When we define the job profile, we set out the key characteristics the person filling the position must have. It’s the professional X-ray of the new employee, and it will help the department or area achieve the best results.
We shouldn’t think about who will fill the position, but about its content and characteristics. Once the position (its content) and the candidate’s training and technical and personal qualities (its characteristics) are defined, we can launch the selection process to find the best option on the market.
Defining the content of the job
The position is shaped by two main elements: the content of the job and the requirements needed to carry it out. In third place, though not relevant to the candidate, are the tools needed to perform the assigned tasks.
The content of the job must be defined in detail and with care. It’s a good idea to have procedure manuals, and the competencies the activity requires must be defined.
Let’s take an example to understand these concepts clearly:
| Task | Competencies to develop | Knowledge and training |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinate with the client department the payment of the taxes due for the quarter of the VAT installment payment. The client’s invoicing for the period must be checked, the calculations made, the relevant regulations checked, and the collection and payment to the Tax Agency carried out. | Customer service (must deal with clients and external agents to request data and do the job); Teamwork (shares the work with the client and other colleagues); Organization of the job (must plan collection periods and the filing of documents, and have everything ready when it’s needed) | Accounting; taxes; regulations |
| Handle client complaints, promoting the interests of both parties (company and clients), and their subsequent processing | Customer service; Integration into the company; Initiative (will have to consult other departments with questions); Analytical skills (analyzing the situation and looking for solutions) | Client-handling skills; basic negotiation techniques |
These are two of many possible examples that make it easier to define the position and the knowledge it requires, as additional complementary training.
Finding a person whose experience fits these tasks would mean finding the perfect candidate for the position.
Defining the candidate’s technical and professional qualities
The competencies to be assessed come from the job itself. Assuming the two examples above belong to the same position, we are looking for a person with these qualities:
- Customer service
- Integration into the company
- Initiative
- Analytical skills
- Teamwork
- Organization of their own work
These qualities are the next step towards the job ad and the selection process that follows, looking for people who can back up the characteristics above with their previous work experience, showing how it matches the professional skills we’re looking for.
We need to define the individual characteristics of each competency listed above.
Identifying the training needed
We’ve established that this is an administrative position, so the academic profile will be administrative studies: vocational training courses in administration or finance, or university degrees related to business or law.
However, the job profile points to a kind of complementary training that can make a difference between candidates: taxes, accounting, or negotiation and customer service.
With all this, we can now draw up the candidate profile, which will be:
| We are looking for a person with these characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Academic background | Business studies or Business Administration and Management (LADE); law; vocational training in administration |
| Training valued in | Accounting; customer service and negotiation; taxes |
| Skills in | Customer service; integration into the company; initiative; analytical skills; teamwork; organization of their own work |
Let’s get the job ads and selection processes under way.
Featured image: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
