Obviously, your goal in hiring is to find the brightest, most component, flexible and reliable candidate from the people who are considering applying on your project.

Job description is a written statement that describes the duties, responsibilities and required level of expertise for a particular project.

For instance, When you post a project online chances are you will receive a lot of applications from suitable and not-so-suitable Freelancers.

How can you expect someone to perform a task if you don’t describe them properly?

As mundane you might find the responsibility of writing a job description, without it chances are you end up hiring a wrong candidate. To ensure you get great applications to be extremely clear about the freelancer’s roles and responsibilities in the job. Also advise of what level of expertise they need and provide visuals, so the freelancer knows exactly what the role entails. The clarity in job descriptions puts the candidates on the same page as you and aligns them with your goals.

1. Defines Duties and Responsibilities

Job descriptions are useful communication tools to tell the candidates what work you expect them to perform. Job descriptions describe the quality and quantity of work standards or even the duties and responsibilities. Without clear descriptions, candidates may not perform what you expect from them.

When candidates have a concrete understanding of their responsibilities, they will work more efficiently and effectively.

2. Helps to identify the right candidate for the project

Job description can help you identify particular skills or abilities that are necessary for a position. Job descriptions help the candidates understand whether they are competent or not. After reading the description, some applicants may decide that they aren’t a good fit for the position or are not interested in it. Not only will the job description help a potential employee know if the position is a good fit for him or her, but it will also guarantee the applications of the most qualified candidates.

3. Functions as a foundation for the advancement of the project

A job description serves as a starting point in identifying the essential job duties. Once it’s identified the individual can begin with an outline of how the project will proceed further. 

4. To describe the minimum skills or qualifications

If a project requires any particular certification or a particular skill list in the job description as it serves as a basis to identify that the candidate can perform a task or not. If the candidate seeks a project and doesn’t possess the required skills you have the legitimate reason to not select that candidate or it makes your hiring process more narrow.

5. Provides the basis for deciding the budget of the projects 

Without clear and concise duties and roles, you can’t define the basis of the budget by yourself. A job description must accurately reflect the scope of work with respect to the budget of the project. And it can be helpful in getting reasonable and quality proposals.

So, Job Descriptions are usually essential for managing the role, responsibility and accountability. Creating a more generic job description that emphasizes on expectations and accountability rather than specific tasks will encourage the candidates to focus on results rather than the duties.

Without a job description, it is usually very difficult for a person to properly commit to or be held accountable for the role. It defines the job fully and guides both the freelancer and the client on how to go about the process of completing a task.