Would you make any other changes to clarify the job? If so, what changes would you make and why? If not, why not?
A proper job description is important when advertising for any position. It helps in attracting the best qualified candidates for the advertised position while also serving as an opportunity to make a good impression of your organization. In addition, once hired, the employee has a clear idea of their expected duties and responsibilities as stated in the job advertisement. This helps prevent overstepping their mandate which can fuel turf wars which can derail an organization in achieving its goals. In the case study provided, I would make the following changes to clarify the job.
I would come up with a more specific job title like operations general manager. This is because the owners stated clearly that they wanted a general manager who would handle day to day operations of the company and leave them to make the more strategic decisions. This weeds out those not genuinely interested in the job (Schmidt & Rieck, 2000). I would add a more comprehensive summary of the job's responsibilities like recruitment and training so the applicants know what exactly is required of them. In addition, I would make the job ad more attractive by including a sense of the company's mission and culture when describing some of the benefits we offer in order for the applicants to know why our company is a great place to work. Stating the company culture is also a tool for getting to know how the person works. This is important because the right applicant should be able to fit in the company culture and the team of employees in the company. For instance, a company that encourages its employeesto work solo would not hire an employee who thrives off the energy of others.
I would also include subheads and bullet points in the advertisement. The advertisement would be divided into clearly labelled sections. One for job responsibilities, another for the expected qualifications of the suitable candidate and the final section for how to apply for the job and application closes (Clarke & Combat Poverty Agency, 1996). This makes information easy to find. In order to reduce the number of unqualified applicants, I would properly state that applicants who do not have unique skills need not apply. These unique skills would be in line with the printing and publishing industry because this is where our job lies. This requirement would be a tool for screening the number of applicants would enable me to easily spot the one candidate that stands out from the rest.
The final requirement I would add to the ad relates to standards and temperament of the individual. This would include some personal character traits that would make the employee most productive for the organization considering the work environment (Mansfield & Mitchell, 1996). An example is honesty which is invaluable when working in a family owned business. This requirement is also useful in screening candidates.