Writing effective job descriptions - Emphasis

Writing effective job descriptions Writing effective job descriptions Rob Ashton explains how to write your way to the ideal candidate. Back in January, we lamented that the UK was sitting on a glut of unwanted Christmas presents. Matching present to person is seldom an easy task. It takes time and effort. But in the run up to Christmas, many people would have taken a wild stab in the dark; picking up something passable from a department store and hoping for the best. Little wonder then that the bill for unwanted gifts is an estimated 700 million (according to recent research by eBay and market-research firm TNS). When it comes to choosing a new recruit, no HR professional would ever use this haphazard approach. But sometimes you can outline exactly what you want in a job specification and still end up with the equivalent of a naff jumper. Communicating with prospective candidates is not a perfect science. But its disheartening to trawl through CVs or application forms that bear little relation to the qualities that you carefully described. Not to mention a waste of time and money. In such a situation, the problem is that somewhere along the line, what the hirer meant was lost in translation. And even though they may have received some spot-on applications, theyll be unable to shake the feeling that theyve lost the opportunity to find the largest pool of talented individuals. If thats ever happened to you, the good news is that learning some writing skills techniques can help you to be as clear and concise as possible increasing your chances of finding the ideal people for your positions. So here are my seven tips for writing winning job specifications that will resonate with job hunters. One Examine why you need the role to start with. To do this you can brainstorm using the headings who?, what?, where?, when?, and why? Make sure that the role fits your departmental processes and that you are not empire building. And be realistic about the nature of the role. Whether the role is temporary or permanent, you need to understand the commitment of either structure to the organisation. Two Before you begin writing the job spec, focus your thoughts on the job hunter. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach by asking yourself: Who will read it? How much do they already know about the prospective job? What do they absolutely need to know? What will excite my ideal candidate? What response do I want from them? Then write a clear description of duties and include the key deliverables. Whether its a junior or senior role, use language that the level of applicant you want to attract will understand even if this includes jargon. But avoid management-speak at all costs. Three Be honest about the duties of the role. In most situations, candidates will appreciate your candour about the level of energy required. And it will help you find someone with the right level of drive. Four Write a summary of your company and department. And include an organisation chart defining where the position sits. It also helps to provide some background information explaining why the role has been created and how it will integrate into the organisation. Five Outline both the hard and soft skills and experience required to make the role a success. Make your writing reader-centred by using words such as you, we and us. Opt for verbs instead of nouns. For example, instead of Were looking for a hardworking consultant for the completion of an IT project write Were looking for a hardworking consultant to complete an IT project. And choose simple words over more complicated ones. Its better to say you want someone enthusiastic (or even keen) rather than someone ebullient. Six Clearly define the location, salary, benefits, duration of contract (if necessary) and start date. And make sure you account for statutory requirements, such as procurement or legal terms and conditions. Seven Finally, ensure your contact details are included and end with a call to action. Something simple such as, If this sounds like you, call the human resources department now will encourage candidates to apply. Remember to keep your focus on your ideal candidate throughout the writing process, and youll increase the chances of securing the perfect match.

Green IT at City University - City Green Monitor The WritePass Journal

Green IT at City University - City Green Monitor Abstract Green IT at City University City Green Monitor ). Bearing in mind the previous analysis of what precisely is meant by Green IT, it can be seen that the initiative as it currently stands within the City University deals with a minimal area of Green IT initiatives and requirements. The broader Green IT initiate needs to consider more than just the monitoring of the CO ² emissions of the IT department. That said, this starting point provides the information that is necessary in order to be able to further the initiative into a working and sustainable policy, in the future. This initiative is an information gathering initiative which allows the University and then wider organisations to monitor the impact of their behaviours, in such a way that may influence behaviours, in the future. This paper will look at the strategy and concepts associated with power management in Green IT, before then going on to consider the likely behaviours and changes that are going to ensue, as a result of this Green IT initiative and then to draw conclusio ns on the impact of the initiative as the final section of the report. Power Management Concept within Green IT The notion of Green IT was established substantially by Murugesan, in 2008, stating that Green IT involves a wide range of activities, including designing, using and manufacturing not only the use of the computers, but also any systems associated with the renewal or purchase of such items, so that there is a minimal impact on the environment (Murugesan, 2008). Taking this on board alongside the earlier recognised area of Green IT, it can be argued that the issue of power management is a part of the overall objective which needs to be dealt with fully, before other aspects can be achieved. Without the knowledge that this type of monitoring produces, a wider IT strategy will equally not be possible. For example, if the research indicates