Job Analysis

1. What is job analysis? Write down the steps involved in the process
of job analysis.
Job analysis is a sequential process of gathering, assessing, and
scrutinizing the data and information about a job in an orderly
manner. The following figure depicts the components that
determine the nature of job analysis:

Methods

 Questionnaires
 Interviews
 Observation
 Logs/diaries

Sources of data

 Employees
 Supervisors
 Managers
 Job analyst

Conducted by

 Job analyst (HR)

 Outside consultant
 Supervisor/Manager
 Used
Job for
Description
s
Used
for
EEO/ADA
Performance
HR Planning
management
Recruiting
Health, safety &
Selection
security
Compensation
Employee/labor
Training
relations

The preceding figure depicts the nature of job analysis by illustrating its
each aspect. It shows the techniques to conduct job analysis, the sources
of data, and the persons responsible to carry out this process. It also
illustrates the by-products of the job analysis process, which are job
description and specification. It shows the fields where job analysis can be
applied, such as recruitment, selection, HRP, compensation, training,
performance management, employee welfare management, industrial
relations, and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Americans with
Disability Act (ADA). Few definitions of job analysis are provided as
follows:

Job analysis refers to the process of studying the operations, duties, and
organizational aspects of jobs in order to derive specifications or as they
are called by some, job descriptions.

Job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating

to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job.

Job analysis finishes the facts which indicate what is being done and what
kind of employees are required.
A process of getting information about jobs specially what the worker
does; how he gets it done; why he does it; skill, education and training
required and job relationships to other jobs; physical demands;
environmental conditions;

2. Explain the importance of job analysis in the management of human

resource.
Information obtained from job analysis is useful in various personnel
activities, such as HRP, employee recruitment, training, job
evaluation, compensation, and performance assessment. The
following figure shows the applications of job analysis for various
employee activities:

Job analysis can be used for the following purposes:

 Human Resource Planning: Involves the forecasting of HR

requirements for an organization. Job analysis provides the
vertical and lateral relationship among various jobs; therefore,
helps in the formation of an organized promotion and transfer
policy. It assists in finding the number and kinds of jobs, and
the qualifications required to accomplish these jobs. Job
analysis determines the productivity of an average employee
per day. In addition, it facilitates the division of work into
multiple relevant jobs.
 Recruitment: Involves hiring of employees for present and
future job openings. Job analysis produces job description and
job specification, which provide details of jobs to be performed
and the skills and knowledge that must be possessed by the
employees. In addition, the information obtained from job
analysis assists in matching the job requirements with the
skills, aptitude, and interests of the employees and ensures
the execution of effective employment program.
 Selection: Involves selecting the right employee for the right
job. Job analysis facilitates the selection of the most suitable
employee for a particular job by describing what is to be done
on the job. For instance, if a store manager of a retail outlet is
unsure of the duties and tasks to be performed by the store
customer care executive, the store manager will not be able
to ascertain whether the selected employee can handle
customers, attend the cash counter, and maintain the
inventory of the items.
 Placement and Orientation: Involves placing the selected
employees on the job positions best suited to their skills,
attitudes, and interests and briefing them about the job. In
other words, placement implies placing the employees on the
right job and orientation involves familiarizing them with the
duties and tasks that are associated with the job positions.
The effective orientation cannot be accomplished without the
proper knowledge of the job requirements.
 Training and Development: Involves helping the employees
to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the
jobs assigned to them efficiently. Job description and job
specification, which are created based on job analysis, inform
the employees as well as the training and development
department about what they are expected to perform. This
guides the training and development department in
developing the content of the training and development
programs for the employees.
 Job Evaluation: Aims to identify the relative worth of a job.
The worth of each job is evaluated by using the job
description obtained from the job analysis. Job evaluation also
identifies the base compensation the base compensation of
the job, determines the internal pay equity between jobs, and
designs the appropriate wage policies.
 Performance Appraisal: Involves comparing the actual
contribution of the employees with the established standards.
Job analysis provides information to establish definite
standards of performance for every job. If clear-cut
performance standards are established, the actual
performance of the employees can be appraised objectively.
 Employees Safety and Health: Involves ensuring the safety
of employees and preventing the hazardous and unhealthy
work conditions as far as possible. A comprehensive job
analysis reveals the dangerous and unhealthy work conditions
associated with a particular job. This helps in taking corrective
measures to minimize the chances of various risks and
avoiding unsafe practices.
 Job Design and Redesign: Involves designing and
redesigning of jobs by using various techniques, such as time
and motion study, work specification, and work improvement.
Job analysis facilitates the redesigning of various jobs so that
the mental makeup of employees can be matched with the
jobs. In addition, it helps in identifying the weak spots in
 existing job design, taking remedial steps, and improving the
existing ones through continuous monitoring.

3. What are the by-products of job analysis? Discuss the techniques

used to collect data for job analysis.
The by-products of job analysis are as follows:

 Job Description – Describes what a job entails. It discloses

what, how, and by whom the job is to be done. It classifies the
job into various sub-jobs and analyzes the nature of each sub-
job.
 Job Specification – Refers to a statement of the minimum
acceptable human qualities in terms of educational
qualifications, experience, skills, and aptitude required for a
job. It is a logical expansion of the job description as it is
accompanied with every job description.

