Job Models: A Primer

What are job models, and why are they important for the success of my company?

I have been getting this question a lot lately, so here is the simple answer.

Job models are a comprehensive set of data that clearly define each job in a company.

Job models include all of the relevant information that is needed to perform all of the following tasks...

- Define each job based on both what is needed to perform the duties, but also to meet company goals, culture, and values
- Describe each job and define and align it with where if fits in the hierarchy of the company,
- Hire the right person for this job based on competencies and not just their resume and interviewing skills,
- Define the appropriate compensation range for the job,
- Evaluate the person doing the job based on the competencies needed to do the job well, rather than on arbitrary and subjective measures,
- Define a simple, effective development plan for the person in the job,
- Provide accurate and actionable performance evaluations for the person in the job,
- Give managers coaching tips for helping enhance the performance of the person in the job,
- Provide dozens of low-cost learning references, including books to read, courses to take, projects to undertake, and websites to visit, that will help develop the competencies of the person in the job.

A job model library can do all of this. It provides the data that is necessary to achieve company goals and to fuel a talent management solution. Perhaps Josh Bersin put it best when he said talent management without the underlying data was like having a blank Excel spreadsheet. It may have power, but you still have to build the models to run your business.

Companies can spend lots of money and hire consulting firms to help them develop this data, but an off-the-shelf job model library may be customized to match a company's needs both today and in the future.

Comments

[Maria Payroll]

Great post. Thank you for sharing this information. I definitely learned something new. It would be great if every company has a job model library. This would make things easier for employees of a company.