My personal experience with job descriptions is limited, but I have definitely been impacted by it. As a project engineer working for a construction company, the role can vary based on the company and how they define the roles and tasks of a project engineer. We know from the lecture slides that a good job description has defined tasks and roles, as well as the knowledge, basic abilities, and skills you should have in order to do the job. This type of description is called the task-KSAO. Since the project engineer role varies so much from company to company, the best way I have learned to really know how a company defines the position is during the interview process. There are certain tasks and attributes that every company has their project engineer do, such as talk to subcontractors or request information from design engineers, but some tasks are job or company specific. These tasks usually aren’t listed in any job openings the company has, it’s something you have to ask during an interview. This can be frustrating because I have had multiple interviews where I find out there are job specific tasks or something about the role I don’t want to do, such as working crazy hours or traveling across the country for work. I understand that the unwanted attributes of a job usually aren’t posted on job listings, but I wish companies didn’t waste my time by not highlighting key features of the project engineer role.
