What is the systematic process for identifying and describing the important aspects of a job?

Job Analysis is a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job.

The Job; not the person An important concept of Job Analysis is that the analysis is conducted of the Job, not the person. While Job Analysis data may be collected from incumbents through interviews or questionnaires, the product of the analysis is a description or specifications of the job, not a description of the person.

Purpose of Job Analysis

Determining Training Needs

• training content
• assessment tests to measure effectiveness of training
• equipment to be used in delivering the training
• methods of training (i.e., small group, computer-based, video, classroom...)

Compensation

• skill levels
• compensable job factors
• work environment (e.g., hazards; attention; physical effort)
• responsibilities (e.g., fiscal; supervisory)
• required level of education (indirectly related to salary level)

Selection Procedures

• job duties that should be included in advertisements of vacant positions;
• appropriate salary level for the position to help determine what salary should be offered to a candidate;
• minimum requirements (education and/or experience) for screening applicants;
• interview questions;
• selection tests/instruments (e.g., written tests; oral tests; job simulations);
• applicant appraisal/evaluation forms;
• orientation materials for applicants/new hires

Performance Review

• goals and objectives
• performance standards
• evaluation criteria
• length of probationary periods
• duties to be evaluated

Methods of Job Analysis

A typical method of Job Analysis would be to give the incumbent a simple questionnaire to identify job duties, responsibilities, equipment used, work relationships, and work environment. The completed questionnaire would then be used to assist the Job Analyst who would then conduct an interview of the incumbent(s). A draft of the identified job duties, responsibilities, equipment, relationships, and work environment would be reviewed with the supervisor for accuracy. The Job Analyst would then prepare a job description and/or job specifications.

The method that you may use in Job Analysis will depend on practical concerns such as type of job, number of jobs, number of incumbents, and location of jobs.

What Aspects of a Job Are Analyzed?

• Duties and Tasks The basic unit of a job is the performance of specific tasks and duties. Information to be collected about these items may include: frequency, duration, effort, skill, complexity, equipment, standards, etc.
• Environment This may have a significant impact on the physical requirements to be able to perform a job. The work environment may include unpleasant conditions such as offensive odors and temperature extremes. There may also be definite risks to the incumbent such as noxious fumes, radioactive substances, hostile and aggressive people, and dangerous explosives.
• Tools and Equipment Some duties and tasks are performed using specific equipment and tools. Equipment may include protective clothing. These items need to be specified in a Job Analysis.
• Relationships Supervision given and received. Relationships with internal or external people.
• Requirements The knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSA's) required to perform the job. While an incumbent may have higher KSA's than those required for the job, a Job Analysis typically only states the minimum requirements to perform the job.

Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited

1. Job analysis is a qualitative aspect of manpower needs, as it determines job requirements in terms of skills, qualities and other human characteristics. This facilitates the division of labor into different occupations.

   Recruitment, Selection and Placement

   In order to hire a good person for the job, it is very important to know the requirements of the job and the qualities of the person who will be doing the job. Information on these two elements comes from the job description or job description and helps management to tailor the job requirements as closely as possible to the attitudes, skills, interests of employees, etc.

   Training and Development:

   Job analysis determines standard levels for job performance. Helps manage learning development programs.

   Job Evaluation

   Job analysis provides the basis for job evaluation. The purpose of a job appraisal is to determine the relative value of the job which in turn helps determine job compensation.

   Performance Appraisal

   Job analysis data provides a clear standard of performance for each job. Employee performance can be objectively evaluated against the job performance standard.

   Job Designing

   Industrial engineers may use the job analysis information in designing the job by making the comprehensive study of the job elements.

   Safety and Health

   Management can take corrective actions to ensure the safety of workers and reduce the risk of various hazards to eliminate harmful conditions.

   Promotions

   The job analysis is mainly based on the effective policies. Effective policies may be formulated in regard to promotions and transfers.

   Employment Guidance

   Job description, which is basically carried out on the basis of Job analysis, helps the aspirates in ascertaining the job, for which they have the necessary ability and skills.

   Labour Relations

   Job analysis serves as the basis for resolving disputes that may arise due to quality of performance expected of workers.

2. 1. Observe and interview employees who are currently employed. Encourage employees to perform their duties and be as specific as possible when defining responsibilities. Read the manual or document that explains your current position. Compare your current job description with what your employees are actually saying and doing. Record results by department or individual position. Create an account for all the tasks and skills involved in the job.

