Job Analysis
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Contents of this chapter
⚫ Different Terms of Job Analysis
⚫ Definition of Job Analysis
⚫ Preliminary Questions to Ask
⚫ Why do we do Job Analyses?
⚫ Who is Involved in Job Analysis?
⚫ Typical Division of HR Responsibilities
⚫ Job Analysis Process
⚫ Job Analysis Methods
⚫ Criteria for Choice of Job Analysis Method
⚫ Job Functions
⚫ How will be a Job Function statement
⚫ Time Spent on Each Job Function
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Different Terms of Job Analysis
⚫ Task: a unit of work activity performed by a
worker within a limited time period
⚫ Duty: several related tasks that are performed
by a worker
⚫ Position: the set of all tasks & duties
performed by a worker
⚫ Job: a group of identical positions
⚫ Job Family: Grouping of related jobs with
broadly similar content, e.g. marketing,
engineering, office support, technical.
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Relationship of task, job and job family
JOB FAMILY
Grouping of related jobs with broadly similar content, e.g.
marketing, engineering, office support, technical.
JOB
Group of tasks performed by one person that
make up the total work assignment of that
person, e.g. customer support representative.
TASK
Smallest unit of analysis, a specific
statement of what a person does; for
example, answers the telephone.
Similar tasks can be grouped into a
task dimension, e.g. responsible for
ensuring that accurate information is
provided to customer.
Definitions
⚫ Job Analysis: the process of collecting &
analyzing information about jobs to write:
◦ Job Description: a document that identifies the
tasks & duties performed by a job
◦ Job Specification: a document that identifies the
qualifications required by a job
⚫ Most organizations combine the Job
Description & the Job Specification into a
single document for each job
◦ Usually simply called a “Job Description”
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Goal: Match Person & Job
⚫ Need information about the Person & about the Job
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Preliminary Questions to Ask
⚫ Is it a newly created job?
⚫ Is the job in one department or several?
⚫ How many incumbents are in the job?
⚫ Are there significant variations within the job?
⚫ How does the job relate to or interact with
other jobs in the organization?
⚫ Are there significant changes that will impact the
job in the near future?
◦ Technology changes
◦ Department reorganization
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Why do we do Job Analyses?
⚫ Reduce Role Conflict and Ambiguity
◦ reduce discrepancy between what organization
thinks job is and what job is in reality
⚫ Design and Evaluation of Training
◦ focus training on most difficult and/or most
frequent elements of job
⚫ Performance Appraisal
◦ criteria for appraisal should be matched with most
important elements of job
Why Job Analysis…..?
⚫ Job Design
◦ simplify job with too many disparate activities
⚫ Personnel Selection
◦ once KSAs are identified, job requirements can
be generated
◦ items on job tests can be written based on JA
● e.g., if job requires high intelligence, give intelligence
test
Why Job Analysis…….?
⚫ Compliance with Civil Rights Legislation
◦ CRA of 1964, 1991, Age Discrimination Act,
Americans with Disabilities Act
◦ if discrimination occurs, must be justifiable
business practice
● JA is necessary, but not sufficient component
⚫ Job Evaluation
◦ judges relative worth of jobs in an organization
◦ sets fair compensation rates
Typical Division of HR Responsibilities:
Job Analysis
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Who is Involved in Job Analysis?
⚫ Who Collects the
Information?
⚫ Who Provides the
Information?
⚫ How to Resolve
Discrepancies
Job Analysis Process
⚫ Source: Fisher, Schoenfeldt, & Shaw (2006), Figure 4.1, p. 141
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Phase 1: Scope of the Project
1. Decide purposes of the job analysis project
◦ How do you want to use the Job Descriptions?
