What are the 5 steps in job analysis?

We explore what is job analysis and how organizations can perform it to improve the quality of hire and overcome internal skills gaps.

As the economy begins to bounce back, hiring plans for Q4 remains optimistic. A new study by Manpower Group indicates that the U.S. is witnessing the strongest hiring outlook (48% growth) in the past 15 years. With 69% of employers reporting challenges in filling roles, recruitment teams have their work cut out for them.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can attract the right talent and drive better new-hire performance with job analysis.

What is Job Analysis and Why Do You Need It?

Job analysis refers to the practice of defining a job role. It typically includes collecting job-specific data such as knowledge, skills, and the aptitude required for carrying out the responsibilities of a job. 

It is the first step to achieving the right fit between a job and a candidate/employee. Understanding the nature of a job is as important for employers as it is for employees. For employers, job analysis determines other HR strategies like performance measurement, employee development, and compensation. 

For employees, job analysis translates to the job description that outlines the success factors required for a particular role. This is the first step to aligning role expectations.

In the current context, where open roles outnumber eligible candidates, job analysis is more important than ever before. A detailed, well-written job description can dramatically improve applications due to the transparency it brings. 

What are the 5 steps in job analysis?

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While there’s a lot of debate about the information that should be shared with applicants, most recruiters agree that higher transparency leads to more qualified applicants. By defining clear goals and objectives at the very start of the application process, you avoid ambiguity around the role and outline clear expectations for the 30, 60, or even 90 days – providing your potential employees with a much-needed sense of direction. 

Why Should You Perform a Job Analysis?

A job analysis provides details on the role, expectations, competencies, onboarding plans, day-to-day tasks, and other details that will help you support other talent development activities such as:

  • Onboarding
  • Training and development
  • Performance management
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Offboarding

In addition to these points, job analysis is crucial to every step of the recruiting process – right from when you post a job to evaluating candidates and rolling out an offer. It also improves your understanding of the ideal candidate, the skills, competencies, and other details that form the foundation of your candidate profile. 

5 Steps to Performing a Job Analysis

Job analysis today is much more nuanced than it was a few years back. With the emergence of new ways of working, skills, and jobs, defining the ideal candidate persona is not as simple. The most effective way of going about developing a job role is collecting data through channels such as job sites, salary intelligence platforms like Glassdoor and Payscale, and interviews with hiring managers.

Once you have this information, you can begin designing the job by following these steps:

Job Identification

This is the first step to analyzing a job – what is the role or talent gap you’re looking to fill. You must define the day-to-day tasks, expectations, responsibilities, and skills required to succeed in the role. You can capture this data by interviewing hiring managers, supervisors, team leads, and other employees. If this is a role that has already existed before in your organization, current and previous employees could provide a goldmine of information on the competencies required for the role. 

Define Expected Outcomes

Once you’ve identified the role, you need to align it to your organization’s larger goals and objectives. What do you expect the employee to achieve in their first 30, 60, and 90 days? How does expectation evolve with tenure? Outlining the job expectations allows you to determine the value an employee will add to your organization. 

Align Compensation to the Role

While platforms like Glassdoor and Payscale can be great data sources to inform your compensation strategy, it can be tricky to have them as your sole data points. The job context can vary widely between organizations. For instance, a Data Scientist at a technology company will, in all likelihood, be a part of a larger data science team. However, the same role at a company in the hospitality business might be a part of the marketing team. So, business expectations from both roles will be very different despite overlapping skills, competencies, and aptitudes. 

Determine Learning and Development Needs

An accurate job analysis will outline the learning needs of a new hire. You need to determine the training and resources you will have to provide your new employee for them to achieve both short and long-term success. 

Competitor Research

In a highly competitive employment market, it pays to keep a tab on what your competitors are doing. Learn what candidates are looking for and how your competitors are managing those expectations at their organization. Job descriptions can also be a potent data point that can inform you of the critical aspects of the job. You’ll also learn what they perceive to be the most vital aspects of the job.

Conclusion

Job analysis is a critical part of recruitment and talent development that cannot be overlooked. A well-defined job makes for a great job description – ultimately enabling you to attract and hire more qualified candidates and plug the skills gap at your organization. 

Want to learn more about designing the perfect job analysis? Let’s talk!

Steps Involved in Job Analysis

Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it. It is a process of collecting information related to various aspects of the job. The main purposes of conducting job analysis are to prepare a job description and job specification which in turn helps to hire the right quality of workforce into the organization.

It collects and analyses the information associated with job description and specifications. Following steps are involved in job analysis:

This is the first step of job analysis under which required information related to various aspects of jobs are collected. Probably the most important consideration is to identify the objectives of the job analysis. Information is obtained through different methods such as interview, observation, questionnaire, critical incidents etc. It is associated with the preparation of plans and programs and assignment of responsibilities to the concerned person.

  1. Review Background Information

This is the second step of job analysis process under which the previously collected information is reviewed to design organizational charts, current position descriptions and specifications, procedures, manuals and process charts. These help in the detailed assessment of job.

  1. Selection of Representative Position to be Analyzed

Analyzing all jobs at a time is a complex and costly affair. So, only a representative sample of jobs is selected for the purpose of detailed analysis. Under it, the job analyst investigates to determine which organization managers or employees require job analysis. He should also determine for what purpose the job must be analyzed.

  1. Analysis of Job by Collecting Data

Under this step of job analysis process, a job analyst obtains the data and information related to the selected jobs. The information is collected on the job activities, required employee behaviors, working conditions, human traits and qualities, abilities to perform the job and other various dimensions of the job. Data can be collected either through questionnaire, observation or interviews.