that a certain type of screen is substantially better for the environment, then the next stage could be to roll out the provision of these screens across all departments within the University. There is a suggested indication from this perspective, that a monitoring initiative such as the one under discussion here is a suitable area for Green IT and arguably the crucial first step, as it is impossible to put in place improvements without understanding the changes and impacts, in the first place. A key strategy within this area of Green IT is to put in place approaches and processes that offer greater sustainability. For example, in this case, the use of remote monitors within the IT department could then be rolled out to usage in any other department which uses IT, or any other item that could be used more effectively to improve sustainability. Information is the lifeblood of any future initiatives that can be established. It is further noted that, in any modern IT system, there is a mixture of technology, people, hardware and networks. Therefore, any area of Green IT needs to consider all of these factors; for example, user behaviours and the broader impact on networks and hardware also need to be brought into the equation.   Consider, for instance, the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) which is a standard used across the entire industry to allow the operation systems to change and control the way in which the power-saving aspects operate, so that the system to a certain extent manages itself (Therien, 2011). This can be done in an entirely automated way, or can allow users to set tolerated levels, for example, how long until a monitor goes onto â€Å"energy saver†. These strategies and approaches are critical to the monitoring area, as this is ultimately the aim of monitoring, so that changes can be put in place to improve overall sustainability. Possible Uses and Recommendations Having put in place monitoring through remote sensors, the IT department is now able to provide information to the next stage of the network, in order to develop mechanisms that will allow the IT itself to manage and improve the environmental impact that computers have. For example, it is shown that CRT monitors use more power than slimmer LCD monitors and having an understanding of a link such as this allows the University (and other organisations) to make decisions at the purchasing stage that will impact on what happens in the longer run. Similarly, it is noted that LCD monitors will use a cold cathode fluorescent bulb as a general source of light, with some of the newer displays using different technologies, such as LEDs, to ensure that less electricity is used (Infoworld, 2009). Fundamentally, the aim of monitoring in this way is to ensure that there is a greater understanding obtained of the usage of electricity by simple activities, so that this can then be used firstly to influence user behaviours and secondly can then be used to develop technologies which will create automatic controls within the technology items themselves.   The first element of this research policy is to understand what information has been gathered, before then formulating it in such a way that can produce clear policy guidelines for the University to then import into the wider policies and strategies which it is required to undertake, over a longer period of time. Continuous data gathering and monitoring then allows for the company or organisation to establish and improve its policies, as and when required, and as part of continuous improvement. Conclusion In conclusion, this report indicates that one relatively simple initiative of monitoring the electricity usage within an Information Systems laboratory can lead to information which is then vitally important across a wide range of departments. For example, understanding that a change in the technology of a monitor can reduce electricity usage and improve sustainability will then allow companies and organisations to change their choice of monitors, over a period of time, and to train users to amend their use of the monitors by reducing brightness, all of which will come together to improve Green IT across the campus. Future research in this area could then look at using the information gathered as a means of then developing a policy for the future BASED on the information rather than simply having the gathering of information as an agenda in its own right. References Curry, E., Guyon, B., Sheridan, C. and Donnellan, B. (2012) â€Å"Developing a Sustainable IT Capability: Lessons From Intel’s Journey†. MIS Quarterly Executive. 11(2). pp. 61–74. Green Dragons (2014) City Green Monitor, Available at: green-dragons.co.uk/projects/citygreenmonitor/ [Accessed 01/12/2014]. InfoWorld (2009) Green IT. Available at: infoworld.com/d/green-it/used-pc-strategy-passes-toxic-buck-300?_kip_ipx=1053322433-1267784052_pxn=0 Murugesan, S. (2008) â€Å"Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices,† IEEE IT Professional, January–February, pp 24-33. O’Neill, M. (2010) Green IT For Sustainable Business Practice, The Chartered Institute for IT. Therien, G (2011) ACPI 2.0 Specification Technical Review, Intel Developer Forum (ppt). Intel Corporation. Green IT at City University - City Green Monitor Abstract Green IT at City University City Green Monitor ). This initiative is an information gathering initiative that allows the University and then wider organisations to monitor the impact of their behaviours in such a way that may influence behaviours in the future. This paper will look at the strategy and concepts associated with power management in green IT before then going on to look at the likely behaviours and changes that are going to ensue as a result of this green IT initiative and then to draw conclusions on the impact of the initiative as the final section of the report. Power Management Concept within Green IT The notion of Green IT was established substantially by Murugesan in 2008 stating that Green IT involves a wide range of activities including designing, using and manufacturing not only the use of the computers but also any systems associated with the renewal or purchase of such items so that there is a minimal impact on the environment (Murugesan 2008). There is a suggested indication from this notion therefore that a monitoring