Why is it important to perform a position analysis before you develop the position description?

During your academic career, you have probably enrolled in a course in which you found the content to be difficult, confusing, and time-consuming. Often, students in this situation have opted to hire a professional tutor. How would you go about finding a qualified tutor at a reasonable rate of pay? You are most likely to recruit qualified candidates by creating a position description and posting it in a visible location, such as your local newspaper or an online job board. Your position description could include information about the type and level of tutoring you would require, the hours you would need to meet with the tutor, the wage you would pay, and pertinent contact information.

Position descriptions for job openings in health care organizations are similar to this hypothetical tutoring position description. A good position description has essential components, and it must be written with care and clarity to attract qualified candidates. In this Application, you will identify some of these essential characteristics and use them to analyze actual position descriptions.

To prepare for this Application Assignment:

Read Chapter 6 in the course text. Focus on the importance of a position description as part of the recruiting process as well as the essential components of a position description.
Review Table 6-1 in your course text. How do the components listed in the table relate to the recruitment of qualified candidates?
Locate two job descriptions for positions within a health care organization (job boards and organization career sites are recommended). Consider the descriptions’ strengths and weaknesses based on the information in Chapter 6.
To complete this Application Assignment, write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you analyze the effectiveness of position descriptions.

First, explain the importance of creating an effective position description. Address the following:

Why is it important to perform a position analysis before you develop the position description?
Who would be the best people to contact to complete the position analysis and what information could you garner from them?
What are at least three significant uses of a position description?
Then comment on the following for the two position descriptions you found (be sure to include the text of your selected job descriptions):

Identify the strengths of the descriptions and discern how those strengths contribute to the overall effectiveness of the descriptions.
Identify what may be wrong with the descriptions and what information may be missing.