Why Job Descriptions Matter—And What We Can Do Better
Working in student affairs, especially in the Dean of Students Office, means juggling a lot of responsibilities—many of them high-stakes and constantly evolving. Over time, I’ve taken on everything from managing student conduct cases to coordinating Title IX processes and supporting behavioral intervention teams. Yet, like many professionals in higher ed, my official job description doesn’t fully reflect the scope or complexity of what I actually do.
That disconnect can create real problems. Outdated job descriptions affect everything from recruitment to performance reviews. As the SHRM article “Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions” points out, when roles aren’t clearly defined, it’s harder to hire the right people, set expectations, or evaluate performance fairly. I’ve felt this firsthand—it’s tough to feel fully supported or accurately assessed when the “official” description doesn’t match the real demands of the job.
The solution starts with job analysis. According to The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad (Harvard Business Review), effective workforce planning begins by understanding what the job actually requires. For example, in my work, policy knowledge is important—but so are communication, empathy, and the ability to de-escalate tense situations. That’s why defining KSAOs—Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics—is so critical.
Buckingham and Coffman (2016) argue that great managers recognize and nurture people’s natural talents instead of trying to force everyone into the same mold. But to do that, we need clear, current job descriptions that reflect what success looks like in real terms.
One way forward is to treat job descriptions as living documents—reviewing and updating them regularly, maybe during annual evaluations, and involving the people actually doing the work. It’s a simple but powerful way to create more clarity, fairness, and support across any organization.
References
Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2016). First, break all the rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently (2016 ed., pp. 71–98). Gallup Press.
Fernández-Aráoz, C., Groysberg, B., & Nohria, N. (2020). The definitive guide to recruiting in good times and bad. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/05/the-definitive-guide-to-recruiting-in-good-times-and-bad
Tyler, K. (2013, January 1). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/job-worth-update-descriptions
Rosenberg, E. (2021, June 10). These businesses found a way around the worker shortage: Raising wages to $15 an hour or more. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/10/worker-shortage-raising-wages/