Person specifications and essential versus desirable criteria

Covering Assessment Criterion 1.2 from 3CO04 Essentials of People Practice, this video focuses on person specifications as a distinct document type from job descriptions, examining what they contain and how their criteria should be structured. The video works through the standard headings found in a person specification — qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, and personal qualities — and also addresses role profiles as an alternative format, noting how role profiles differ from traditional person specifications in their emphasis on competencies, behaviours and outcomes rather than task lists.

Central to the video is the distinction between essential and desirable criteria, which the video treats as one of the most consequential decisions in recruitment preparation. It addresses what makes a criterion genuinely essential, how to assess whether a requirement is truly non-negotiable, and the consequences of misclassifying criteria — including the risk of unlawfully narrowing the applicant pool or indirectly discriminating against protected groups. The video specifically raises the problem of over-specifying essential criteria in tight labour markets and uses the example of experience thresholds to illustrate how apparently neutral requirements can disadvantage younger workers or those who have taken career breaks.

The video also covers the analytical thinking that should underpin each criterion before it is classified, including whether a requirement could be met through post-appointment training or induction rather than being present from day one. Alongside person specifications and the essential–desirable distinction, the video references the role of job analysis methods — including key task analysis, comprehensive job analysis, job analysis interviews, job analysis questionnaires and observation — as the means by which accurate information about a role is gathered before a person specification can be meaningfully prepared.