chapter 4 STAFFING
¡Group Interviews
Interview a group of knowledgeable workers and supervisors who are familiar with the position of interest
Structured Interview Dis:
Interviews require a job analysis professional to reduce interviewer bias.// If many experts are involved, then the interviews can be time consuming.// Interview data can be difficult to analyze and use.
Structured Questionnaire adv:
It is fast.// It is relatively cheap.// It can be used for almost any position.//It is standardized so different jobs can be compared.// It produces estimates of the job requirements for mental, perceptual, psychomotor, and physical abilities,including estimates of the job's requirements for certain personality characteristics.
Structured Interview adv:
It is fast.// It requires minimal time and resources.// It is good when only a small number of job experts are available and when the job analysis must be completed quickly
Task Inventory Dis:
It may not identify worker characteristics that are important but infrequently displayed. • It does not identify worker characteristics that distinguish superior from average or barely acceptable workers.
Job Elements adv
Job experts are involved in every stage and feel ownership over the process.// It is efficient and relatively fast.// A relatively small number of people are needed.// It results in well-organized documentation of the job and the worker.
Who is most likely to share job-related information?
Managers or Supervisors, employees,Trained professionals from the HR department
Critical Incidents Dis:
Narrative data can be difficult to analyze and use// It requires a fair amount of time and resources to collect enough critical incidents
¡O*Net dis:
Need to be customized///preparing job analysis:
observations Information Sources:
Observing and noting the physical activities of employees as they go about their jobs
9. Weight the job duties
The weights for each job duty's relative importance are used to identify Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (BFOQs), or the essential qualifications of new hires, and to prioritize the characteristics that will be recruited and screened for.
questionnaire Best for:
There are a large number of employees that do similar work (e.g., pilots, analysts, nurses) AND employees have easy access to computers/use computers/laptops for their job. [However, employees should be linguistically qualified to understand the questions and reply to them.]
11. Write the job description and person specification
To write the job description, the job analyst should be able to use the tasks and duties to describe the basic functions. The Web site www.jobdescription.com can be a helpful resource for writing job descriptions. After searching to find a desired job title, the wizard can be used to customize the generic job description for this position using the information obtained from the job analysis.
¡O*Net adv:•
Useful for organizations with no job analysts and/or HR depts•Useful for new positions•You don't have to start from scratch•Its free
Structured Interview:
Verbally in a face-to-face interview, subject matter experts provide information about the job and worker characteristics that distinguish superior from average or poor workers.
Job Specification:
What human traits and experiences are required to do this job well? [ksaos]
1. Get the support of top managers and ensure that all managers support the job analysis effort
Without it, the appropriate resources are not likely to be provided for the effort, and employees who are asked to participate will not be as likely to take the effort seriously or be given enough time away from their regular job duties to do it
10. Construct a job requirements matrix
a firm can pool together job analyses from a variety of positions to identify key KSAOs or competencies that are important for multiple jobs. Job analyses for jobs in the same job family, or for jobs that tend to link into career paths for employees, can be used for strategic planning.
Competency Modeling vs. Competencies
a job analysis method that identifies the necessary worker competencies for high performance Vs more broadly defined components of a successful worker's repertoire of behavior needed to do a job well
Job Task
an observable unit of work with a beginning and an end
Knowledge vs. Skill vs. Ability
an organized body of factual or procedural information that can be applied to a task Vs. the capability to perform tasks accurately and with ease; skills often refer to psychomotor activities Vs. a more stable and enduring capability to perform a variety of tasks than a skill allows
6. Form the job duty and task groupings
analyst groups similar task statements into job duties that reflect broader job responsibilities. The grouping process is subjective, but the goal is to reduce a lengthy list of task statements into a much shorter list—generally to fewer than 12 job duties each containing 6 to 30 task statements.
ksaos: ¡Knowledge:
body of information (conceptual, factual, procedural) that can be applied directly to the performance of tasks ¡Example: Knowledge of Excel & SPSS
Other Characteristics
characteristics that do not fall into the knowledge, skill, or ability categories; they include a person's values, interests, integrity, work style, and other personality traits
8. Collect critical incidents
collect critical incidents to identify the behaviors that differentiate very good from poor job performance. Ask job experts to consider each of the job duties one at a time and imagine instances of particular effective or ineffective performance. Ideally, both good and bad critical incidents will be collected to try to identify the behaviors, competencies, skills, and so on, that differentiate good job performers.
Entry examinations
currently used for the job.
