Distinguish between a job description and a job specification.

Distinguish between a job description and a job specification.

• A. A job description focuses on compensation details; a job specification outlines daily schedules.
• B. A job description is used only for onboarding; a job specification is used only for performance reviews.
• C. A job description lists the duties, tasks, and responsibilities; a job specification lists the qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required.
• D. A job description is optional; a job specification is mandatory.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is separating what the job is from what is needed to do it. A job description explains the job itself—the duties, tasks, and responsibilities, and often details such things as the job’s purpose, reporting relationships, scope, and working conditions. It answers questions like what the role is supposed to accomplish and what activities it involves. A job specification, on the other hand, focuses on the person who would fill the role. It lists the qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required to perform the job successfully (including education, experience, certifications, and sometimes physical or personality traits). This distinction makes sense for recruiting and selection: the description tells candidates what the job entails, while the specification defines the criteria used to evaluate who is suitable. The other options blend elements that aren’t the core difference—compensation or schedules aren’t the defining content of the job description, and onboarding or performance reviews are HR processes, not the fundamental distinction between describing the job versus describing the person.

The key idea is separating what the job is from what is needed to do it. A job description explains the job itself—the duties, tasks, and responsibilities, and often details such things as the job’s purpose, reporting relationships, scope, and working conditions. It answers questions like what the role is supposed to accomplish and what activities it involves. A job specification, on the other hand, focuses on the person who would fill the role. It lists the qualifications, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required to perform the job successfully (including education, experience, certifications, and sometimes physical or personality traits). This distinction makes sense for recruiting and selection: the description tells candidates what the job entails, while the specification defines the criteria used to evaluate who is suitable. The other options blend elements that aren’t the core difference—compensation or schedules aren’t the defining content of the job description, and onboarding or performance reviews are HR processes, not the fundamental distinction between describing the job versus describing the person.