Job specification summarises the human characteristics needed for satisfactory job completion. It tries to describe the key qualifications someone needs to perform the job successfully. It spells out the important attributes of a person in terms of education, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities (SKAs) to perform a particular job. The job specification is a logical outgrowth of a job description. For each job description, it is desirable to have a job specification. This helps the organisation to determine what kind of persons are needed to take up specific jobs. The personal attributes that are described through a job specification may be classified into three categories:
i. Essential attributes: skills, knowledge and abilities (SKAs) a person must possess.
ii. Desirable attributes: qualifications a person ought to possess.
iii. Contra-indicators: attributes that will become a handicap to successful job performance.