● Job design
● Recruiting
● Selection
● Performance appraisal
● Training
● Compensation
2. Decide which jobs to include in the job
analysis project
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Phase 2: Methods of Job Analysis
1. Decide what data (information) is needed
◦ At a minimum, for each job being analyzed, we
need data on:
● Tasks & duties performed on the job
● Qualifications required by the job
2. Identify sources of job data
◦ Job incumbents: observation, interview,
questionnaire
◦ Supervisor of job: interview, questionnaire
◦ Other sources
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Phase 2: Methods (more)
3. Select specific procedures of job analysis
(more)
3.1 Structured Job Analysis Procedures
a) Functional Job Analysis (FJA): adds to the Job
Description 7 scales (numbers) that measure:
● 3 worker-function scales: % of time spent with:
● Data
● People
● Things
● 1 worker-instruction scale
● 3 scales that measure the general educational requirements:
reasoning, mathematics, & language
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Phase 2: Methods (more)
◦ Structured Job Analysis Procedures (more)
b) Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
● Standardized questionnaire
● Questions focus on worker activities on the job
● For non-managerial & non-professional jobs
● [Link]
c) Professional and Managerial Position Questionnaire
(PMPQ)
● Standardized questionnaire
● For professional & managerial jobs
● [Link]
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Phase 2: Methods (more)
⚫ Structured Job Analysis Procedures (more)
d) O*NET: Occupational Information Network database
⚫ Developed by the US Department of Labor
⚫ Standardized descriptors of skills, knowledges, tasks,
occupation requirements, and worker abilities, interests, and
values to assist you in building accurate job descriptions
⚫ O*NET Resource Center: [Link]
⚫ O*NET Online: [Link]
e) Team Project Suggestion: Use “O*NET Online” as a
resource in your Team Project to help write the job
description
● Be sure you document in your report the resources
you use
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Phase 2: Methods (more)
◦Structured Job Analysis Procedures (more)
f) Task Inventory Procedure
●Questionnaire with a master list of possible tasks
●Check-mark the tasks done by the job
g) Other structured Job Analysis procedures:
●Critical Incidents Technique
●Ability Requirements Scales
●Personality-Related Job Analysis Procedures
●Cognitive Task Analysis
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Phase 3: Data Collection & Analysis
a) Collect job data
◦ Get the organization ready
◦ Reduce sources of bias
◦ Conduct effective interviews
b) Analyze the job data
c) Report results to organization
◦ Write the job descriptions
d) Periodically recheck the job data
◦ Update & revise the job descriptions as
needed
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Phase 4: Assessment
a) Evaluate the Job Analysis project
◦ Continuous improvement: learn from both
successes & mistakes to continuously get better
● Did the project finish on-time and under-budget?
● If not, what went wrong? What would you do differently?
● Did you collect the correct information?
● What additional information would you collect if you did the
project over?
● What information would you not collect?
● Are the Job Descriptions being used as intended?
● If not, what’s missing to make them useful?
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Methods of Job Analysis
A. Interviews
B. Structured Questionnaire / Inventory
C. Direct Observation
D. Logbooks / Work Diaries
A. Interviews
⚫ Most commonly used method
◦ very adaptable
⚫ Usually conducted with
◦ job incumbents
◦ technical experts
◦ supervisors
⚫ Questions like:
◦ what are your most typical duties?
◦ How long do they take?
◦ How do you do them?
⚫ Con: people may misrepresent/exaggerate job
B. Questionnaire/Inventory
⚫ Lists of many (>200) job characteristics and
activities
◦ rated in term of frequency and importance
⚫ very commonly used (esp. with interviews)
PAQ Example of “Sources of Job Information”
Rate the extent to which each is used by the worker as
a source of information in performing the job:
Extent of Use: N - Does not apply
1 - Very infrequent
2- Occasional
3 - Moderate
4 - Considerable
5 - Very substantial
C. Observation
⚫ Unobtrusive method
◦ camera; video; audio
⚫ Excellent for understanding and appreciating
conditions under which job is performed
⚫ Allows analyst to experience aspects of job that
worker may not be aware of
D. Logbook / Worker Diaries
⚫ Worker makes systematic entries in book
outlining activities
⚫ May be useful for jobs that are difficult to
observe
⚫ But, not commonly used
◦ too much variance in writing skills
◦ can exaggerate tasks performed
Criteria for Choice of Job Analysis
Method
⚫ Degree of suitability/versatility for use across different
jobs.
⚫ Degree of standardization in the process and in the
reporting of results.
⚫ Acceptability of process and results to those who will
serve as sources and/or users.
⚫ Degree to which method is operational and may be
used off-the-shelf without modification, as opposed to
a method requiring tailor-made development and
application.
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Criteria for Choice of Job Analysis Method
⚫ Amount of training required for sources and users of job
information.
⚫ Costs of the job analysis, both in terms of direct
administrative costs and opportunity costs of time
involvement by people.
⚫ Quality of resultant information in terms or reliability
and content validity.
⚫ Usability of results in recruitment, selection, and
employment activities.
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Typical Areas Covered in a Job Analysis Questionnaire
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Thanks
for
attending this session
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