria for inclusion in the Person Specification are:

Expertise/Competence/Skills what the person needs to know and to be able

to do in order to carry out the job effectively.
Qualifications - academic, IT, vocational and other qualifications.
Experience - activities the person should have been involved in previously,
either in paid employment, voluntary work or some other area.
Specific Qualities such as attitudes, etc.

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When developing the Person Specification you need to determine which elements
are essential (must have) and which are desirable (nice to have). This is key,
as any applicant who does not demonstrate that they meet ALL of the essential
criteria cannot be shortlisted. The essential criteria will form the basis of the
interview questions and selection decisions. There should be no more than 10
essential criteria in any role. You may wish to formally test specific candidate skills
as part of the selection process, but the use of these tests should be restricted to
essential criteria.
For example, if experience and/or proficiency in making
presentations forms part of the essential criteria then it is acceptable for the
candidates to be asked to prepare and deliver presentations; if this criteria forms part
of the desirable criteria, then this is not appropriate, as an individual candidate may
not have declared competency in this criteria and indeed may not have needed to in
order to have been shortlisted for the job.
The desirable elements of the person specification are intended to further aid the
selection of an ideal candidate. They are intended to supplement the essential
criteria and are not to be used in isolation. The desirable criteria may be listed on
the Person Specification in order of importance in relation to the specific role.
In developing and phrasing criteria, it is most effective to ask for evidence of,
proven ability in, demonstrable skills in, rather than simply saying excellent
communication skills. By asking for the candidate to elaborate on the skills and
abilities they possess and how they can be demonstrated, giving examples where
possible, means that we can utilise all criteria in the Person Specification for
shortlisting purposes.
Once the job is advertised, it is not possible to change the Person Specification or
move essential criteria to desirable status, or vice versa, even if none of the
applicants demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria.
Occasionally, approval will be given for the advertisement of a vacancy over two
grades (ie the appointment will be made at either Lecturer Grade 6 OR Lecturer
Grade 7 level). In these circumstances, it is important that the job description and
person specification make clear the distinction between the different grades.

Example Job Descriptions and Person Specifications

Example Job Descriptions and Person Specifications are available for the following
groups of staff:
Research grades 5, 6 & 7
Lecturer grades 6 & 7
Technician grades 1-4
Administrative Support grades 1-4
Operational Services grades 1-4

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