V o l u m e.. 8 , ..N o . ..1
January 2008

Determining the Real Qualifications of a Job

Human Resources staff members often work closely with line management in reviewing job descriptions and assessing the qualifications of a job.  This is an important activity because the qualifications of the position (the education and experience required, among other things) affect where in the organization’s classification structure the job is slotted and in what salary range it will fall.  Sometimes these discussions can become contentious.  Normally, this occurs when HR believes the manager is “inflating” the requirements of the job as a means of securing a higher pay rate for his or her employee.  Yet HR often finds itself in a difficult position in these discussions, since the manager typically knows more about what the job really requires than HR ever could. 

These discussions can become more productive if HR provides some guidance that can help the manager make the right decision.  One way to do this is to try to get the manager to answer the following question: what is the minimum level of education and experience required?  Another way to say this is:  what is the level without which a candidate would not be considered for the job?

For example, a manager may say that a certain job requires a Bachelor’s degree.  Sometimes this is a knee jerk reaction that the manager has not completely thought through.  If we ask the manager whether he or she would consider an individual with a HS degree or Associates, if the person has good experience, and the manager says ‘yes,’ then a Bachelor’s is not the minimum requirement.

Similarly, a manager may say that a certain job requires (say) 5 years of experience.  If we ask the manager whether he or she would consider candidates with less experience if the individual’s educational credentials were particularly good, and the manager says ‘yes,’ then 5 years of experience is not the minimum requirement.

When considering the qualifications for a position, it is easy for a manager to confuse what is “nice to have” with what is really required.   This often happens with non-exempt positions.  A manager may say that a non-exempt position requires a Bachelor’s degree, when what he or she is really saying is that what is needed is a person who is polished, articulate, and mature.  They see these attributes as being more likely to be present with someone who has a Bachelor’s, and they make the mistake of arguing that what is required is the degree as opposed to the attributes.

The best way to avoid these mistakes, as mentioned above, is by focusing on the minimum requirements.  Rather than simply asking the manager to provide the requirements for the job, HR might be better served by initially suggesting the requirements to the manager, and starting on the conservative side.  If the manager thinks the requirements are too low, then a discussion can take place that hopefully results in a reasonable set of requirements, consistent with other similar positions in the organization.

Til next time.

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