What is O*NET? What is it used to do?
described what workers did on a job with regard to seven categories: (1) things, (2) data, (3) people, (4) worker instructions, (5) reasoning, (6) math, and (7) language
the interview cons
distorted info. employees may exaggerate certain responsibilities while minimizing other tasks ///if you have no prior knowledge of the job difficult to interpret///can be time consuming///based on individual memory\\quality is based on willingness of job holders to convey the tasks and skills\\\
7. Link the KSAOs back to the job duties
experts are asked to confirm whether each KSAO is important to the performance of the tasks in each given category. Ideally, the relationship of every KSAO to every task category is rated in terms of its importance. This helps the firm identify which KSAOs should be given priority when it comes to making its recruiting and selection decisions
5. Generate the KSAOs
identify the job-related worker characteristics that need to be present for recruits to be considered minimally qualified for the job, characteristics can be thought of in terms of knowledge (K), skills (S), abilities (A), other characteristics (O) (referred to as a group as KSAOs)
in reality here what organizations use to collect job analysis date:
interviews 50% observations 33% questionnaire 27%
Job Elements Dis:
it can be difficult to explain and communicate the job elements methodology
Essential vs. Desirable Criteria
job candidate characteristics that are critical to the adequate performance of a new hire vs. job candidate criteria that may enhance the new hire's job success, but that are not essential to adequate job performance
job analysis is used to develop
job description
Any existing job analyses
job descriptions, person specifications, or job profiles, which can be a useful starting point for developing task statements and identifying competencies.
Person specification
outlines the essential and desirable criteria for the person doing the job
the interview¡Best for
professional jobs where people are in a lot of different roles, but they are part of a larger team team (e.g., Human Resources Team); Frequently used for managerial roles
Employees -
provide information and verify the job description. Job incumbents are one of the most valuable sources of information
Managers or Supervisors
provide information throughout the process and verify the accuracy of the final job description.
conducting job analysis DURING ANALYSIS
•State why you are there & what you will do with the results. Introduce yourself to job holder and make them aware of why you are conducting the job analysis •Talk to the employee and the supervisor. It's important to talk to both the supervisor and the job incumbent[-The job incumbent talks about what they get "done" in the job.-The supervisor will describe the worker requirements of skills] •If possible, observe the individual doing their job
Writing the Job Specification
•There is no specific way to write the job specification, however the following sections should be included:•Education and/or Qualifications (e.g. professional qualifications and technical skills) [-Are there any minimum education requirements?]•Experience (e.g. previous work experience) [-Are there any minimum experience requirements?]•Knowledge•Skills•Abilities•Other: [Any other requirements? Preferences? ]
Preferred Qualifications
("Nice to Haves") ¡These qualifications include preferred education (e.g. major, degree), experience, skills, competencies, and credentials desired by the hiring department, ¡These are not essential to the job but enhance a candidate's ability, ¡Applicants who possess these preferred qualifications would be considered top candidates for the position, ¡Typically includes: Preferred Education, Preferred Work Experience, Knowledge, Skill, Abilities & Critical Behaviors[tends to be longer]
observations Best for:
(1) Jobs where the you can observe all aspects of the role and the tasks are repetitive in nature (e.g. Bus Driver) (2) Good to use when you are conducting a job analysis on jobs that are physical in nature (e.g. assembly-line worker)
¡Basic Qualifications
(also called minimum qualifications, or "Must Haves") ¡The critical education and experience, essential duties and responsibilities of the job and relate to what the employee actually needs to do, Typically includes: Education, Prior Work Experience, Certifications, Licenses, Minimum Age Requirements [simple as possible]
Trained professionals from the HR department
(e.g. Job Analyst, Position Classification Specialist, Compensation/Benefits Analyst)
the interview pros
,widely used,easy to organize related jobinfo,interview uses predetermined questions,allows incumbent to describe tasks and duties that are not observable
job analysis•Relationships
-*Reports to:-**Supervises:-Works with:-Outside the company
job analysis•Working Conditions
-Describes the working conditions of the position (e.g. retail store)
job analysis: summary
-General nature of the job-Major functions/activities -This is a concise statement of the job. Upon reading the summary, the intended audience should know why the job exists, that is, what mission the job is to fulfill.
job analysis:•Responsibilities and Duties
-Major responsibilities and duties (essential functions)=-This section usually answers 3 basic questions:[-What does the jobholder do?-How does the jobholder do it? (e.g. are there any tools, equipment, or materials that is required)-Why is it done? (e.g. is there a goal, objective, or outcome that is achieved)] -The responsibilities should be written from most to least important-Separate essential from non-essential responsibilities
job analysis•Standards of Performance
-What is the employee is expected to achieve? How will their performance be measured?
What are the 11 steps included in performing a typical job analysis?
1. Get the support of top managers and ensure that all managers support the job analysis effort 2. Thoroughly communicate the purpose of the job analysis to all participants and ensure they are diligent about completing the tasks objectively 3. Collect background information and analyze how the job contributes to the execution of the firm's business strategy 4. Generate the task statements 5. Generate the KSAOs 6. Form the job duty and task groupings 7. Link the KSAOs back to the job duties 8. Collect critical incidents 9. Weight the job duties 10. Construct a job requirements matrix 11. Write the job description and person specification
legal requirements
1.Be valid and identify the employee's knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics necessary to perform the job and differentiate superior from barely acceptable 2.Be in writing and relevant to the particular job in question3.Be derived from multiple sources
the most common ways job analysis data is collected
1.Critical incident technique 2.Job Elements Method 3.Interviews 4.Task Inventory Approach 5.Questionnaires
Structured Questionnaire dis
A high reading level may be required for some questionnaire items.// Information obtained is limited by the predetermined questions.// It may miss unique aspects of the job or employee context.