initiative such as the one in discussion here is a suitable area of Green IT and arguably the crucial first step as it is impossible to put in place improvements without understanding the changes and impacts in the first place. A key strategy within this area of Green IT is to put in place approaches and processes that offer greater sustainability.. For example in this case the use of remote monitors within the IT department could then be rolled out to usage in any other department that uses IT or any other item that could be used more effectively to improve sustainability. It is further noted that in a modern IT system there is a mixture of technology, people, hardware and networks. Therefore any area of Green IT needs to consider all of these factors, for example user behaviours the broader impact on networks and hardware need to also be considered. Consider for example the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) which is a standard used across the entire industry to allow the operation systems to change and control the way in which the power-saving aspects operate, so that the system to a certain extent manages itself (Therien, 2011). This can be done in an entirely automated way or can allow users to set tolerated levels for example how long until a monitor goes onto ‘energy saver’. These strategies and approaches are critical to the monitoring area as this is ultimately the aim of monitoring so that changes can be put in place to improve overall sustainability. Possible Uses and Recommendations Having put in place   monitoring through remote sensors the IT department is now able to provide information to the next stage of the network to develop mechanisms that will allow the IT itself to manage and improve the environmental impact that computers have. For example it is shown that CRT monitors use more power than slimmer LCD monitors and having an understanding of links such as this allows the University (and other organisations) to make decisions at the purchasing stage that will impact on what happens in the longer run. Similarly it is noted that LCD monitors will use a cold cathode fluorescent bulb as a general source of light with some of the newer displays using different technologies such as LEDs to ensure that less electricity is used (Infoworld 2009). Fundamentally the aim of monitoring in this way is to ensure that there is a greater understanding obtained of the usage of electricity by simple activities so that this can then be used to firstly influence user behaviours and secondly can then be used to develop technologies that will create automatic controls within the technology items itself. Conclusion In summary this report indicates that one relatively simple initiative of monitoring the electricity usage within an Information Systems laboratory can lead to information which is then vitally important across a wide range of departments. For example understanding that a change in the technology of a monitor can reduce electricity usage and improve sustainability will then allow companies and organisations to change their choice of monitor over a period of time and to train users to amend their use of the monitors by reducing brightness, all of which will come together to improve Green IT across the campus. References Curry, E., Guyon, B, Sheridan, C and Donnellan, B (2012) â€Å"Developing a Sustainable IT Capability: Lessons From Intel’s Journey,† MIS Quarterly Executive, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 61–74. Green Dragons (2014) City Green Monitor, Available at: green-dragons.co.uk/projects/citygreenmonitor/ InfoWorld (2009) Green IT. Available at: infoworld.com/d/green-it/used-pc-strategy-passes-toxic-buck-300?_kip_ipx=1053322433-1267784052_pxn=0 Murugesan, S (2008) â€Å"Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices,† IEEE IT Professional, January–February, pp 24-33 Therien, G (2011) ACPI 2.0 Specification Technical Review, Intel Developer Forum (ppt). Intel Corporation.

Breach of a Prohibition of Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Breach of a Prohibition of Assignment - Essay Example The researcher states that when BTC, the ultimate creditor, took up its claims with principal debtor, BoZ, the latter avoided it on the ground that the assignments were carried out without their consent. This was validated in Court serving as the classic example of enforcement of existing laws. Again, while considering 2007 case of Ruttle Plant Ltd v. Secretary of State for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Courts took a view that grant of the remedy of rescission and the requirement of counter-rescission was a matter for the court to decide at the time when it came to considering whether to grant that remedy. However, there has been a marked departure from judicial precedent in the British Energy case. One of the assignees, after Bank of America, Credit Suisse disclaimed their liability stating that they were not parties, but merely assignees of Bank. However, the Courts felt that Credit Suisse had entered into the option concurrence through Barclays, that Credit Suisse was a party to the option agreements and was held by the restrictions in, among other, Clause 31. Thus, CS was held responsible although they were only assignees and not part of an original contract. Assignments on breach of a prohibition of Assignment would be decided according to the facts and issues surrounding each case and needs to be seen with disparity, dispassion, and detached nondiscrimination. The distressed third group may seek recompense for harm, or ban. In English law, the universal rule is that devolution of agreement may be allocated to the third party, if the agreement or contract is a private agreement, or contract encloses constraints on contract. The approval of the third party may be viewed as one of the main aspects of a valid contract. â€Å"In English contract law, an assignment involves an 'assignor' transferring some or all of its rights under a contract to an 'assignee', so that the assignee is entitled to the corresponding performance directly from, and can enforce those rights against, the non-assigning party. An assignment in itself does not create a contract between the assignee and the non-assigning party nor does it make the assignee a party to the original contract.†