It’s not often that you get the opportunity to hire a new staffer for your Procurement/Purchasing team, so you know it pays to take a couple of extra minutes to make sure you’re on the right track.

One of the most important, yet often overlooked parts of the process: the job description.

(Even if you’re not on the market for new Procurement/Purchase staffers today, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to read and revise your existing job descriptions. )

This is your first defense at weeding out the pretenders from the contenders. You want to be certain that applicants know exactly what’s entailed in the job they’re pursuing. This provides you with the chance to review the key functions of that job — even to update the existing job description.

Solid job descriptions cover three areas of need:

Responsibilities. Starting with the most important, list the duties and responsibilities that are expected of the person holding the job. Make sure to mention how often you expect certain functions to be executed (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) It’s best to build this list in “bullet” form, which makes it easier to read and to scan.

Know-how. Describe the technical and financial knowledge you require in a successful job candidate. Be as specific as possible. Instead of looking for “leadership,” say you’re looking for “a dynamic, independent thinker who can lead a team of three peers and oversee and nurture their performance.”

Background. Previous experience and a candidate’s education are important. But be ready to be flexible. Credentials are only as good as the practitioner. There are plenty of highly educated people who turn out to be duds at certain positions. Try to ensure your description is aligned with the true responsibilities of the job.

Tags: hiring, procurement, purchasing job