Advertise a job vacancy

A job description outlines the overall purpose of a job role and the main tasks to be carried out by the job holder. A person specification lists the qualifications, skills and experience needed by the candidate to perform the job role.

Job description

Preparing a job description is not a legal requirement but it will help you to decide what type of person you are looking for and to write the job advert.

A job description should include:

• the job title
• the main duties and purpose of the role
• information about the company and what it does
• the job location

If you are recruiting a manager, decide what their additional responsibilities will be and the specific skills they will need - eg line management or team leadership experience.

The person specification

It is not a legal requirement to include a person specification in your job advert. Howver, a person specification can help ensure all applicants are scrutinised systematically using the same criteria. This will ensure that your selected shortlist can be justified on objective criteria if an appointment is challenged following the conclusion of the recruitment process.

If you do decide to have a person specification, include the essential and desirable knowledge, experience and skills you would like the successful applicant to have.

It is essential to not discriminate when writing your job description or person specification - see how to prevent discrimination and value diversity.

Read guidance on recruitment and advertising from the Equality Commission.