Chap 4: JOB ANALYSIS

[Talent management is the goal-oriented and integrated process of planning,

recruiting, developing, managing, and compensating employees.]

1. How to put the right person for the right job at the right time in the right place.
The most important phase in order to put the right for the right job is job analysis,
which is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job
and the kind of person who should be hired for it. Only by analyzing the job thoroughly
and comprehensively can HR department narrow down the recruitment scope and
have a detailed image of who would be most suited for the position. For every
personnel-related action depends on knowing what the job entails and what human traits
one needs to do the job well. The final products of job analysis are job descriptions and
job specifications which should be written in the most detailed and effective way. The
job description describes the activities and responsibilities of the job, as well as its
important features, such as working conditions. The job specification summarizes the
personal qualities, traits, skills, and background required for getting the job done. The
more precise and detailed job descriptions and job specifications are, the more likely
the company can hire the perfect staff for it shall be easier to screen out applicants
below standards or fail to match the “descriptions”. In short, these two products of job
analysis shall provide guidelines and orientation throughout the recruitment process to
hire the right person for the right job at the right time and in the right place. (228 words)
It is HR department’s responsibility to, via job analysis, collection information on
work activities, human behaviors, machine, tools, equipment and work aids,
performance standards, job context, human requirements. This essential information
shall be used to for not only recruitment and selection purposes but to support just about
all other human resource management activities, which makes sure the right person is
put for the right job at the right time in the right place and is aligned to the organization’s
strategic plans. (327 words)
2. Definition of job descriptions and job specifications:
- Job descriptions: a list of a job’s duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships,
working conditions, and supervisory responsibilities – one product of job
analysis.
- Job specifications: a list of a job’s “human requirements”, that is, the requisite
education, skills, personality and so on – another product of job analysis.
3. Job analysis process & example
Step 1: Decide how you’ll use the information
This will determine the data to be collected. For example, the company is
looking for new staff for the peak season coming. Then, the information is used
for job recruitment and the corresponding data collection techniques should be
interviewing the employee for writing job descriptions.
Step 2: Review the relevant background information such as organization
charts, process charts and job descriptions
These charts provide a picture of the work flow – flow of inputs to and outputs
from the job being analyzed.
For example: The quality control clerk is expected to review components from
suppliers, check components going to the plant managers, and give
information regarding components quality to these managers
Step 3: Select representative positions
The manager must select which positions to focus on for the job analysis.
Step 4: Actually analyze the job - by collecting data on job activities, working
conditions, and human traits and abilities needed to perform the job
Basic summary of the job, identifying the job’s responsibility and duties…
Step 5: Verify the job analysis information with the worker performing the job
and with his or her immediate supervisor
This will help confirm that the information is factually correct and complete
and help to gain their acceptance.
Step 6: Develop a job description and job specification
…
4. Job Description:
 1. Job identification
- Job title: Senior … executive
- Recommended salary grade:
- Department:
- Reports to (immediate supervisor’s title):
- Location/Date
2. Job summary
The person is this position is responsible for …
3. Responsibilities and duties
(ex: achieve quantitative sales goal… determine sales priorities…)
4. Authority of incumbent/Relationships
Reports to…/Supervises:….
Work with: all department managers and executive management
Outside the company
5. Standards of performance
Duty: Accurately …
6. Working conditions
7. Job specification
5. Advantages and Disadvantages of 4 ways to collect information
5.1. Interviews:
*Pros:
- It’s a simple and quick way to collect information, including information that
might not appear on a written form. A skilled interviewer can unearth important
activities or signs that wouldn’t be obvious if done otherwise.
*Cons:
- Distortion of information, either due to outright falsification or honest
misunderstanding
5.2. Questionnaires
Pros:
- A quick and efficient way to obtain information from a large number of
employees
 - Less costly (for example: than interviewing hundreds of workers)
Cons:
- Developing and testing the questionnaire can be time-consuming
- Possibility of answer distortion
5.3. Observation
Pros:
- Direct and simple method with certain accuracy.
- Useful for jobs consisting mainly of observable physical activities
Cons:
- Not appropriate for jobs entailing lots of mental activity
- Reactivity/Distortion: the worker may change what he or she normally does
when being watched.
5.4. Diary/Logs
Pros:
- Avoid relying on workers to remember what they did hours earlier when they
complete their logs at the end of the day.
- Accurate recordings of time spent on different activities
- Self-administered and thus time-saving for employer to observe.
Cons:
- Possibility of distortion
- Time-bound, can only be done in a limited time period.
CHAP 5:
1. Definition
Personnel planning is the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to
fill and how to fill them.
2. Solutions of redundancy/shortage of staff (pros & cons of each solution)
3. Recruitment Process (4 steps)