Job analysis

A job analysis identifies the tasks and competencies that a particular job entails. The process involves collecting and interpreting data about the activities involved in doing a job and the abilities needed to perform them. Job analyses are a tool of human resources management, the department of a business organization that coordinates its employees.

The information gathered from a job analysis is used to write accurate job descriptions, which provide the foundation for the selection and hiring of appropriate candidates for open positions. In addition to recruitment and candidate selection, job analyses are used for training and development, performance management, organizational management and planning, and the legal defense of hiring practices.

The methods used to gather data for a job analysis are observation, interviews, group interviews, self-written reports, document reviews, and questionnaires and surveys.

Conducting job analyses allows business organizations to recruit and develop a high-level workforce by placing employees in optimal positions.

Background

A job analysis seeks to evaluate the job, not the individual performing the job. The process documents a list of tasks and competencies that make up a position. A job analysis collects information from task-oriented and worker-oriented behaviors. A task is a work activity that must be completed on a regular basis. Task-oriented functions concern the procedures used to complete the job.

Competencies are knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA). These are considered worker-oriented behaviors because they deal with the human qualities involved in carrying out a job. In a retail job, for example, a task is running the register to make a sale; this requires the competency of customer service.

In a job analysis, four kinds of data are gathered: a description of the tasks that make up the job; the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to carry it out; levels of job performance; and workplace characteristics. Tasks may be scored according to scales, such as the level of difficulty in performing a task, the importance in relation to other tasks, and the interaction the employee has with other people, technology, or information. An employee's competencies may be observable or abstract. A skill is a learned act that can be seen. For instance, a jobholder may operate machinery. However, knowledge and abilities are not observable, but rather inferred. In another example, an employee may demonstrate problem-solving and intelligence through work behaviors. KSA can also include other characteristics, such as an individual's experience and training. In terms of performance, most job analyses seek to establish a high-level of performance to weed out the top performers from the rest of the employees or job candidates. Lastly, workplace characteristics refer to the culture and climate of a workplace. A job analysis aims to describe a work environment as it affects a jobholder's comfort level and could include possible hazards, both of which may affect an employee's ability to perform a job.

Overview

Supervisors, jobholders, subject matter experts (SMEs), and job analysts, who are usually human resource managers, participate in the methods of conducting a job analysis. SMEs are managers or employees who previously performed the job being analyzed.

Jobholders can be studied through observation. An analyst watches an employee perform the tasks of the job, and the analyst or a video camera records the employee's behaviors.

In an interview, an analyst asks questions to the jobholder and/or manager to find out what the employee does. This includes tasks, competencies, levels of job performance, and other requirements. In a group interview, or focus group, five or six jobholders, managers, and SMEs come together to brainstorm a list of the job's tasks.

Current jobholders can submit their own reports about the job. They can identify and describe the tasks they perform. However, bias may be present as employees might overstate the significance of their position.

Information can also be gathered through document reviews, which include the assessment of documents such as task logs and sign-in sheets to keep track of tasks and the time they are completed. Questionnaires and surveys can additionally be distributed to jobholders to find out what their job entails. A method called Job Analysis at the Speed of Reality can quicken the process of collecting data. Analysts can complete a job analysis in two to three hours by meeting with SMEs and managers.

Once all the information about a job is collected, the analyst can write a job description. The job description should demonstrate an understanding of the job, its tasks, the competencies required, and the levels of performance.

Job descriptions and job analyses serve many purposes. A finalized job description can be used to recruit applicants to fill an open position. By describing the job's tasks and KSAOs, the business is in a position to find the best person for the job. By matching the skills of applicants with the job's requirements, the employer can narrow down the selection of candidates. A job analysis can aid human resources managers in formulating interview questions and psychological tests for applicants.

When a job analysis is completed, it reveals the competencies of current employees in the job. If some jobholders lack the necessary competencies, a training program should be implemented. The job analysis may also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of individual employees, who may wish to partake in training to develop their skills.

Job analyses also play a role in managing performance. They can be used to set pay levels and bonuses for jobs that need different requirements to reach a high level of performance. They are also used in performance appraisals when evaluating how an employee is meeting the challenges of the tasks.

A job analysis is vital to organizational management and planning. Job descriptions must be updated to reflect changing tasks and competencies as technology and procedures evolve. This can affect the makeup of departments and lead to shakeups.

Job analyses are additionally important in establishing the legal compliance of hiring practices. All businesses want to decrease the chance of lawsuits being filed over claims of discriminatory hiring. By conducting a job analysis, a business determines a job's requirements and promotes them through its job description. The business then vets and hires candidates according to those validated qualifications.

Conducting a job analysis benefits jobholders and businesses. Employees can develop their skills and capabilities through training in preparation for future jobs. By thoroughly creating job descriptions, businesses can place recruits and employees in jobs where they will maximize their potential, building a high-performing workforce in the process. With the best-qualified people in the right positions, businesses can achieve efficiency.

Bibliography

"Assessment & Selection: Job Analysis." US Office of Personnel Management, www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/job-analysis/. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.

Beaumont-Oates, William. "How to Conduct a Job Analysis, and the Importance of Doing So." Thomas, 4 July 2024, www.thomas.co/uk/resources/type/hr-blog/how-conduct-job-analysis-and-importance-doing-so. Accessed 11 Sept. 2024.

Brannick, Michael T., et al. Job and Work Analysis: Methods, Research, and Applications for Human Resource Management. 3rd ed., Sage Publications, 2020.

Franklin, Maren. A Guide to Job Analysis. American Society for Talent Development, 2005.

Hartley, Darin E. Job Analysis at the Speed of Reality. HRD Press Inc., 1999.

"Job Analysis: How Do I Conduct a Job Analysis to Ensure the Job Description Actually Matches the Duties Performed by the Employee in the Job?" Society for Human Resource Management, 31 May 2012, www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/Pages/conductjobanalysis.aspx. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.

Prien, Erich P., et al. A Practical Guide to Job Analysis. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2009.

"Six Steps to Conducting a Job Analysis." US Office of Personnel Management, www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/job-analysis/job‗analysis‗checklist.pdf. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.