What is job analysis?
Job analysis is the process of describing a position in its entirety. It’s the practice of gathering and analyzing details about a particular job, such as responsibilities, day-to-day duties, hard and soft skills, qualifications, education, expected outcomes, interaction, performance standards, work conditions and supervision. Job analysis is commonly used to develop job descriptions, but the data also have other uses.
“Best practice includes a regular planned review/analysis of job duties by position. As roles change due to technology or other business needs, it’s important to ensure job requirements are current and representative of today’s needs.”
—Joe Scotto, HR leader
Why is job analysis important?
Job analysis is an important part of understanding the roles within your organization. Conducting a job analysis provides an overview of the requirements of a role to ensure that you’re making the right hiring decisions. Failing to conduct an in-depth analysis can lead to employee discontent, potentially higher turnover rates and low levels of employee engagement.
An effective job analysis ensures that employees understand the expectations of their position, are appropriately trained and receive fair compensation. It is an effective tool to help you make a variety of personnel decisions and understand the context of a role within an organization.
Businesses often use job analysis for:
- Writing job descriptions
- Creating job postings
- Recruiting new employees
- Crafting an employee development plan
- Managing employee performance reviews
- Establishing appropriate compensation
- Career mapping
- Job classification
- Succession planning
When you collect and analyze the right data during a job analysis, you can determine important job elements like:
- Job title
- Job levels, such as assistant, associate, specialist or senior associate
- Position summary
- Specific job duties
- Work conditions
- Potential workplace hazards
- Necessary machinery, equipment and tools
- How the role fits in with your budget
Common methods of job analysis
There are several methods to conduct a job analysis, depending on your objective outcomes, industry, work environment and the specifics of the position.
Here are six of the most common job analysis methods:
Direct observation
Direct observation requires you to observe an employee in the position while they perform their job duties. It involves taking detailed notes on what the employee does, the materials they use, the necessary skills and any other job-related requirements.
The direct observation method typically requires the analyst to be familiar with the job, so they know what to look for and how to describe it. A department manager or senior employee is best suited to perform this method of job analysis.
Work method analysis
Consider using the work method job analysis for repetitive labor jobs, such as assembly line positions. This job analysis generally includes time and motion studies that determine how long it takes to complete an action and the number of actions the employee can complete during their shift. Companies often use this information to determine how many workers they require to meet production goals.
Critical incident technique
The critical incident job analysis technique determines what separates good work performance from substandard performance. Using this method, analysts interview employees and ask about critical incidents they’ve experienced on the job to determine the specific skills required to reach a positive outcome.
Interview
With this job analysis method, you interview employees and their supervisors about the specifics of the employee’s job. Interviewers ask a variety of questions to determine job duties and necessary skills. This method is extremely valuable and can offer insights into non-daily functions that are important to the role.
Questions might include:
- Describe the job in your own words.
- What is your job’s purpose?
- Describe your working conditions.
- What do you feel is necessary in terms of education or qualifications?
- What special tools, equipment or machines do you use?
- What is the level of accountability in your role?
- How long do you typically spend on X task?
Questionnaire
The questionnaire job analysis method requires employees to answer a list of questions related to their job. Often, these questionnaires are very detailed to glean as much information as possible. Questionnaires can be helpful when there is a large number of employees in a specific role. Some existing questionnaires can help you conduct a job analysis:
- Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ): Developed at Purdue University in 1972, the PAQ is used to define the duties and responsibilities of a given position. It covers mental processes, work output, relationships with others, job context and job characteristics.
- Functional job analysis (FJA): The FJA was created by the United States Department of Labor to perform qualitative analyses. It describes what an employee does, broken down into functions like data, worker instructions, reasoning, people, math and language.
- Multipurpose occupational systems analysis inventory – close-ended (MOSAIC): MOSAIC is a survey-based job analysis tool that collects information from employees to determine the core competencies of a role, including knowledge, skills and abilities.
- Common metric questionnaire (CMQ): The CMQ is a 62-question survey that covers five core sections: background, contacts, physical and mechanical activities, decision-making and work setting.
Internal and external research
The best process often uses a variety of sources to gather information on a particular job position. Start by reviewing your existing job postings, performance development plans and employee training materials. You can also perform external research by looking at job description samples or job postings online for the role you’re analyzing to see what other companies are looking for in candidates.
How to perform a job analysis
Follow these steps to perform an effective job analysis:
1. Determine the goal
Start by establishing the goal of your job analysis. For example, your goal might be to determine appropriate compensation, update a job description or recruit potential employees for an open role. Once identified, review the goal with the relevant leadership groups to gain agreement or adjust the goal accordingly.
2. Consider which jobs you want to analyze
Decide what you want to analyze–for example, an entire department, a few specific jobs or a single position–to help you select the right method for your analysis.
3. Select the right job analysis method
Determine which job analysis method will produce the most useful data for your goals. For example, the interview method may not be the right choice if you’re hiring for a completely new role at your company. In this case, external research may be a suitable option.
If you want to revise a job description, direct observation could be a cost-effective choice. Want to figure out how to classify a certain position? A questionnaire could help you determine whether a role should be exempt or nonexempt.
4. Create a timeline
Establish a timeline for notifying employees about the analysis, conducting the analysis, reviewing the data and implementing any changes.
5. Prepare your materials
Prepare any necessary materials for the job analysis, such as securing a meeting room, purchasing a questionnaire or developing interview questions.
6. Complete the analysis
Perform the job analysis using best practices for the method you selected. If possible, request input from employees, supervisors and senior managers to get a more well-rounded and in-depth look at the job you’re analyzing.
7. Review your job analysis results
Assess the data to see what the job entails, what skills and qualifications are necessary to perform it well and any other relevant information needed to meet your goals.
8. Use the data
Finally, use the results of your job analysis to establish an updated job description, determine appropriate compensation, develop an employee development plan or other documents or processes.
By regularly examining what each role truly demands, you can set clearer expectations, potentially attract better-fitting talent and reduce turnover and build a more agile organization.
