Draft Job Descriptions with FLSA Analysis

Before going to Claude, collect the inputs for the job description:

• Job title and level (e.g., "Senior Financial Analyst, Grade 7")
• Department and reporting structure ("Reports to: VP Finance")
• Key responsibilities (3–7 bullet points from the hiring manager)
• Required qualifications (education, years of experience, required certifications)
• Whether you believe the role is FLSA exempt or non-exempt (and why)

What you should see: A clear, brief intake form of the key details. Troubleshooting: If the hiring manager hasn't given you full details, draft the job description with what you have and flag the gaps. Claude will identify where information is missing.

Open Claude at claude.ai. Start with a context-setting message:

I'm a compensation analyst at a [company size]-person [industry] company. I write job descriptions that need to be:
- Compliant with FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) for exempt/non-exempt classification
- ADA-compliant (focused on essential functions, not personal characteristics)
- Clear and specific (not vague HR boilerplate)
- In [first/third] person [or paste your preferred format]

My company's standard job description format includes: Job Summary, Essential Functions (numbered), Required Qualifications, Preferred Qualifications, Work Environment, Physical Requirements, and FLSA Classification.

Please confirm you understand this format before we begin.

What you should see: Claude confirms it understands your format and is ready to draft.

Now provide the role details:

Please draft a job description for the following role:

Job Title: [title]
Department: [department]
Reports To: [manager title]
FLSA Classification: [Exempt / Non-Exempt / To be determined]
Grade/Level: [if applicable]
Employment Type: [Full-time/Part-time]

Key Responsibilities (from hiring manager):
- [bullet 1]
- [bullet 2]
- [bullet 3]
- [additional bullets]

Required Qualifications:
- [education requirement]
- [years of experience]
- [required skills or certifications]

Preferred Qualifications:
- [nice to have]

Please draft the full job description in our standard format. For the Essential Functions section, expand each responsibility into 2-3 sentences that describe HOW the work is done, not just WHAT is done — this is important for FLSA defensibility.

What you should see: A complete job description draft (typically 400–600 words) in your company's format.

After reviewing the job description, ask for the classification memo:

Now write an FLSA classification analysis memo for this role. Apply the appropriate exemption tests:
- If exempt: which exemption applies (Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer, Outside Sales)? Walk through each test element and confirm it's satisfied.
- If non-exempt: explain why the role doesn't meet the threshold for any exemption.

Include: current salary threshold ($684/week or $35,568/year), the applicable duties test, how this specific role satisfies (or doesn't satisfy) each element.

Format as a formal HR memo that could be retained in the role's classification file.

What you should see: A structured FLSA memo that applies the correct test to the specific job duties you drafted.

Read both documents carefully:

1. Job description: Are the essential functions specific enough? Could someone new to HR use this as an interview guide? Would it hold up if the employee ever filed an ADA accommodation claim?
2. FLSA memo: Does the analysis reflect what this person actually does day-to-day? If the role is classified as exempt Administrative, does the job description describe work that requires discretion and independent judgment?

Make corrections directly in Claude by saying: "Update the Administrative Exemption analysis. This role also has authority to approve expense reports up to $5,000, which further supports the discretion and independent judgment requirement."

Once you have a well-written job description for a role type (e.g., "Analyst-level Finance role"), save it as a template. Future requests for similar roles can start from this base. Ask Claude to "adapt this existing job description for a mid-level Financial Analyst role focused on FP&A rather than accounting."