The first step is to have a timely job description that reflects the job now and, perhaps, in the near future based on future department plans. If you are filling a new position, you will have to write one. If you are filling a current position, you need to review the current job description. What changes should you make?
To answer that question, you should talk to the current job incumbent. If you have others in a similar job, watch them at work to see if critical aspects of their work aren’t included in the requirements on the current document. Talk, too, to people with whom the incumbents interact—including coworkers and customers. The more you know about the job, the clearer you are about the job’s key responsibilities, the types of problems the employees need to solve, the inter- actions they have with others, the most difficult part of the job, and the skills and abilities necessary for success.
There may also be opportunity to redesign your operation, redistributing responsibilities of the vacant job to current staff members, and perhaps creating a different but needed position.
But let’s assume that you decide to fill the current position, which is a customer service representative. Besides the job title, the updated document would include:
Statement of objectives. Here’s where you would indicate how the position supports your department’s mission or the strategy of the whole company. For instance, your unit supports Marketing/Sales by handling customer questions and complaints and making appointments for sales- people to meet with prospective clients.
Major responsibilities. You would list all the tasks, beginning with the most important. The higher the job position, the broader the responsibilities. For instance, your responsibility as the head of customer service would be both to bring in new revenue and ensure current customers are delighted with their products. A service rep, on the other hand, would be responsible for both phone and in-person complaints and sales leads.
Prospect criteria. List here specific education and experience required. For instance, your customer rep might need at least two years’ college education, certainly a high school diploma, and maybe two years’ experience in customer service. Ideally, you might also want someone who has done customer service work in your industry.
Reporting relationships. To whom will the jobholder report? The employee might report to you as head of the customer service department. The individual would be part of the Customer Service Unit within the Marketing/Sales Division.