How to craft effective job descriptions

How many times do facilities leaders get asked, “Do you have a job description for that position?” Those who participate in the American Society for Health Care Engineering’s (ASHE’s) My ASHE discussion board see this request frequently.

A facility may decide to bring services in-house and is hiring for a specific role. Maybe the facility is expanding and needs to add new positions. Possibly, current job descriptions are stale and need to be modernized to attract more qualified candidates.

There are several critical components that must be present in a successful job description: title, expectations, experience, education, special requirements and the all-important “other duties as assigned.” Covering all these elements helps to ensure the job posting is as accurate as possible to attract the right candidate.

In the November/December 2022 issue of Health Facilities Management, Taylor Vaughn, MBA, CHFM, CHC, SASHE, and Lindsey Brackett, CHFM, CHC, CHOP, SASHE, co-authored an article titled “Ensuring relevant job descriptions to ease recruiting.” They discussed how to ensure job descriptions are relevant to hiring the best candidate, and their Job Description Tool provides excellent suggestions for all facilities leaders. The article and tool can be found at the link in this column.

Other credible resources also are available through ASHE Chapters, which often post resources on their websites, including job titles and descriptions as well as current job postings. Members should feel encouraged to pull resources from chapters even outside of their local area. Visit the ASHE Chapters website to learn more.

On average, there are between 75 and 125 different positions at all levels within health care facilities. Unfortunately, there is not a single, comprehensive database for the vast descriptions needed. Perhaps a future job database of relevant descriptions may be created. Until then, we must continue to use the tools available to attract the best possible candidates. 

Stephen C. Smith, MSEM, CHFM, director of facilities at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas.