Ch 3: Job Analysis in HR Selection

What are the limitations of job analysis interviews?

-A lack of standardization -Limited possibilities to interview large numbers of respondents -Time & labor intensive; not cost efficient -Legal requirements may be unmet -Interviewer may have to track through entire job in specific detail; requires skill -Information may be distorted

What is a task inventory contains 3 major types of information?

-Background information on respondents -Listing of job tasks with rating scales -Other or miscellaneous information

Define job analysis interview *

-Consists of trained analyst asking questions about duties and responsibilities, WRCs required, and conditions of employment -Typically involves group or individual interviews with incumbents and supervisors (SMEs - subject matter experts - because of their familiarity with the jobs)

What are the disadvantages of a job analysis questionnaire? *

-Costly, time-consuming; motivation may lag -Respondents must be representative of workforce, or cannot generalize

What are the disadvantages of critical incident techniques?

-Incidents don't represent the full job -Process is labor intensive, and results often situation specific -Doubtful that the information is transferable from one situation to another

What are the advantages of critical incident techniques?

-Information elicited is behavioral, not trait based -Information is "critical," so represents important aspects of the job

O*Net

Occupational Information Network Free online database Replaced the "Dictionary of Occupational Titles" Contains information on 973 'occupations' and over 45,000 unique job titles

Some WRCs are more important than others for job success

True

work activities *

what a worker does, how, why & when these activities are conducted

In past four decades, employers have given considerable attention to job analysis, because:

-Jobs are not static entities; the nature of the job changes with technology, seasons, etc. -Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures have had a significant effect -Professional standards have also emphasized the important role of job analysis in HR Selection Programs

Define job analysis questionnaire

-Questionnaire is distributed to respondents in person, by mail or email, or link to a website -It lists activities or tasks, tools and equipment used to perform the job, working conditions and WRCs incumbents must possess -Participants make some form of judgment about that information, often with a rating -Questionnaires may be tailored or prefabricated

What is a critical incident technique?

-Requires development of behavioral statements developed by supervisors and other SMEs -Based on direct observation or memory, describing incidents of good and poor work behaviors -Statements describe behaviors that distinguish successful from unsuccessful work performance -These components of the job are a basis for developing descriptive information about a job

What are the advantages of a job analysis questionnaire? *

-Task inventories are an efficient means of collecting data from large numbers, even if geographically dispersed -Lead to quantifying job analysis data, most valuable in determining core requirements

What are the aspects of Job analysis?*

-work activities -tools and equipment -context of the work environment -requirements of personnel performing the job

What questions should HR ask when choosing a selection measure?

1. Have job applicants demonstrated past behaviors or had experiences before taking the job that are associated with successful performance of the tasks of the job? 2.Can job applicants be observed performing the job or part of it? 3. Would a written test be best for examining worker requirements in terms of eliciting desired reactions and providing practical scoring? 4. Would giving job applicants an opportunity to express themselves orally through an interview cover job requirements that might go unassessed using other means? 5. Can the assessment method produce reliable and valid data for evaluating job applicants' possession of a WRC? 6. Is it practical and within our resources to use a particular method for measuring a WRC?

What does job analysis data help with?

1. Identify employee specifications or WRCs necessary for success on a job 2. Select or develop selection procedures that assess these important applicant WRCs to forecast those job candidates likely to succeed 3. Develop criteria or standards of job performance that represent employee job success

What are the legal issues in job analysis? *

1. Job analysis is mandatory and must be for the job for which selection procedures are used 2. Analysis of the job should be in writing 3. Job Analysts should describe in detail the job analysis procedures used 4. Knowledgeable job analysts should collect job data from a variety of current sources 5. Sample size of individuals serving as subject matter experts (SMEs) should be large and representative of the jobs for which the selection procedures are used. 6. Tasks, duties and activities should be included 7. The most important tasks should be represented in the selection procedures 8. Competency levels of work performance for entry-level jobs should be specified 9. WRCs including knowledge, skills, and abilities should be specified, particularly if a content validation strategy is used

Define Job Analysis

A purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job

What job analysis methods are frequently used?*

A) Job analysis interviews B) Job analysis questionnaires (including task analysis inventories) C) Critical Incidents Technique D) SME or job expert workshops

Albermarle Paper Co. v. Moody, U.S. Supreme Ct *

Court criticized the lack of a job analysis in a validation study

Griggs v. Duke Power Co., U.S. Supreme Court *

Selection standards used without meaningful study of their relationship to job-performance ability (didn't study the job)

Define Title V11

prohibits discrimination in employment because of race, sex, color, religion or national origin

Requirements of personnel performing the job *

such as knowledge, skills, abilities, personality characteristics, or other specifications (we refer to these various requirements as WRCs)

context of the work enviornemnt *

such as work schedule or physical working conditions

What is the role of job analysis in HR Selection

to identify the requisite WRCs, and translate them into tests, interviews, etc.

tools and equipment *

used in performing work activities