101: Job analysis
Before a company recruits or hires, it needs to know the job for which it’s hiring. But a 2018 Career Builder survey showed 74% of small businesses hire the wrong person for the job, resulting in additional costs, lost productivity and potentially substandard output. Generic job descriptions attract generic candidates, making job analysis an important tool.
It’s a blueprint for workforce planning. Job analysis involves: Identifying the tasks required for the role; compiling information regarding its duties and responsibilities; determining ways to assess differences in performance, say between poor and above-average team members; and examining current workers in that position to see if there are ways to add more value to the organization through the role, according to HRgrapevine.com.
Beyond hiring, it has broad uses. It structures the type of talent needed in companies, a core element to fuel profitability. Companies must know who they are looking for to recruit correctly. “Job analysis data highlights the level of education, qualifications, experience and skills that need to be held by ideal candidates … helps develop advertisements, salary levels, interview questions, selection tests, evaluation forms and orientation materials for new recruits,” writes Martina Markovska at CareerMinds.com. Other reasons for job analysis include job designing and redesigning: determining training needs, setting up policies for compensation management, and carrying out performance reviews.
Employees can help by being specific, or the value of the analysis is lost. TheBalanceCareers.com’s Susan Heathfield says it’s not unusual for HR and management to see output without knowing what work goes into a particular job. “Don't just say you ‘produce monthly reports.’ Say that you ‘gather the data from six different departments, check the data for accuracy using a custom-designed Access tool that [you] created and maintain.’”
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