Definition
The term job qualifications refers to the education, work experience, and skills appearing on a job opening. Recruiters and hiring managers use the list of required and desired job qualifications when selecting applicants for an interview.
Explanation
Also known as job specifications, job qualifications are a summary of the experience, skills, and education a candidate needs to possess to be successful in a specific role. The qualifications are typically drafted by a hiring manager, with the help of human resources. Employees in similar roles may also be asked to help co-author the specifications.
While the qualifications can be used to benchmark compensation, they are also used to identify candidates for participation in a job interview. Generally, these qualifications are broken down into the following categories:
Education: including high school, post-secondary courses, college and advanced degrees as well as licenses and certifications. For example, the job qualifications for an accountant might include CPA certification in addition to a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Work Experience: includes prior roles and / or responsibilities, industry knowledge, as well as the ability to use certain tools (ranging from simple hand tools to complex software applications). For example, the qualifications for a chemist might include familiarity with science laboratories, spectrophotometers, and safety practices.
Skills: including verbal and written communication, analytical, research, computer literacy, interpersonal, planning and organizing, problem-solving, customer service, leadership, and teambuilding. For example, the qualifications for a computer technician might include knowledge of software applications and associated hardware.
Physical Attributes: includes the ability to travel, lift objects of a certain weight, work variable schedules, and hold a valid driver's license.
Note: The list of job requirements will sometimes distinguish between desired (nice to have) and required (must have) qualifications. These qualifications vary quite a lot depending on the industry and line of job. Contrary to popular belief, not all higher-paying white-collar career opportunities require a degree. Below, we list job prospects without a degree requirement grouped by average salary:
Related Terms
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