Job description: how to write one and what to include
23 September 2026 · 5 min reading time
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The same job title can cover very different duties from one company to another. Working hours, responsibilities and equipment can all change the profile an employer needs. Writing a job description helps define these details before recruitment begins and gives employees a clear picture of what to expect.
What is a job description for?
A job description sets out an employee’s duties, their place within the team and their working conditions. It explains who they report to, who they work with and which decisions they can make independently.
Take an order picker, for example. In a spare parts warehouse, they might pick small items and pack orders by hand. At a fresh food distribution centre, the role involves a different environment, temperature requirements and deadlines. The occupation is the same, but the job description needs to reflect those differences.
This is what distinguishes the document from an occupational profile, which describes a profession more broadly, including training routes and career prospects. A job advert, meanwhile, draws on the job description to present the vacancy to candidates. It includes the relevant details without necessarily explaining the entire internal structure.
Before writing, establish what the role involves
Start by speaking with the department manager and, if someone already holds the position, the employee doing the job. The manager understands the team’s needs, while the employee can explain how the work unfolds day to day. Both perspectives help avoid reusing an outdated description.
Rather than asking for a list of tasks, work through a typical week. Which activities take place every day? Which take the most time? What happens when an order goes missing or a customer reports an error? These situations often reveal overlooked responsibilities, such as handling complaints, welcoming new starters or occasionally covering for a colleague.
The next step is to distinguish regular duties from occasional cover. If one person is expected to supervise a team, manage stock and maintain a constant presence on the production floor, this discussion also helps establish whether the workload is realistic.
Once the duties are clear, it becomes easier to define the candidate profile. Recruiters can distinguish the skills needed from day one from those that can be learned on the job, then prepare their interview questions. When a reference check is planned, these criteria also help identify which areas to explore, in line with the applicable rules.
What should a job description include?
Someone unfamiliar with the department should be able to understand the role by reading the document. The information can be organised as follows:
| Section | Information to include |
|---|---|
| Position | Job title, department and work location |
| Reporting relationships | Line manager, regular contacts and any team to supervise |
| Duties | Main activities and associated responsibilities |
| Autonomy | Decisions made independently and situations requiring approval |
| Resources | Tools, software, equipment and support provided |
| Skills | Skills required on arrival and opportunities to learn |
| Working conditions | Hours, travel, working environment and specific requirements |
| Job classification | Employment category and classification corresponding to the duties performed |
Precision matters more than length. For example, “variable working hours” could mean several things: a flexible start time between 8 am and 9 am, changes to the rota or alternating morning and afternoon shifts. Describing the actual arrangements prevents candidates from discovering an unexpected requirement after joining.
The same care is needed when describing physical work. If the role involves manual handling, specify the loads involved, how often they are handled and the equipment available to help. Employees should understand both the physical demands and the measures in place to reduce them.
Pay can be included in the job description or recorded in a separate HR document. Either way, it should be consistent with the responsibilities and job classification. Adding a revision date makes it clear which version of the role the information relates to.
How can you describe duties without making the document too long?
A job description becomes difficult to read when every task is given equal prominence. Grouping activities under broader duties preserves useful detail while making the priorities clear. In logistics, preparing shipments might include picking items, checking product codes, packing orders and reporting discrepancies.
For each duty, a few words are often enough to clarify the expected level of responsibility. “Handle disputes” does not explain how much authority the employee has. “Gather the details of a complaint and submit refund requests to the manager” makes it clearer what they handle themselves and what requires approval.
The required skills follow from these activities. If the employee moves between receiving goods and picking orders, explain this rather than simply asking for someone “versatile”. If they will use internal software, state whether prior knowledge is essential or training will be provided. This distinction helps define recruitment criteria. Our article on skills to highlight when looking for temporary assignments provides further examples of useful workplace skills.
Example job description for an order picker
The following fictional example describes a temporary assignment in a warehouse handling non-food products. It should be adapted to the site’s equipment and organisation, particularly its physical requirements.
| Section | Example content |
|---|---|
| Job title | Order picker |
| Reporting relationships | Logistics department, reporting to the team leader |
| Location | Order preparation area in a warehouse handling non-food products |
| Working hours | 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, from 7 am to 2:30 pm, including a 30-minute break that does not count as working time |
| Main duty | Prepare customer parcels in line with product references, quantities and dispatch instructions |
| Activities | Pick items, check their condition, pack orders and report stock discrepancies |
| Autonomy | Process assigned orders; contact the team leader if a product is missing or damaged |
| Equipment | Handheld scanner, manual trolley and packing materials |
| Skills and onboarding | Read product references, count quantities and follow instructions; software training and support provided on arrival |
| Working conditions | Walking, standing and handling parcels; weights, frequency and handling aids to be specified following an on-site assessment of the role |
With this information, the temporary employment agency can explain the assignment to candidates and check that it matches their experience and availability. The hiring company also has a basis for preparing their arrival. However, the description must remain consistent with the contracts and the actual work. It does not replace induction or training for the role.
How does a job description relate to the employment contract?
In the French private sector, there is no general requirement to produce a separate job description for every employee, although specific provisions may apply. Employers must still meet their obligations to provide employment information, whether or not they use this document.
The significance of a job description depends on its content and its relationship with the employment contract. It helps describe the employee’s duties without necessarily fixing every task permanently. Assigning new activities that match the employee’s professional qualification may amount to a change in working conditions. A change to their professional qualification or pay, however, generally requires their agreement, as explained on the French Service Public website’s page on changes to an employment contract.
The nature of the change must therefore be assessed before rewriting the description. Updating the document does not replace the employee’s agreement where this is required.
When should a job description be updated?
Recruiting someone new is a good opportunity to review the description, but some changes call for an earlier update. New equipment, a reorganisation or the permanent addition of a duty may alter the work enough that the original description no longer reflects the role.
This can happen when an employee begins regularly training colleagues or coordinating their work. These responsibilities should be documented and may justify a discussion about their classification, pay or an internal promotion.
Reviewing the document with the employee helps check that the duties and resources described still match their everyday work. The updated version can then be dated and shared with the employee, their manager and HR so that everyone has the same information.
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