Is a systematic process of gathering information about the responsibilities of a job?
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OPM (United States Office of Personnel Management) describes job analysis as “a systematic procedure for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information about the content, context, and requirements of the job.”[1] Purpose of Job Analysis The purpose of job analysis is to establish what a job entails, including the required knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA as well as job duties and responsibilities and the conditions of the job. Job analysis is essential documentation and a fundamental resource for human resources management actions including recruiting, compensation, training and assessment and performance evaluation. As OPM notes, “a job analysis is the foundation of human resources management. A valid job analysis provides data that should be used to develop effective recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, and career development methodologies.”[2] Job analysis serves four primary purposes:
Practice QuestionSteps in Job AnalysisFundamentals of Human Resource Management authors DeCenzo, et.al. identify the following job-specific steps in the job analysis process:[3]
Summary: The Job Analysis ProcessThe job analysis process, including inputs and output, are listed below.[4] Inputs
Position Data / Information
Output
Practice QuestionSources of InformationAs noted above, determining what a job consists of involves identifying sources of information and determining how data will be collected. Internal sources of information include published information including organizational charts, job announcements, position descriptions; direct or indirect (e.g., review of video) observation; input from management, employees and/or a relevant subject matter expert, obtained through interviews or via questionnaires. An additional option for collecting data is the diary method, where a job incumbent keeps a diary or log of daily activities. Information obtained from internal sources can be supplemented with or compared with external data. A key source of information—relevant for career exploration and job analysis, as the site’s welcome notes—is the O*Net OnLine database. O*Net’s About states the site “is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*Net’s database is updated on a continual basis and “contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.” The section of particular interest to job analysts and human resource management in general is the Content Module, which provides the “anatomy” or distinguishing characteristics of an occupation including knowledge, skills and abilities and other job dimensions. O*Net data is organized in the following six major domains:
Practice QuestionLearn MoreO*Net’s Content Model page is interactive; data can be accessed by clicking on a particular section or domain. For example, clicking on Worker Requirements links to a page with four primary folders: Abilities, Occupational Interest, Work Values and Work Styles. Nested under Abilities, defined as “Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance” are four folders: Cognitive Abilities, Psychomotor Abilities, Physical Abilities and Sensory Abilities. Completing Job AnalysisConducting a job analysis includes the following processes:
To elaborate on the rating point, the OPM recommends that tasks that are rated as both frequent (every few days to weekly) and important (on a scale from Not Important to Extremely Important) be considered critical for the job. The OPM ranks competencies based on importance and when the skill is needed—for example, on entry or within 6 months, recommending that competencies be considered critical if considered at least Important and needed within the first 3 months. Practice QuestionContribute!Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input. Improve this pageLearn More What is a systematic process of gathering and interpreting information about the essential duties?Job analysis is the process of gathering, examining and interpreting data about a job's tasks and responsibilities.
What is the systematic process for identifying and describing the important aspects of a job?Job Analysis is a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job.
Is a systematic process used to identify and describe the important aspects of a job and the worker characteristics needed to succeed?“Job analysis is a systematic process used to identify the tasks, duties, responsibilities and working conditions associated with a job and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required to perform that job.” That definition comes from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Is the process of systematically collecting analyzing and documenting the important facts about a job?Job Analysis is the process of gathering and analyzing information about the content and requirements of job as well as the context in which job are performed. It is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operation and responsibilities of a specific job.
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