Job Analysis (Contd)

4. What is Job Description? Discuss its purpose for employees and a supervisor or
manager.
The job description functionally describes what a job entails. It discloses what and
how a job is to be done. It classifies the job into various sub-jobs and analyzes the
nature of each sub-job. The chief objective of the job description process is that it
distinguishes a particular job from other similar jobs to set out its outer limits. Job
description is a very important document as it helps in indentifying the job by giving a
clear idea about it.
The first and immediate product of job analysis is job description. As its title
indicates, this document is basically descriptive in nature and constitutes a
record of existing and patient job facts.
Job Description is a pertinent picture (in writing) of the organizational
relationships, responsibilities and specific duties that constitute a given job or
position. It defines a scope of responsibility and continuing work assignment that
are sufficiently different from that of other jobs to warrant a specific title.
It is essential to prepare a job description before the job vacancy is publicized, since it
predicts the nature, kind and requirement of the job and provides a basis for the
advertisement and promotion of the job. Therefore, let’s identify the purpose of job
description.
Job description includes the duties and responsibilities of a specific job. In practice, a
job description is prepared before advertising the job. Job description includes the
detailed information on various aspects, such as job title, job summary, job duties,
roles and responsibilities, professional skills, wage and salary, and fringe benefits.
The general objectives of job description are as follows:
 Enhances the cooperation among all employees as everyone clearly knows
their roles and responsibilities
 Clarifies the possible career progress of the employees within an organization
 Establishes the pay scales as per the nature of job
 Documents the job details that can be referred in future
 Assesses the competencies of employees to provide a measure for their
promotion or demotion
 Maintains the hierarchy of jobs for the entire organization

Job description helps the HR department of an organization in performing various

functions, which are as follows:

 Recruitment and Selection – Supports the HR department in matching the

qualification and professional skills of the candidate with the job. In addition,
it acts as a guide for the recruitment process.
 Training and Development – Assists the HR department in planning the
training and development programs for the employees. The HR department
first identifies the training needs, then accumulates the resources for training,
and afterwards selects the appropriate method of training.
 Performance Appraisal – Guides the HR department to establish the
performance standards in terms of quality, quantity, time, and cost.
 Human Resource Planning – Provides the information to the HR department
to develop plans for future needs. It also creates plans for organizational
development.
 HR Information System – Strengthens the information system required by
the HR department to perform various activities. The HR department defines
how the information will move from one level to another. With the help of job
description, occupational codes are framed, job titles are decided, and timely
internal and external announcements regarding HR are made.
 Management of People – Facilitates the HR department in maintaining the
mutual agreement between subordinates and supervisors regarding their
functions, job content, and performance standards.
 Compensation – Assists the HR department in deciding wages, salaries, and
fringe benefits.
 Legal Requirement Fulfilment – Aids the HR department in determining the
fair labour standards and ensuring equal pay and equal opportunities in the
organization.

Purpose of Job Description for an Employee:

Job description serves a great purpose for employees as it helps them to
understand their position in the organization. The purpose of job description for
employees is mentioned in the following points:

 Establishing their role, duties, and responsibilities

 Recognizing the flow of communication in the organization
 Assessing their carrier moves in the organization
 Describing their working conditions
 Matching their educational and professional qualification with the ones set
for a particular job
 Establishing their developmental goals
 Determining the future demands of a job and accordingly training
themselves
 Differentiating one job from other
 Demanding the promotions

Purpose of Job Description for a Supervisor or Manager

A supervisor or manager uses job description in the following way:

 Enables the new employees to understand their position in the

organization
 Defines the work assignments of each job clearly
 Assists the manager to control his/her organizations
 Provides information to formulate the performance plans
 Permits the supervisor to impose the responsibilities and duties on the
employees in the light of job description as it is provided to employees
generally before joining
 Enables the manager to compare the duties and responsibilities
assigned to employees with the ones mentioned in job description. It
also helps the manager in judging the actual work done by employees
with the established performance standards and accordingly appraising
their performance.
 Helps the manager and HR department to hire the most suitable
candidate.
 Provides a base for systematic and continuous work process in the
organization
 Serves as a major decision-maker for reorganizations, realignment, and
retrenchment
 Discriminates between the major and minor functions of each job
 Describes the frequency of each job within the organization, that is
how often the particular job is performed to ensure the smooth
operation of the other organizational activities
  Explains the educational qualification, professional qualification, and
specific skills required for any particular job, such as communication,
typing, negotiation, and writing skills.

5. Distinguish between job description and job specification.

Job Description Job Specification

It identifies the various tasks associated It identifies the minimum human qualities
with the job. required to perform a job
It gives description about the roles and It specifies the educational qualifications,
responsibilities to be performed in a job skills, and attitude required to perform a
job.
It covers the job/work aspect. It covers the human aspect

6. Identify who conducts job analysis and describe the components of a job description.
The people who participate in job analysis should include, at a minimum, the
employee and the employee’s immediate supervisor. Large organizations may have
one or more job analysts, but in small organizations, line supervisors may be
responsible for job analysis. Organizations that lack the technical expertise may use
outside consultants to perform job analysis.
Components of job description include the job title, department, reporting relationship
and a job number or code, the job analysis date, the job summary and the body of the
job description that delineates the major duties to be performed.