Job Description vs Job Specification: Definition and Main Differences

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Job postings are one of the cornerstones of recruitment. To attract candidates from any talent pool, hiring managers post them on job boards, social platforms, career websites, or even traditional media. Among all the information included, listings include a job description and job specification sections; even though these seem similar, there are some differences to spot in order to craft compelling job ads.

What is a job description? 

Job descriptions are a section in a job listing that includes an overview of the position a company is hiring for. Although there are different job description recipes, some hiring managers usually add a few key details about the job role and include this information early in the posting. As one of the first approaches from candidates to a position, a job description will play a pivotal part in attracting job seekers.

Some items listed in a job description are the role title, responsibilities, working conditions, a summary of the day-to-day, and supervisor details. Depicting this information clearly and concisely will allow candidates to read a job description easily and understand the duties, qualifications, and preferences for the job. 

What is a job specification? 

Usually, after job descriptions come the job specifications. These are a list of clear-cut abilities and attributes a potential employee should have to qualify for a job role. These qualities can range from educational background to hard or soft skills, personality traits, and specific training needed for the role. 

Job specifications are vital to achieving a more effective and quicker hiring process. They help candidates discern whether they are qualified for the job and whether they’re actually interested in applying. Hiring managers also benefit from outlining compelling job specifications, as they have a clearer view of the eligibility requirements, ultimately leading to faster identification of the most qualified applicant. 

Job description vs job specification

The job description and job specification debate often concerns whether they are the same and have the same function. Nevertheless, while both are complementary tools for recruiting, there are a few differences between them and for a better understanding of the job description vs job specification conversation, here are some of those details listed by category. 

What’s the goal of a job description and job specification?

The job description vs job specification comparison starts with their purpose. Although both usually appear in job postings, their objectives differ for both hiring authorities and job seekers. Here are the main differences between a job description and a job specification regarding their objectives.

• Job description: As the heart of a job listing, the main purpose of a job description is to give candidates a glimpse of the position’s tasks and responsibilities. On the job seekers’ side, it allows them to get a glimpse of how qualified they are and how they will be performing the role. For HR managers, job descriptions are the first step in building and filtering a talent pool to fill the opening. 
• Job specification: The primary purpose of work specs is to give both candidates and search specialists a more accurate X-ray of the desired profile, background, skill set, and mindset of the potential hire. Job specifications allow them to evaluate quickly and more precisely, the potential match between a job seeker and the job role. 

What’s in a job description and job specification?

Content is arguably the aspect with the most compelling distinction in the job description vs job specification debate. Even though both of these tools address information about a specific role, there are specific differences about the information a job description and job specification contain. 

• Job description: A job description usually contains general information about the job roles, such as the title, location, summary, responsibilities and tasks, schedule, work conditions, and supervisor details. In some cases, it also has details about compensation. 
• Job specification: As the name implies, work specs contain more specific input about the opening. A job specification usually list out educational requirements, certificates or certifications, experience, skills or abilities, and other personal characteristics that are mandatory or preferred for the job. 

What do a job description and job specification measure? 

Even if both seem informative tools, job descriptions and job specifications are helpful for quantifying data about the candidates during the hiring process. Therefore, the next difference to be spotted about the job descriptions vs job specification comparison is the type of information each one measures. 

• Job description: As a pivotal part of a job description, the tasks included in the job role are the main elements quantified. As firm details, they work as a reference before and after the onboarding process. Previous to a potential hire, the day-to-day responsibilities unveil the position’s workload, and once a job-seeker has filled the role, these are the main baseline for performance reviews. 
• Job specification: On the other hand, job specifications focus more on measuring a candidate’s qualifications for the role. Although they’re mainly categorized as required and preferred, both sets will work as the standard for applicants and hiring managers to determine whether a potential hire will succeed in the company. 

Why are a job description and job specification useful?

When it comes to the benefits of a job description vs job specification, even if both aim to streamline the hiring process, their advantages vary slightly as both are particularly useful in different stages and aspects of recruitment. 

• Job description: The overview of the role provided by the job description gives candidates the chance to prepare their portfolio or any additional materials for their application, as well as heads out of what’s expected from them and the position. For hiring managers, the main benefit is it attracts and filters interested and capable candidates. 
• Job specification: On the other hand, the extra details a job specification provides give candidates more insight about what’s required from them so they have the chance to polish any gaps on their profile and be more certain to apply for the role. For recruiters and HR executives, having a list of work specs allows them to benchmark job profiles and evaluate applicants easily.

Although a job description and job specification provide different information, sometimes alike and sometimes unrelated, candidates and companies must include these two sections in any job posting. By doing so, companies will save resources and improve their hiring times as they’ll be most likely to attract qualified employees, while job seekers will optimize their job search as well as they’ll have more elements to know if they’re the right match. 

Contributed by Luis Arellano