While a list of major job duties and/or tasks tells the employee what is to be done, performance standards or job profiles provide the employee with specific performance expectations for each major duty, competency, knowledge and organization value. They are the observable behaviors and actions which explain how the job is to be done, plus the results that are expected for satisfactory and outstanding job performance.

Profiles or standards tell the employee what an "exceptional" job looks like and how the employee can best represent the organization's values and vision on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. They also help to communicate expectations—creating a "shared language" for employees and supervisors to talk about performance. For this reason, AIMM recommends that performance standards are as specific as possible. Keep in mind that good performance typically involves technical and interpersonal expertise. Skills and behaviors such as respectfulness, influencing, courteousness, and collaboration combine with technical know-how to determine whether performance is acceptable.

AIMM's Job Profiles are:

• Based on the position, not the individual
• Observable, specific indicators of success
• Meaningful, reasonable and attainable
• Describe "development needed", "fully satisfactory", and "exceptional" performance
• Expressed in terms of Quantity, Quality, Timeliness, Cost, Safety, or Outcomes