Home Why the miscellaneous part of your Job Description matters

Why the miscellaneous part of your Job Description matters

Why the miscellaneous part of your Job Description matters
by OmniTouch International

When it comes to the miscellaneous category in a job description, there are two kinds of Employees.

Employee type #1:

Why is there a miscellaneous category in my job description?

That makes me uncomfortable.

I’d like to know exactly what this job entails and how I will be measured.

Employee type #2:

Thanks for the miscellaneous category.

That means I can make this job my own.  And I have a chance to shape my contribution.

Whether that’s through the job I took or by ‘running to trouble’ to solve organizational problems that come up.

Employer intention matters

It’s easy to guess that Employee type #2 would be preferred over Employee type #1 for hiring.

Set your intentionBut Employer intention matters.

If the miscellaneous category is added because the job description writer is unclear on what the job entails, that’s an Employer problem.

Find out what the job entails and correct the job description.

If the category is added because the Employer expects the Employee to do anything that is asked of them that’s not only unclear, it’s negative.

Positive Employer intention

What if when you walked someone through the job description, you said –

Here you’ll see a miscellaneous category on the job description.  Let me explain that a bit.

The world is changing very fast, and we value folks who adapt to grow and flourish.  We’re all in this boat together. Noah's Ark

Even more, we think that you should have a voice in what your job becomes.  

We’ve given you the Job Purpose, we’ve listed out the key Roles & Responsibilities. 

We’ve also shared who you report to, both directly and indirectly.

But we find that our most successful Team Members bring their own perspectives and talents to the job.   

So in closing, we think the miscellaneous category is one of the most important ones on the job description and hope that you find that to be true too.

In closing

When your job description is written with good intention and clarity, the use of Miscellaneous might be one of the best ways to allow your Employee to grow and contribute.

Thanks for reading!

Daniel

Picture of Daniel Ord