Job analysis can be defined as the process of analyzing the duties and responsibilities that fall under a particular job title. Data is collected about a particular post; regarding the duties involved; the responsibilities to be undertaken and the relative importance of these jobs and duties for a given job and judgments are made on the basis of this data. 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
The general purpose of job analysis is to enumerate strategies for training, compensation, remuneration, selection and performance appraisal which are related to a particular job. That is to understand the requirements of a job. However, there is generally a specific purpose that has a profound effect on the job analysis. In the fields of Human Resources (HR) and Industrial Psychology, job analysis is often used to gather information for use in personnel selection, training, classification, and/or compensation.
The field of vocational rehabilitation uses job analysis to determine the physical requirements of a job to determine whether an individual who has some diminished capacity will be capable of performing the job with, or without, some accommodation. Professionals developing certification exams use job analysis to determine the elements of the domain which must be sampled in order to create a content valid exam.
When a job analysis is conducted for the purpose of valuing the job i.e., to determine the appropriate compensation for incumbents; training and appraisal etc.; it is called job evaluation.
Determining Training Needs
A complete probabilistic analysis and design approach
- 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 etc.)
Compensation
Job Analysis can be used in compensation to identify or determine:
- 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 Analysis can be used in selection procedures to identify or develop:
- 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 Preview
Job Analysis can be used in performance review to identify or develop:
- Goals and objectives
- Performance standards
- Evaluation criteria
- Length of probationary periods
- Duties to be evaluated
Methods
A typical method of Job Analysis could 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 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 methods used depend on practical concerns such as type of job, number of jobs, number of incumbents, and location of jobs.
- Supervisor interviews
- Expert panels
- Structured questionnaires
- Task inventories
- Check lists
- Open-ended questionnaires
- Observation
- Incumbent work logs