Transcript Job Analysis: How to Figure Out What the Job Actually Entails Despite What the 30-Year-Old Job Description Says Dale J.

Job Analysis: How to Figure Out What the Job
Actually Entails Despite What the 30-Year-Old Job
Description Says
Dale J. Dwyer, Ph.D.
First Things First
• Tasks are the building blocks of jobs.
• Jobs are the building blocks of the
organization.
• To understand the requirements to attract,
develop and retain employees, we need to
understand what the job entails.
• We do this by looking at job descriptions. But
where does this information come from in the
first place?
Job Analysis
• A job analysis is a systematic process to
collect data about work activities; equipment;
context; and the knowledge, skills and abilities
(KSAs) required of the job.
• It examines a job’s mental and physical
requirements; the KSAs necessary for job
success; the environment where work is carried
out; and the job’s primary and secondary
functions.
• It is a legal safeguard for many HR practices.
• Job analyses are usually done through
interviews and questionnaires.
What Jobs Should Be Analyzed?
• Jobs whose content has changed.
• Jobs where adverse impact in hiring has
occurred.
• Entry-level jobs.
• Jobs in which incumbents have poor
performance or high turnover.
What’s Wrong with this Job Description?
Essential Duties and
Responsibilities of a
RECEPTIONIST:
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•
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Professionally administer all
incoming calls.
Ensure phone calls are
redirected accordingly.
Greet guests in a
professional, friendly and
hospitable manner.
Open and close visitor area
(locking doors, closing
blinds, turning off lights).
Type memos,
correspondence, reports
and other documents.
Perform a variety of clerical
duties.
Qualifications/Requirements:
• Excellent phone etiquette.
• Excellent verbal
communication skills.
• Punctual.
• Able to work with minimum
supervision.
• Should be customer servicedriven.
• Knowledge of MS Office
(Word, Excel, Outlook,
Access).
• Able to multi-task.
• Professional appearance.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Minimum one year
experience.
Job Components
Identify job components by answering:
 What does an incumbent actually do?
 What are the duties, responsibilities and
performance expectations?
 What KSAs are needed for success?
 What are the conditions--location, physical and
social needs, supervision needs, etc.-- under
which the job is performed?
Job Analysis Process
1. Decide on the job(s) to be analyzed.
2. Decide on the people who will provide job
data.
3. Decide on the method to gather job data.
4. Meet with selected employees (manager and
incumbents) to explain process and method.
5. Collect data.
6. Prepare final job analysis data form.
7. Send to manager and incumbents for
feedback.
8. Revise if needed. Create the job description
and send to manager for approval.
BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS
Job Analysis Interviews and
Questionnaires
Job Analysis Interview
 Most frequently
used method.
 Interviews with
incumbents and
supervisors.
 Assumes a
thorough familiarity
with the job.
 Best when
conducted using a
structured format.
 Used to identify
critical job tasks.
 Task statements are
written to describe
what the worker does,
to what or whom, to
produce what
outcome, using what
tools, equipment,
processes, etc.
Limitations to Job Analysis Interviews
 Heavily dependent on interviewing ability.
 Takes time and may not be cost-efficient if
there are a number of jobs to analyze.
 Incumbent may distort information to reflect a
more complex job. It is important to verify
information with other incumbents and
supervisors.
 Should not be relied upon as the only source
of information.
Job Analysis Questionnaire
• Task inventories
are usually the
most widely used.
• Contains
demographic
data, listing of job
tasks and rating
scales, as well as
working
conditions,
equipment used,
etc.
• Can help combat some of
the shortcomings of the
interview method.
• Can be bought or
designed.
• Usually specific to one
job or job family.
HOWEVER -• Still time-consuming and
costly.
• Literacy issues.
Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection
Procedures, 1978
• Not a law, but certainly a mandate to validate
employment tests.
• Contains extensive rules and statistical
procedures about how an employer may
determine if selection criteria are job-related.
• Job analysis is virtually a requirement to
validate employment tests.
Legal Issues For Job Analysis: Uniform Guidelines
for Employee Selection Procedures
• Must be for a specific job,
not merely a generic job
category.
• Should be in writing.
• Should detail the job
analysis procedures
used.
• Data should be collected
by a knowledgeable
analyst.
• Sample size should be
large and representative.
• Must include tasks,
duties and activities.
• KSAs must be listed.
• Competency levels for
entry-level jobs must be
specified.
• 80 percent of the required
KSAs should be reflected
in tests.
Job Analysis and the ADA
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was
signed into law in 1990. The act was designed
to aid citizens with disabilities to fully participate
in society.
• Job analysis plays a key role in compliance with
this act.
• Job analysis helps identify the essential
functions of the job that the incumbent must be
able to perform with or without accommodation.
Which Approach Should I Use?
• Is it ready to use?
• Can it be used for a
variety of jobs?
• Can it be compared
across analysts?
• Is it user-friendly?
• How large a
sample?
• Will it provide
reliable results?
• Will it support
UGESP*
requirements for test
validation?
• Is it useful for
developing selection
tests?
• How costly is it in
terms of both time
and money?
* Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, 1978
How to Interpret a Job Analysis
• Refer to the job analysis handout; note the
different approaches to job analysis, with
benefits and drawbacks.
• First, look at the job analysis information (key
activities) about “WHAT” is accomplished and
“HOW” it is accomplished:
> Knowledge
> Skills
> Abilities
> Work environment
• Extract the major points from each aspect and
decide how to word the dimensions and use the
weighting to scale the importance of each.
Once the Job Analysis is Done
Job analysis data can be used to:
• Create job descriptions.
• Contribute to the content in recruitment
advertising.
• Determine appropriate selection tests.
• Assess training needs.
• Conduct wage and salary evaluation.
• Determine performance criteria and standards.
• Provide legal documentation for protection
against discrimination lawsuits.