Job Analysis

By: Anushka Jain

Diksha Goyal
Drishti Jain
Mehak Bansal
Parul Sharma
Job Analysis
It involves the identification and description of what is happening on the job and uses a number
of methods and instruments for collecting and refining job data into job facts that can be utilized
for a variety of useful organizational purposes.

Preliminary Considerations
1) Senior Management Support- this approach helps reduce the shock the demands cause to
senior management. The management faces a flood of demands, it frequently reacts by doing
nothing.
2) Workforce Cooperation- The success of job analysis program hinges on the quality and
quantity of data collected. Meeting quality and quantity requirement depends to a large degree on
the cooperation and involvement of all the jobholders. All members of the organisation must
support the program and become involved in all of its phases.

Planning a Job Analysis Program

Four planning steps are helpful in performing a successful job analysis.

Step One- Determine the organizational use of job content and other related data Major users
and uses of job analysis are as follows:
• Employment
• Training
• Organizational Design and Staffing
• Compensation
• Performance Review
• Safety and Health
• Affirmative Action Planning
• Hiring the Handicapped

Step Two- Learn about the structure, operations and job of the organisation
Three general sources of information that can provide valuable assistance towards understanding
the jobs of the organisation prior to the actual collection of job facts are:
• Organisation Chart
• Process Chart
• Procedures Manuals

Step Three- Identify and select method for collecting job content data and other related facts
Various methods for collecting data are:
1. Interview- Interview is a face-to-face situation. This method involves analysing the job at
interviewing the workers performing the job, the immediate supervisor, SME, or possibly
on three.
 2. Observation- Under this method, the analyst observed the job holder performing the job
and record what is seen. When observing, the analyst should select a vantage point that
will provide a clear view of the work being performed and at the same time do not
interfere with those under observation.
3. Questionnaire- This method might be less costly method of collecting data. It is the most
efficient way to collect a wide array of job data in a short period
4. Diary/Log- This is normally a less structured approach than the basic job analysis
questionnaire format. The diary or log should contain sections for recording activities
performed at frequent or irregular intervals.
5. Combination- Any combination of the preceding few methods might provide better
results than the one used by itself.

Step Four- Schedule the necessary and logical work steps

A time and cost schedule of necessary and logical work steps assists in obtaining job data in
conformity with desired results. The development of a job analysis budget is an ideal starting
point. Developing a budget involves identifying and forecasting the significant events in a job
analysis program.

Gaining Employee Acceptance and Cooperation

Before the start of any job analysis, the person responsible for the job should know what the
goals of the analysis are, who is involved, and what will happen. A wide variety of media are
available to communicate this information.
● Compensation and Job- Employees have a vital interest in and concern with their pay and
the policy and procedure used by the company in determining the pay practices. Also, the
manager in the particular job area should introduce the analyst to the workplace
supervisor and the incumbent and request that one of them take the analyst on a tour of
the work area. It will help the analyst gain acceptance in the workplace.
● Other Methods- The relatively low cost of camcorder and VCR and the skills of the many
people who can operate this equipment make it possible for almost all organisations to
develop a tape that could introduce a job analysis program to employees. The tape could
discuss what the employee can expect and what he or she should do to prepare for the
data collection. It also could discuss the role of the employee in reviewing data that have
been edited and finalise whether job and approved by the immediate supervisor.

Collecting and Describing Job Data

1. Activity – it is a word with broader meaning that includes kinds of action, movement, or
behaviour which is used in performing job assignments.
2. Major activity or responsibility – these statements describe the general nature of the job.
It organises the job into categories and moves the classification from major activities to
task then to procedures.
3. Function – the nature or proper action an individual, work unit, or mechanism performs.
 4. Element – it is the individual activity units of identifiable and definable physical and
intellectual work that produce output.
5. Task – a coordinated series of work elements that are used to produce output.
6. Duty – one or more tasks performed in carrying out a work activity.
7. Behaviour – it is a term used to describe a set of interacting activities.
8. Essential job function – it is an activity that the individual who holds the position must be
able to perform.
9. Competency – a combination of knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes demonstrated
by an employee.
The Computer and Job Analysis
The major problem in the process of job analysis is the amount of time an incumbent to provide
job content data, then to review the data, and to enter the final copy. The computer-based system
has made it easy as all the data is stored in the database and the participants can review and
select well written statements unless searching the best words or statements that define a job.
The Internet and Job Analysis
Internet has made it all easy many bulletin boards have been developed to share and retrieve
information. Various websites which provide information and helps seek answers to problems. It
allows the job analyst to streamline traditional methods that required on-site visits, extensive
analysis and time-consuming recordkeeping. The e-mail link of the internet allows timely
communications with a single memorandum distributed simultaneously to multiple sites.
Developing a Data Collection Instrument
It is not unusual for a questionnaire to be 15 pages in length which is difficult for the incumbent
to pile up back. Some of the employees face difficulties in putting their thoughts and ideas into
written form. And some with skills find it easy. So an approach is made for the collection of data
process in two parts
1. Involves the collection of task data only
2. Requires the incumbent to review task data as edited and developed by the job analyst
and complete the questionnaire.
Collecting Job Activity Data
The logical place to begin the data collection process is with the individual. The information
provided by the incumbent should be complete and accurate data and the data about different
jobs obtained by all the employees. They should start with a mini organisation chart then should
create a cover sheet of a task driven questionnaire.