   2. Once you understand what skills are needed to perform each task, you can rate the difficulty of each task and skill. Determine the top-level skills for each location. Note which skills require entry level and more experience. You may think differently from this job as you thought it was an important part of the job.

   3. Find status data in your job analysis to make sure you're tied to your current workforce. Test your results using information from government literature and corporate organizations. Seek expert advice on the subject that can explain the tasks you need to do your job. Compare your network and data with other businesses.

   4. Once you've identified and discovered the most important qualifications needed to do the job, make a list for each job and skill. Use this to edit an existing job description or create a new one to suit your analysis. Create a set of criteria for each position that matches your employees' feedback and your own work observations. Include expectations that you may not have met, but are based on professional guidelines from your research.

   5. Look at the entire organization. Based on the analysis, determine if the right task is assigned to the right task. If you find that a job in one department is suitable for another team, move these tasks to another job. You may also find that some departments handle more than others. You can use job analysis data to find ways to transfer job responsibilities based on the capabilities of each job.

3. Job analysis can be understood as the process of gathering information related to a particular job. This information includes knowledge, skills and abilities to work effectively. It is useful for preparing job description and job description.

   A job description is a document that indicates what the job covers, that is, the functions, responsibilities, duties, powers and officers, attached to the job. 

   In excellent terms, job analysis means an in-depth examination and evaluation of a particular job. Therefore, the job description is a statement that is characteristic of a particular job.

4. The position of the job and the employee holding that position in the organization are known as the position of the job. Job status serves as the basis of the compensation system in the organization. Highly placed jobs as well as job holders get higher returns than lower returns.

   Job Description

   Each situation is different from each other because each situation requires different tasks and responsibilities, e.g. Experience, expertise and level of knowledge. These tasks, duties, roles, and responsibilities are detailed in how to perform this job.

   Job Worth

   Work value refers to the calculation of the value of work in the organization. In other words, job value is an estimate of how much the job contributes to the overall goal of the organization.

5. Asking an employee to give details about their job is one way to create an accurate job description. Employers will ask questions about specific tasks and also request a breakdown of the duties performed by those in a certain position.

   Observations

   An employer may also choose to watch as employees complete their jobs, noting the tasks they complete and the skills needed for those tasks. Observations work well for processes related to physical task and product related outcomes.

   Surveys

   Survey are tools used to find out how often a certain task is completed or how much a skill set is used. These surveys can be highly structured forms where employees use a scale to answer questions about the job. Surveys can also be used more informally for employees to answer open-ended questions.

   Work logs

   Employers may request a written account of daily work for a certain period of time. This allows an employee to give a clear description of the regular duties of their job and the timeframe required for each task.

6. Job analysis should be conducted as a first step in the recruitment process. Writing an analysis helps you to clarify your needs and expectations. It also collects the information you will need to write a job description.

7. The biggest drawback of the job review process is being very time consuming. This is a serious limitation, especially when jobs change frequently. This emphasizes personal bias: if the supervisor or analyst is an employee of the same organization, the process may involve their personal likes and dislikes. This is a major obstacle for the collection of reliable and accurate data.

   Too much human effort

   The process involves a lot of human effort. Because each job has different information and there is no set pattern, custom information must be collected for different jobs. The process must be carried out separately to collect and record order-related data.

   Lack of Skills

   If the analyst is unaware of the purpose of the job analysis process and doesn't have the proper skills to carry it out, it is a waste of company resources. You must be trained to obtain reliable data.

   Lack of mental abilities

   Last but not least, mental abilities such as intelligence, emotional characteristics, knowledge, competence, mental and endurance are intangible things that cannot be directly observed or measured. People work differently in different situations. Therefore, general standards for mental abilities cannot be set.

8. Job Analysis may be conducted by the employer's Human Resources department or by a trained Job Analyst/Consultant.

9. 	Job Analysis	Job Evaluation
   Meaning	Job Analysis is a careful study of each and every aspect of a particular job	Job Evaluation is an attempt of assessing the relative utility of a particular job in an organization.
   Objective	To develop the present methods and techniques of doing a job.	To determine a fair wage of a job.
   Advantage	Recruitment & Selection, Performance Appraisal, Compensation etc.	Helps in removing inequalities in the wage system, making a comparative analysis of each job etc.
   Techniques	Questionnaire, Checklist, Interview, Surveys etc.	Non ­Analytical system and Analytical system.