Job Descriptions
I don’t know whether it has been the same for you, but for me, my job descriptions have never been the same as what I am ultimately tasked to do. Take my present job for instance. The fancy title on my cubicle says ‘Project Manager’. But I spend all my time resolving fights between clients and consultants, negotiating deals between employees who hate each other and generally keeping the peace in our division of the organization. I would classify my job description as ‘fire fighter’. But apparently, that is naturally and normally included in my existing job description.
Sometimes, when I am able to wrangle the time from my daily travails, I often ruminate about all my previous jobs and the job descriptions they entailed. Come to think of it, never have the jobs ever matched the job descriptions at all! In fact, thanks to all those previous experiences, I am a firm believer in the fact that job descriptions often conceal more than they reveal! It’s true. You don’t have to take my word for it. I am pretty sure that if you examine your own professional life, you will find the same thing.
Take my first job for instance. The job description said Public Relations Consultant. But the role entailed meeting nobody other than the company staff, faxing press releases, making copies of voluminous texts and drinking copious amounts of tea. I never met a member of the public, let alone get the time to develop a relationship with any of them. Or even take the second job. Here I was a corporate communication manager and the job description mentioned that I would have to ‘manage all the strategic and tactical corporate communication needs of the company’. What I did in reality however was very different. I attended all the meetings of the board members, listened to them bickering about each other, took the minutes of the meetings and sent out a soft copy of the minutes to all the attendees. Nowhere in my job description did it ever say that I was to be a glorified secretary. But there you have it. The dichotomy between the job description and the actual job!
Now that I have been through my fair share of jobs and job descriptions, I have finally gained the maturity to understand that the two shall never meet. Which is why, even when the human resource person in any of the companies I go to waxes eloquent about how great a job it is and flashes a detailed job description at me, I barely acknowledge him. I am now wise to the ugly side of job descriptions. And have learned to wait until I actually fill the role before I set out to see what the job description actually is!
Job Descriptions related articles:
Job Fairs
Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? This is a question burning on the minds of many high school and college graduates. It's often so difficult to know what career path you want to choose. How can you truly know it's the right one for you? We... Job Search
Love them or hate them, at some point I our lives, all of us have to go through the dreaded job search. To most people, a job search is a necessary evil – an abomination to be borne with because – and only because, it comes with the prospect of a job at t... Johnny Cash Songs
I grew up on Johnny Cash songs. I had my share of “The Ring of Fire,” being stuck in “Folsom Prison,” and would hear the low and guttural “I Walk the Line” on many an occasion or non-occasion. My Dad played Johnny Cash songs as they came out, on what we... Joseph Phillips Insignia
Joseph Phelps Insignia has become a household name for wine lovers across the United States since being ranked the number one Wine of the Year in Wine Spectator's review of the best wines in 2005. This distinctive honor distinguishes the 2002 Joseph Phelp... Judith Jack
The Judith Jack jewelry line is a stunning line featured almost exclusively at the finer department stores like Nordstrom. But you can find Judith Jack online, too, for reasonable prices and of choices that range from earrings to pendants and necklaces t...
more Pocket Links articles:
Little Black Dress
Every woman’s wardrobe should include a little black dress. The black dress is a classic that never goes out of style. It can be worn to nearly every occasion and the dress can take a woman from the office to a special event with a few added details. Thes... Playstation Games
Remember the video games we used to play back in the day? I mean the ones in the 80s. We had the ever-popular Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Centipeed. Those outstanding innovations were the bomb! I can recall playing Pitfall on my Atari and thinking, it doesn't... Cure Razor Bumps
Regardless of your gender, you probably shave. We men are constantly putting the razor to our faces, while women are stuck with larger areas to groom. This can be a harsh and painful process. Not every man or woman can shave with ease and never acquire a ... Aphrodisiac
Ah, the aphrodisiac. Is it a myth trumped up by the same ancients who believed gods in chariots and punishing gods would sling arrows of fate, striking down humans at whim? Is it a gimmick contrived by the same money-mongering folks who blew Valentine’s... Classical Movie
The classical movie has got to be one of the finest “inventions” since the stapler. The classical movie is the one which we got the benefit of when we were kids, when only three television channels and limited viewing opportunities were given reprieve be... |