Establishing a Job Position in an Organization Essay

Determining When to Create a Job

All businesses in one form or another come across situations where the need arises for more personnel to occupy certain positions. This can arise out of the natural process of employee retirement, company expansion, employee termination and other such instances where a position opens up that requires a person to fill it.

There are instances though where a position is created not out of availability due to the aforementioned factors previously mentioned but rather through necessity. In such situations complications arise in businesses where additional manpower is apparently needed yet there is no definable position that was previously created for it.

Defining how and when the need arises is thus a necessity of any competent manager/HR staffer since it is in their best interests to ensure that the company continues to function as efficiently as possible. In determining the necessity in creating a new job position several questions need to be asked, namely:

1. Is there a lack of efficiency in the work place as a result of accumulated tasked being subject to a single individual?
2. Would efficiency increase if someone were to be hired to accommodate these extra tasks?
3. Will the current budget of the company allow the hiring of new personnel?
4. What standards will be required for this particular position?

It is only when such questions have been answered that it can be determined whether it is in the company’s best interests to create a new job position and fill it with a person capable of doing the job.

Strategies in Outlining a Position’s details

In creating an effective position outline what would be needed is to first define the skills and experience needed for a particular position and then define what responsibilities the position entails.

What must be understood is that several studies examining the responses ordinary job seekers have when examining a job posting is that they see the responsibilities a position entails and usually have the following response “hey, I know I can do these responsibilities”, this results in them developing the notion that they can do the job based on the responsibilities and as such even though their skills and experience don’t match those listed in the job posting they still apply anyway.

This results in two distinct problems:

1. A heavier workload for the recruiter in charge of looking for the right candidate for the position wherein he/she has to wade through a literal mountain of applications all from people who think they can do the job.
2. A waste of time for the person applying since it is unlikely they will be hired if their skills and experience don’t match what is required in the job posting.

It is due to this that when creating a job outline it is important to first place the required skills and experience needed for a position so as to discourage would be applicants from applying assuming they have what it takes but in reality lack the necessary skills and experience to actually do the job properly.

What would the duties be?

For this particular position (Executive Administrative Assistant / Executive Support) the duties would be to play the role of an assistant in the various aspects of the business that the manager/executive would otherwise be too busy to do.

This would come in the form of creating appointments, managing works schedules, ordering products when needed, creating effective time keeping records, inputting personnel data, contacting clients and a variety of other responsibilities as required by the company.

Performance Requirements

While the job of an Executive Administrative Assistant is not what one would consider highly integral to the company the fact remains that due to the nature of dealing with clients, highly confidential company material, assisting the manager and examining various personnel records such a position would thus need a person to be deadline oriented, capable of receiving commands/ assignments on a moments notice, be available to assist even on weekends and thus quite literally assist in nearly every single aspect of a manager’s daily job.

While such a workload will not tax a person’s academic experience it still does require a considerable degree of attentiveness and an inherent desire to help. Thus performance requirements for this job will usually entail a person that is already experience in this particular type of job, is well versed with office protocol and is willing to forgo personal time in order to help the company meet tight deadlines.

Necessity for Pre-existing Knowledge and Skills

Based on the type of work this particular position entails pre-existing knowledge of software systems such as MS-Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Any further knowledge of particular software applications can be gained through experience on the job itself.

Re-Written Job Posting

Executive Administrative Assistant / Executive Support (Job, 2011)

Required Skills and Experience

1. Years Administrative Skills experience in creating travel and expense reports, time sheets, power point presentations and various administrative functions (Job, 2011).
2. Ability to meet tight deadlines
3. Excellent oral and written communications skills
4. Superb Organizational Skills
5. Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
6. Ability to independently create effective and poignant business correspondence

Position Responsibilities

1. Provide telephone support to the Director and staff
2. Manage Director’s Outlook Calendar
3. Book hotel/flight/car rental reservations for Director
4. Make travel and relocation arrangements for various members of the staff
5. Process expense vouchers and supplier bills
6. Schedule meetings and conferences
7. Track timesheets for Director & direct reporting Managers
8. Use Excel for tracking metrics and maintain management personnel files
9. Update Monthly Contact List & Monthly Organization Charts
10. Input absence for management & associate team in AMTS System
11. Miscellaneous activities in the form of ordering flowers, food etc

In the re-written job description all references to propriety bases systems have been removed since in all likelihood different systems would be utilized by other companies. Also, for the job of an executive assistant a more general description is used for the various responsibilities for the position.

What is notable though is that in this new job posting the required skills and experience are listed on the top rather than in the bottom of the list.

This is to immediately connote the importance of this particular set of requirements to ensure that people won’t get the idea that they can apply for the job based on their assumption that they can do it. Overall the job posting is somewhat more simplified however it does go directly to the point of what is needed for the position and what experience and skills are necessary.

Reference

Job, Search. (2011). Executive administrative assistant / executive support. Retrieved from http://www.jobsearchusa.org/