Defining a Job Activity or Task

First and foremost, those responsible for writing job activity statements must describe precisely
what they mean because of many crucial organizational and employee related programs that are
rooted in job content, effort and discipline are required.
The data on collection description phase is win details of teen about the job.
Responsibility and Duty Identification
1.Responsibilities- The major job activities you perform that make up your whole job.
2.Duties-this specific, more detailed activity you perform when accomplishing its responsibility.
Certain requirements apply to the writing of all kinds of activities statements:
1. Is the verb selected the most descriptive possible?
2. Does the statement require the use of more than one verb?
3. Does the statement involves a sequential relationship of verb+object, verbal+object,
verbal+objects and so on, plus other modifying information?
4. Does the statement consist of a single verb+object with the compound modifier?
Editing Job Activity Data
The following guidelines are used in editing incumbent-provided data into responsibilities and
duties that defined the job.
1. Are sufficient responsibility is listed to cover all major areas of the job?
2. Do the identified duties fit within the assigned responsibilities?
3. Does it appears that some duties might be missing?
4. Are the responsibility and duty statements to vague or too specify?
Clarifying Deviations
Before completing a first draft job definition it might be necessary to clarify issues arising from
the complete responsibility and duty identification forms. In the review process, the analyst
might sense, from having reviewed another completed questionnaire or from learning work unit
operations, that an activity is missing out that an activity is described poorly.
It is not unusual to find employees who have had insufficient instruction not raining and who are
doing things they should not be doing however, divisions between what the employee is doing
and should be doing do not necessarily arise from faulty errors or work knowledge.
These deviations might arise because past job descriptions include obsolete duties that continue
to be considered part of the job or duties of minimal importance of maintaining such in accuracy
is maybe insured on warranted high pay for the incumbent and or might assist managers in
building empires by making job appeared to be more important than they are.
Because the job analysts touch so many areas fundamental defective and efficient working
relationships, the worker performing the job and the immediate supervisor must have the
opportunity to review the analysis editing effort.
Editing the Accounting Clerks’ Responsibilities and Duties
After reading the responsibility and duty statement provided by the accounting clerk job analyst
develop the following first job definitions:
1. Maintain payroll records for human resource department
2. Process as various forms and reports the finance department.
3. Communicate with others by telephone.
Collecting job specification data
The job specification portion of the question it is not delivered to the incumbent, even when an
incumbent was interviewed and did not personally complete the responsibility and duty potion of
the questionnaire, he or she could send the specifications section for completion.
Example of a job specification questionnaire: -knowledge and skills and education and
experience requirement registration.
Reviewing and Revising Job Facts
After receiving the reviewed first draft of the job definition and the completed job specification
questionnaire, the analyst is ready to review these documents with appropriate individuals.
The reviewing authority may be one, two or more levels in the managerial hierarchy.
A major goal of this review is to identify any variance between what is happening versus what
should be happening.
Designing a Custom-Made Job Analysis Questionnaire
A good questionnaire must be neat, with topical areas grouped in a logical sequence that relates
to the natural flow of work. It should follow two suggestions:
1. Insert only those response requests that are absolutely necessary
2. Indicate that all answers should be as brief as possible
The open-minded questionnaire requires incumbents to think about their jobs and from this
intellectual exercise, appreciate and understand the whys and what’s of the job.
The structured checklist or closed-response questionnaire takes more time to develop because all
the vital areas in which questions should be asked have to be identified.
A checklist enables a respondent to select among a number of alternative responses. It requires
set of questions that determines a magnitude of difference among particular activities of job.
A well-designed checklist minimizes differences in analyst interpretation. It requires closer
auditing on the part of the analyst.
Guidelines for Conducting a Job Analysis Interview:
1. Select group or small number of incumbents is to be interviewed, ask the supervisor
responsible for the job to select as an interviewee the individual who knows most about
the job.
2. Establish immediate rapport with the interviewee, introduce yourself, know the
incumbent’s name, briefly review the purpose of the interview, and explain how the
selection was made and what opportunity the incumbent wil have to review the final
report for accuracy and validity.
3. When possible, use structured outlines to obtain job information. Forms that may be of
great help when requesting job information.
4. If possible, confine questions to one area at a time when asking more than one question.
The interviewer might discover hidden job issues. Always close the interview on a
friendly note and express appreciation for the time and the effort spent on the interview.
5. After completing the interview, verify the job data. The supervisor probably will be able
to interviewee’s comments or clarify certain hazy terms or phrases.