In this step of job analysis, a job description schedule is developed through the information collected in the above step. This is the written statement which describes the prominent characteristics of the job along with duties, location, and degree of risk involved in each job.

  1. Develop Job Specification

Developing the job specification is the last step of job analysis process under which a detailed specification statement is prepared showing the minimum requirement of each job. It consists of a requirement of the job holder for successfully performing the job. A job specification summarizes the personal qualities, traits, skills, knowledge, and background required to perform the specific task. It also involves the physical and psychological attributes of the incumbent.

Information Source:

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The process of job analysis must be conducted in a logical manner, following appropriate management and professional psychometric practices. Therefore, a multistage process usually is followed, regardless of the job analysis methods used. The stages for a typical job analysis are outlined here, but they may vary with the methods used and the number of jobs included.

Below given figure illustrates the basic stages of the process.

1. Planning the Job Analysis

It is crucial that the job analysis process be planned before beginning the gathering of data from managers and employees. Probably the most important consideration is to identify the objectives of the job analysis. Maybe it is just to update job descriptions. Or, it may include as an outcome revising the compensation programs in the organization. Another objective could be to redesign the jobs in a department or division of the organization. Also, it could be to change the structure in parts of the organization to align it better with business strategies. Whatever the purpose identified, it is vital to obtain top management support. The backing of senior managers is needed as issues arise regarding changes in jobs or the organizational structure. Support from even the highest levels of management helps when managerial and employee anxieties and resistance arise.

2. Preparing and Introducing the Job Analysis

Preparation begins by identifying the jobs under review. For example, are the jobs to be analyzed hourly jobs, clerical jobs, all jobs in one division, or all jobs in the entire organization? In this phase, those who will be involved in conducting the job analysis and the methods to be used are identified.

Also specified is how current incumbents and managers will participate in the process and how many employees’ jobs will be considered. Another task in the identification phase is to review existing documentation. Existing job descriptions, organization charts, previous job analysis information, and other industry-related resources all may be useful to review. Having details from this review may save time and effort later in the process. A crucial step is to communicate and explain the process to managers, affected employees, and other concerned people, such as union stewards. Explanations should address the natural concerns and anxieties people have when someone puts their jobs under close scrutiny. Items to be covered often include the purpose of the job analysis, the steps involved, the time schedule, how managers and employees will participate, who is doing the analysis, and whom to contact as questions arise. When employees are represented by a union, it is essential that union representatives be included in reviewing the job descriptions and specifications to lessen the possibility of future conflicts.

What are the 5 steps in job analysis?

3. Conducting the Job Analysis

With the preparation completed, the job analysis can be conducted. The methods selected will determine the time line for the project. Sufficient time should be allotted for obtaining the information from employees and managers. If questionnaires are used, it is often helpful to have employees return them to supervisors or managers for review before giving them back to those conducting the job analysis. The questionnaire should be accompanied by a letter explaining the process and instructions for completing and returning the job analysis questionnaires. Once data from job analysis has been compiled, it should be sorted by job, the job family, and organizational unit. This step allows for comparison of data from similar jobs throughout the organization. The data also should be reviewed for completeness, and follow-up may be needed in the form of additional interviews or questions to be answered by managers and employees.

4. Developing Job Descriptions and Job Specifications

At this stage the job analysts will prepare draft job descriptions and job specifications. Later in this chapter is a section discussing details on how to write job descriptions and job specifications. Our purpose here is to emphasize that the drafts should be relatively complete and identify areas where additional clarifications are needed. Generally, organizations have found that having managers and employees write job descriptions is not recommended for several reasons. First, there is no consistency in format and details, both of which are important given the legal consequences of job descriptions. Second, managers and employees vary in their writing skills. Also, they may write the job descriptions and job specifications to reflect what they do and what their personal qualifications are, not what the job requires.

Once the drafts are completed, they should be reviewed by managers. Whether employees review the drafts or wait to receive the final job descriptions is often determined by the managerial style of the supervisors/managers and the culture of the organization regarding employee participation and communication. When finished, job descriptions are distributed by the HR department to managers, supervisors, and employees. It is important that each supervisor or manager review the completed description with individual employees so that there is understanding and agreement on the content that will be linked to performance appraisals, as well as to all other HR activities.

5. Maintaining and Updating Job Descriptions and Job Specifications

Once job descriptions and specifications have been completed and reviewed by all appropriate individuals, a system must be developed for keeping them current. Otherwise, the entire process, beginning with job analysis, may have to be repeated in several years. Because organizations are dynamic and evolving entities, rarely do all jobs stay the same for years. Someone in the HR department usually has responsibility for ensuring that job descriptions and specifications stay current. Employees performing the jobs and their managers play a crucial role because, as those closest to the jobs, they know when changes occur. One effective way to ensure that appropriate reviews occur is to use job descriptions and job specifications in other HR activities.

For example, each time a vacancy occurs, the job description and specifications should be reviewed and revised as appropriate before recruiting and selection efforts begin. Similarly, in some organizations, managers review the job description during each performance appraisal interview. This review enables the job holder and the supervisor to discuss whether the job description still describes the actual job adequately or whether it needs to be revised. In addition, a comprehensive and systematic review may be done during HR planning efforts. For many organizations, a complete review is made once every three years, or as technology shifts occur, and more frequently when major organizational changes are made.

What are the 5 steps in job analysis?

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