Job Analysis Notes
Job Analysis Notes
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Job Analysis
What is Job?
Job:
• Group of related activities and duties.
• Make up of tasks.
Tasks:
• Basic elements of Job.
• “What gets done”.
Stages of HRM: [JHRSPI]
• Job Analysis
• Human Resource Planning
• Recruitment
• Selection
• Placement
• Induction
The Job Analysis
• A job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities,
necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job.
• Process of defining a job in terms of its component tasks and duties and the knowledge or
skills required to perform them.
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Steps in Job Analysis Process
1. Job Descriptions – Task requirements
• Statement that explains duties, working conditions etc. of a job.
2. Job Specifications – Person requirements
• Statement of what a job demands of the incumbent.
• Example: Knowledge, Skills, Abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics required to
perform job.
3. Performance Standards
• What is expected of workers.
• Job Analysis may provide performance standards for jobs where performance is readily
quantified and measurable.
• May need to be augmented e.g. participative goal-setting.
• All of these uses form foundation for various HRM systems.
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• Decision is made to check whether already existing post is valuable or not to create a post.
What to do?
1. Discuss the nature of job analysis, including what it is and how it is used.
2. Use at least three methods of collecting job analysis information, including interviews,
questionnaires and observation.
3. Explain job analysis in a “jobless” world, including what it means and how this is done in
practice.
Job Analysis Process
• Job Analysis
• Job Description
• Person Specification
• Attracting and managing applications.
• Selecting candidates.
• Making the appointment.
• Joining the organization / induction.
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Important Applications of Job Analysis
• The Job Analysis provides the foundation for almost everything HR is involved in.
Applications:
• Job Descriptions
• Employee Selection
• Training
• Performance Appraisals
• Job Classification
• Job Evaluation
• Job Design and Redesign
Reasons for Conducting Job Analysis
• Training and Development
• Staffing
• Compensation and Benefits
• Safety and Health
• Employee and labor relationship
Methods
• Direct observation
• Interview of existing post holders
• Interview of immediate supervisors
• Questionnaires
• Previous studies
• Work diaries
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Methods of Job Analysis – Observation
Information Source
• Observing and noting the physical activities of employees as they go about their jobs.
Advantages
• Provides first-hand information.
• Reduces distortion of information.
Disadvantages
• Time consuming.
• Difficulty in capturing entire job cycle.
• Of little use if job involves a high level of mental activity.
• Observer’s disposition affects results.
• Analyst’s caliber should match employee’s caliber.
Methods of Job Analysis – The Interview
Information Sources
• Individual employees (existing job holders).
• Immediate boss (supervisors) with knowledge of the job.
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Previous Studies
Advantages
• Easy to use this method.
• Helps to find out whether it is beneficial or not.
Disadvantages
• Wrong assessment of previous post.
• Bad performance of previous employee.
Methods of Job Analysis – Work Diaries
Information Source
• Workers keep a chronological diary/log of what they do and the time spent on each
activity.
Advantages
• Produces a more complete picture of the job.
• Employee participation.
• Maintained on daily basis.
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Questionnaires Format
1. Structured checklist (to identify the task performed).
2. Open-ended questions.
Questionnaires
Advantages
• Quick and efficient way to gather information from large numbers of employees.
• Quick and economical to use.
Disadvantages
• Expense and time consumed in preparing and testing the questionnaire.
• Becomes less useful where the employees lack verbal skills.
Methods of Job Analysis – Previous Studies
Information Source
• Past record of any employee.
• The analyst keeps the past record of employees and previous experiences and issues
related to the job analysis process of the organization.
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Disadvantages
• Distortion of information.
• Depends upon employees to accurately recall their activities.
Managers Trying the Job
• This method is used to check the new post.
• In this method the manager starts a new job to check whether this job is beneficial or not.
• It is a risky step because it may cause many fundamental problems.
Advantages
1. Very fruitful if the manager is an experienced analyst and strategic risk taker.
Disadvantages
1. Very expensive.
2. Risky.
3. Time consuming.
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• The person who conducts job analysis is interested in gathering data on what is involved
in performing a particular job.
• Types of data collected that may help in analysis are:
• Work Activities
• Work Performance
• Work Schedules
• Personnel Requirements
• Human resource experts cannot rely on individual job analysis techniques, so normally all
the methods are used collectively.