3. Collect background information and analyze how the job contributes to the execution of the firm's business strategy
A job family description// Desk audits// Entry examinations//Worker logs// Any existing job analyses, job descriptions, person specifications, or job profiles// Performance reviews// Recruitment information// Training materials
Task Inventory:
A list of tasks (typically 50 to 200) are generated by job experts and then grouped in categories reflecting major work functions. The categories are subsequently evaluated on dimensions relevant for selection.
Job Elements:
A panel of subject matter experts list and rate the important job elements (worker characteristics that influence success in the job, including the person's knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics).
Structured Questionnaire:
A written questionnaire that assesses the job's required information input, mental processes, work output, relationships with other persons, job context, and other job characteristics. The characteristics related to the job are then related to worker characteristics (rather than only the job's tasks, or duties being described).
ksaos:¡Skill:
An observable trait for working with or applying knowledge to perform a particular task. A skill depends on experience and practice. [ on onet] Example: Planning, Communication and Collaboration
ksaos:¡Ability:
An underlying trait that a person has that is useful for performing a range of different tasks. Abilities do not change over time. Example: Memorization, Mathematical Reasoning
observations Why:
Collect information while employee is doing the job
What are five of the most commonly used job analysis methods?
Critical Incidents, Job Elements, Structured Interview, Task Inventory, Structured Questionnaire [in that order]
You can use the information in O*NET to:
Develop accurate job descriptions//Define recruitment goals//Develop more targeted and effective employee development programs//Align organizational development initiatives with identified workplace needs//Expand the pool of quality candidates for open positions
4. Generate the task statements
Each task statement should describe a discreet, identifiable aspect of the work performed on the target job and describe what the worker does, how the worker does it, and for what purpose. Then combine any related or similar task statements and write them as one statement
questionnaire Why:
Efficient way of identifying tasks and skills used on the job
¡Review Company Literature
Examples of company literature might include training manuals or previous job descriptions .External references might include books about particular occupations, or published job analysis databases
Critical Incidents adv:
Examples of particularly effective or ineffective job behaviors are detailed//The incidents are examples of actual on-the-job behavior.
2. Thoroughly communicate the purpose of the job analysis to all participants and ensure they are diligent about completing the tasks objectively
Explaining why the job analysis is being done and describing how the results will be used can promote cooperation among employees and help reduce their fears that the process might somehow negatively affect their own jobs.
questionnaire Information Sources
Have employees fill out questionnaires to describe their job-related duties and responsibilities.
the interview Why:
Helps in identifying tasks, responsibilities, competencies and working conditions.
¡Review Records
Review company records (e.g. previous job performance appraisal material, position descriptions, accidents reports, correspondence issued by the employee)
Task Inventory adv
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW= It is objective. •It results in a reliable description of the job
job analysis Outcome:
The Job Description//•Job Identification[Job title]//•Job Summary (Write this last!!)//•Relationships//Responsibilities and Duties//•Working Conditions//Writing Duties and Responsibilities Statements, Job Description
¡O*Net [www.onetonline.org]
The O*NET Program is the nation's primary source of occupational information
Critical Incidents:
subject matter experts provide incidents of good and poor performance.
Recruitment information
such as Internet postings and brochures given to past applicants
Person Specification
summarizes the characteristics of someone able to perform the job well
Job Analysis
the systematic process of identifying and describing the important aspects of a job and the characteristics a worker needs to do it well.
job description
typical job duties and responsibilities
Worker logs
which can provide the job analyst a feel for the tasks done and identify particularly important job functions. The logs might also include critical incidents that can be looked at.
Performance reviews of current and previous occupants of the position
which can provide the job analyst with information about what job behaviors and outcomes are currently considered important.
Desk audits
which involve asking people who currently do the job to walk you through their most important and most frequent tasks. (This can be particularly useful for analyzing clerical and technical positions.)
A job family description
which provides a quick overview of the job family that contains similar jobs.
Job Description
written description of the duties and responsibilities associated with a job
the interview: Information Sources:
¡Individual employees,¡Groups of employees,¡Supervisors with knowledge of the job
Relationships - Job Descriptions
¡Reports to: Vice president of employee relations.¡Supervises: Human resource clerk, test administrator, labor relations director, and one secretary.¡Works with: All department managers and executive management.¡Outside the company: Employment agencies, executive recruiting firms, union representatives, state and federal employment offices, and various vendors
Questionnaire Formats:
¡Structured checklists (see Job Analysis Questionnaire) or Open-ended questions
the interview Interview Formats
¡Structured\¡Unstructured
job analysis Writing Duties and Responsibilities Statements, Job Description
•Begin each responsibility with an action verb!•The duties should be written in order of importance, where the most important job duty is written first. Followed by the 2nd most important job duty and so fourth...•Duty statements typically contain three parts:[-1) the Verb, [Collects]-2) Object,[financial data]-3) Purpose[to evaluate budget requests.]
conducting job analysis B4 START
•No surprises! Try to the person being interviewed the questions in advance or providing them with a questionnaire///•Fit In! Dress like the people that work in that environment (e.g. if in a warehouse, wear jeans)
