JOB ANALYSIS
Nguyen Trang Thu (Ph.D)
This session addresses the following questions
1. What is Job Analysis?
2. Why is JA is necessary for HRM?
3. What is the language of JA?
4. What are the outputs of JA and what are they used for ?
5. What does it take to conduct JA to produce quality outputs?
Before we talk about JA, think about these issues
Let’s look at this job: Janitor. Discuss with your team:
• What does or should the person (who is assigned to the job) do?
• What KSAs, and behaviors does it take to do this job?
• What are the expected outcomes of the person performing the job?
• How does this job fit in with other jobs in the organization?
• What is the contribution of this job toward the organization’s goals?
“Job Analysis”: Definition
• JA is the series of activities undertaken to systematically obtain,
categorize, and document all relevant information about a specific
job. (ERI Economic Research Institute, 2002 – 2020)
• The process and techniques used to systematically obtain job
information. (Macky, 2008)
JA: The language
Job • A group of position with the same tasks & duties
Position • The works tasks /duties performed by one worker
Task • Some distinct or discrete unit of work A deep & enduring
underlying
Duty • A group/range of related tasks characteristics of a
person that can predict
Knowledge •…
job behaviors and is
Skills •… therefore causally
related to superior job
Ability • Existing capacities, or potentials performance
Competency • A deep & enduring underlying characteristics of a person
WORK DESIGN
The uses of JA
STAFFING
Job
Description PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
JA and
Specification
RETENTION MANAGEMENT
COMPLIANCE
The outputs of JA
Job Person
Description Specification
An outcome of JA that portrays An outcome of JA that
the tasks and duties of the job- describes the KSAs ,
holder, and may include competencies and other
contextual information such as qualifications needed to
working equipment used. (Also successfully perform the
know as position description) job
Job Description
• To attract candidates
Purposes • To define roles
• To provides references to managers
(General) • Job Identification section • Main tasks and duties section
Structure • Brief general summary • Relationships section
• Job Title) • FLSA classification • Grade • Job summary• Department •
Supervision exercised• Location• Salary (range is acceptable)• Reporting & work
Key relationships; Primary duties and responsibilities – How to evaluate “essential”: •
Elements Reason the position exists • Time spent performing a function • Consequence of
not performing that function • Some employers list non-essential duties
• Job Title (gender neutral) • Reporting & work relationships;
• Classification (imperative) • Primary (essential) duties and responsibilities”
• Grade (salary structure) • Reason the position exists
• Job summary • Time spent performing a function
• Department • Consequence of not performing that function
• Supervision exercised • Some employers list non-essential duties as
• Location wel (but in a separate section)
• Salary (range is acceptable
Person Specification
• To clarify eligibility of candidates
Purposes • To provides references to recruiting team of an organization
• To provide references for decision-making in selection
• KSAs section
(General) • Qualification section
Structure • Experience section
• KSAs
• Education & Training
Key Elements • Experience
• Other requirements (e.g. physical strength & stamina)
(Quick) Discussion: What makes a good Job
Description (specification included)?
• Clear • Specific
• Accurate • Justifiable
• Concise • Measurable
• Sufficient • Non-discriminatory
• Appropriate language
Examples of JD
CONDUCTING JOB ANALYSIS
• Process
• Types of information to obtain
• Obstacles/Problems
• Methods
Process
Types of information to obtain
Job content Job Context Job Requirements
• • Knowledge or basic information required to
Duties of an employee • Working perform a job successfully
• What actually an employee Conditions
• Specific skills
does • Risks involved • Personal ability (including aptitude, reasoning,
• Machines, tools & • Whom to report
manipulative abilities, handling sudden and
equipments to be used unexpected situations, problem-solving ability,
mathematical abilities, etc)
while performing a specific • Who all will report
job to him or her • Educational Qualifications including degree,
diploma, certification or license
• Additional tasks involved in • Hazards
a job • Personal Characteristics such as ability to adapt
to different environment, endurance,
• Desired output level (What • Physical and willingness, work ethic, eagerness to learn and
is expected of an mental demands understand things, behaviour towards
colleagues, subordinates and seniors, sense of
employee?) • Judgment belongingness to the organization, etc
• Type of training required
Obstacles/Problems
Approaches and Methods
• The work • Ask Interviews
Subject matter expert panels
• The worker • Watch Structured JA questionnaires
Observations
• The context within • Act Archival JA
which the job exists • Review Diary
Discussion
• Why are multi methods needed in conducting JA?
• What are the difficulties of using multi-methods?
Your takeaways
Questions for further reflection
• When does an organization need to conduct a job analysis?
• JA is critical for legal compliance in managing the employment
relationship. Discuss.
• What can HRM do to overcome job analysis problems?