Job Analysis Notes

Job Analysis

Core Concepts

  • Job Analysis: Procedure to determine job duties, skill requirements, and the kind of person to hire.

  • Job Description: List of job duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, working conditions, and supervisory responsibilities.

  • Job Specifications: List of a job's human requirements, including education, skills, and personality.

Types of Information Collected

  • Work activities

  • Human behaviors

  • Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids

  • Performance standards

  • Job context

  • Human requirements

Uses of Job Analysis

  • Recruitment and Selection

  • Compensation

  • Performance Appraisal

  • Training

  • Discovering Unassigned Duties

  • EEO Compliance

Steps in Job Analysis

  1. Decide how to use the information.

  2. Review relevant background information.

  3. Select representative positions.

  4. Analyze the job.

  5. Verify the job analysis information.

  6. Develop a job description and job specification.

Charting the Organization

  • Organization Chart: Shows organization-wide distribution of work and reporting relationships.

  • Process Chart: Workflow chart showing inputs to and outputs from a particular job.

Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information

  • Interviews:

    • Advantages: Quick, direct way to find overlooked information.

    • Disadvantages: Distorted information.

  • Questionnaires:

    • Advantages: Efficient for gathering information from many employees.

    • Disadvantages: Time and expense in preparation.

  • Observation:

    • Advantages: First-hand information, reduces distortion.

    • Disadvantages: Time-consuming, difficult to capture entire job cycle, not useful for jobs with high mental activity.

  • Participant Diary/Logs:

    • Advantages: More complete picture of the job, employee participation.

    • Disadvantages: Distortion of information, depends on accurate recall.

Quantitative Job Analysis Techniques

  • Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ): Collects quantifiable data about job duties and responsibilities.

  • Department of Labor (DOL) Procedure: Standardized method for rating, classifying, and comparing jobs quantitatively.

  • Functional Job Analysis: Considers instructions, reasoning, judgment, and mathematical/verbal ability needed for job tasks.

Writing Job Descriptions

  • Written statement of what the worker does, how they do it, and working conditions.

  • Sections include: Job identification, job summary, responsibilities and duties, authority of incumbent, standards of performance, working conditions, job specifications.

Job Identification

  • Job title, FLSA status, preparation date, prepared by.

  • Job summary describes the general nature and major functions.

Relationships (Chain of Command)

  • Reports to: immediate supervisor.

  • Supervises: employees directly supervised.

  • Works with: internal and external contacts.

Responsibilities and Duties

  • Listing of major responsibilities and duties (essential functions).

  • Defines decision-making authority, supervision, and budgetary limitations.

  • Standard Occupational Classification (SOC): Classifies workers into major groups, subdivided into minor groups and detailed occupations.

Standards of Performance and Working Conditions

  • Lists expected standards for each duty and responsibility.

Writing Job Specifications

  • Specifications for trained personnel focus on previous service, training quality, and job performance.

  • Specifications for untrained personnel focus on physical traits, personality, interests, and sensory skills.

Approaches to Job Specifications

  • Based on Judgment: Common sense, web-based descriptions, O*NET.

  • Based on Statistical Analysis: Determines the statistical relationship between a predictor/trait and job effectiveness.

Statistical Approach Steps

  1. Analyze the job and measure job performance.

  2. Select personal traits to predict performance.

  3. Test candidates for these traits.

  4. Measure job performance.

  5. Statistically analyze the relationship between trait and performance.

Job Analysis in a "Jobless" World

  • Job defined as a set of closely related activities carried out for pay.

From Specialized to Enlarged Jobs

  • Job Enlargement: Assigning additional same-level activities.

  • Job Enrichment: Redesigning jobs to increase responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition.

  • Job Rotation: Moving a trainee between departments to broaden experience; moving workers to enhance team performance.

Why Managers Are Dejobbing Their Companies

  • Dejobbing: Broadening job responsibilities and encouraging initiative.

  • Internal factors: Flatter organizations, work teams.

  • External factors: Rapid change, competition, deregulation, instability, demographic changes, service economy.

Competency-Based Job Analysis

  • Competencies: Demonstrable characteristics enabling job performance.

  • Describes jobs in terms of measurable, observable competencies an employee must exhibit.

Why Use Competency Analysis?

  • Supports High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS).

  • Maintains strategic focus by describing jobs in terms of skills, knowledge, and competencies.

  • Measures performance based on skills, knowledge, and competencies.

Performance Management

  • Managing all elements affecting employee performance.

  • Types of competencies: General, Leadership, Technical. Examples of competencies included are: reading, writing, reasoning, leadership, strategic thinking, and specific technical competencies required for specific types of jobs/occupations.