The person specification
is a competency set for an individual role. It provides a clear outline of what characteristics and skills are required by the role. This helps you and your applicants know if they are likely to be successful in the job. It will also help you to brief recruitment agencies, write job adverts and structure interviews, cutting down on administration and wasted interviewing time.
Screening and Selection Advice
Based on the person specification, Human Factors can also advise on screening and selection methods such as psychometric tests or job simulation exercises and create a profile against which to measure candidates. Once the role is filled, the person specification continues to be useful, providing benchmarks for appraisals and helping to focus personal development plans.
Defining the Person Specification
Our approach to defining the person specification begins with the analysis of existing documentation such as job descriptions and employee handbooks. If you do not have a detailed job description, we can provide templates and advice to help you create these. Human Factors will then carry out structured job analysis of key stakeholders (existing job holders, line managers, etc.) using Critical Incident and Repertory Grid techniques. By combining the results with data held in our competency bank we will work with you to create a clear and comprehensive person specification for the role in question.
The process takes approximately one week and costs £450 (US$900 or €675).