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Complete Guide to Job Analysis for HR Professionals

Hiring the right person for the job all starts with understanding the work performed on the job and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that are needed to be successful in the position. While hiring is notoriously difficult, there are some steps you can take to make it simpler to find the right person for the job. One way to do this is to do an in-depth job analysis to identify exactly what the role requires, the skills you’ll be looking for, and both short-term and long-term expectations for the position.

Understanding Job Analysis

A job analysis is the process of deeply understanding a role to help establish who would be a good fit for the position. Job analysis can ensure that any recruitment and selection process identifies the most qualified candidates in a fair and legally-defensible manner. It helps everyone start out on the same page for what you’ll be looking for and can help you identify the most qualified candidates. Ultimately, the goal of this is to help your organization find people who are good fits and will stay with your team, as well as protect your company from potential legal complications.

Types of Job Analysis

There are a few different types of job analyses to consider to help you evaluate a role and identify potential candidates. 

  • Task job analysis: Focuses on identifying and detailing the specific tasks, duties, and responsibilities required for a job. It breaks down activities into measurable components to understand the skills, tools, and processes necessary to perform the role effectively.
  • Functional job analysis: Examines a job’s purpose and the worker’s interaction with data, people, and tools. This method evaluates how tasks contribute to organizational goals and emphasizes the level of skill and effort required for successful performance.
  • Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ): A standardized job analysis tool that uses a detailed questionnaire to gather information about job activities. It evaluates aspects such as decision-making, communication, and physical demands to create a comprehensive view of the job’s requirements.
  • Competency-based job analysis: Focuses on identifying the core competencies, behaviors, and skills needed for success in a specific role. This approach aligns job analysis with organizational goals and helps in recruiting and developing employees with the right capabilities.
  • Critical incident technique: Gathers specific examples of employee behavior that lead to particularly effective or ineffective performance. By analyzing these incidents, organizations can determine essential job requirements and focus on what drives success or failure in the role.

A very thorough job analysis might utilize multiple of these approaches to create a comprehensive profile of the position. CPS HR conducts job analysis studies for any job classification and occupation. Each job analysis study follows a task-based methodology in adherence with the Federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures and other relevant, recognized legal and professional standards and guidelines.

The Job Analysis Process

In general, this is the way a job analysis is performed and the way it’s done at CPS HR. 

Identify Purpose and Scope

Start by determining why the job analysis is being conducted and what outcomes are expected. If you’re using it to establish a standard hiring procedure or to find people who will provide value to your organization, you’ll want to establish that. Define the scope to focus on specific roles, departments, or functions. This helps you make sure the rest of your job analysis will meet organizational goals, such as creating accurate job descriptions or identifying training needs.

Collect Job Information

Gather detailed data about the role through interviews, surveys, observations, or reviewing current documentation. Consider working with your or your client’s current employees, managers, and other stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of tasks, responsibilities, and required skills that this role will have. This step sets the foundation for accurate job analysis and helps you ensure that the information you gather comes from good sources.

Analyze and Document

Evaluate the collected data to identify key job functions, competencies, and performance expectations. Document the findings in a clear and organized format, creating actionable insights for recruitment, training, and performance management. This job analysis study and resultant data will serve as the foundation for exam plan development and validate future recruitment decisions. 

Review and Validate

Share the job analysis results with relevant stakeholders to confirm accuracy and relevance. Incorporate feedback from employees and managers to show that the information reflects the actual job requirements. This step can help you build trust and establish a strong foundation for fairness. 

Implement and Update

Integrate the finalized job analysis into HR processes like recruitment, training, and performance reviews. Establish a process for regular updates to keep the analysis current as job roles and organizational needs evolve. Continuous updates help the job analysis stay relevant and effective in the long-term.

The Role of Job Analysis in HR Functions

Many organizations will use a job analysis for multiple purposes. These are some of the main ways you might use a job analysis: 

Recruitment and Selection

Job analysis provides the foundation for creating clear and accurate job descriptions, which help attract the right candidates. By identifying key responsibilities and required qualifications, your HR team can develop targeted job postings and effective interview questions to select the most suitable talent. At CPS HR, our services include job analysis, selection tool development (including written examinations, interviews, training and experience evaluations, etc.), assessment centers, and test administration — all to help improve your recruitment and selection process. 

Training and Development

A thorough job analysis identifies the skills and knowledge required for a role, and that can help you pinpoint what would be a relevant training program for your employees. Creating the right training and development courses helps make sure that your employees are equipped to meet job expectations and provide your organization with value. 

Performance Management

Job analysis can also help you establish clear performance standards by defining the tasks and competencies essential to each role. These benchmarks let HR and managers assess employee performance objectively and provide constructive feedback to drive improvement. 

Compensation and Job Evaluation

Job analysis plays a crucial role in determining fair compensation by assessing a role’s responsibilities, complexity, and required skills. It supports job evaluation processes and helps you ensure internal equity and attract and retain top talent with competitive pay standards. 

Why Job Analysis Matters

Taking the time to create a thorough job analysis can help improve the effectiveness of your HR team. You will be able to more effectively write job descriptions, evaluate applications, and identify great employees for your organization. In addition, it can help you establish a standardized way to measure development and pay, supporting legal compliance — all of which can help make your HR department more effective. 

Employees also benefit from job analyses. These in-depth role profiles provide more clarity about what’s expected of someone, which can help them meet expectations and feel more satisfied with their work. 

Implementing Job Analysis with CPS HR

CPS HR provides job analyses and HR expertise, so your team doesn’t have to do it alone. Your team can use this information to improve multiple areas of your organization, including hiring. 

Partnering with CPS HR can benefit you in more areas as well. We provide services for a number of human resources activities including developing and updating job descriptions, classification specifications, and minimum qualifications; training and development planning; performance management and workforce planning initiatives. ‍

Find out how CPS HR Consulting can help you. Every business has unique HR needs. Working together we’ll find the right solution to achieve your goals.