Job Analysis:

Job analysis refers to the process of collecting information about a job. In other words, it refers
to the anatomy of the job. Job analysis is performed upon ongoing jobs only. It contains job
contents. For example, what are the duties of a supervisor, what minimal knowledge, skills and
abilities are necessary to be able to adequately perform this job? How do the requirements for a
supervisor, grade II, compare with those for a supervisor, grade I? These are the questions that
job analysis answers.

According to Jones and Decothis “Job analysis is the process of getting information about jobs:
specially, what the worker does; how he gets it done; why he does it; skill, education and
training required; relationship to other jobs, physical demands; environmental conditions”.

Edwin B. Flippo has defined job analysis as the process of studying and collecting information
relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job. The immediate products of this
analysis are job descriptions and job specifications”.

There are two major aspects of job analysis:

1. Job Description

2. Job Specification

Job Description:
Job description is prepared on the basis of data collected through job analysis. Job description is
a functional description of the contents what the job entails. It is a narration of the contents of a
job. It is a description of the activities and duties to be performed in a job, the relationship of the
job with other jobs, the equipment and tools involved, the nature of supervision, working
conditions and hazards of the job and so on.

Purposes of Job Description:

1. Grading and classification of jobs

2.  Placement and Orientation of new employees

3. 3. Promotions and transfers
4. 4. Outlining for career path
5. 5. Developing work standards
6. 6. Counselling of employees
7. 7. Delimitation of authority

Job Specification:
While job description focuses on the job, job specification focuses on the person i.e, the job
holder. Job specification is a statement of the minimum levels of qualifications, skills, physical
and other abilities, experience, judgment and attributes required for performing job effectively.
In other words, it is a statement of the minimum acceptable qualifications that an incumbent
must possess to perform a given job. It sets forth the knowledge, skills and abilities required to
do the job effectively.

Job specification specifies the physical, psychological, personal, social and behavioural charac-
teristics of the job holders
Usages of Job Specification: The usages of job specification include:
1. Personnel planning

2. Performance appraisal

3. Hiring

4. Training and development

5. Job evaluation and compensation

6. Health and safety

7. Employee discipline

8. Work scheduling

9. Career planning

Contents of Job Description and Job Specification:

The contents of job description and job specification are presented in the following Table 5.1.

Job Analysis Process

 ell any process is futile until its purpose is not identified
and defined. Therefore, the first step in the process is to determine its need and desired output.
Spending human efforts, energy as well as money is useless until HR managers don’t know why
data is to be collected and what is to be done with it.
 Who Will Conduct Job Analysis: The second most important step in the process of job analysis
is to decide who will conduct it. Some companies prefer getting it done by their own HR
department while some hire job analysis consultants. Job analysis consultants may prove to be
extremely helpful as they offer unbiased advice, guidelines and methods. They don’t have any
personal likes and dislikes when it comes to analyze a job.
 How to Conduct the Process: Deciding the way in which job analysis process needs to be
conducted is surely the next step. A planned approach about how to carry the whole process is
required in order to investigate a specific job.
 Strategic Decision Making: Now is the time to make strategic decision. It’s about deciding the
extent of employee involvement in the process, the level of details to be collected and recorded,
sources from where data is to be collected, data collection methods, the processing of information
and segregation of collected data.
 Training of Job Analyst: Next is to train the job analyst about how to conduct the process and
use the selected methods for collection and recoding of job data.
 Preparation of Job Analysis Process: Communicating it within the organization is the next
step. HR managers need to communicate the whole thing properly so that employees offer their
full support to the job analyst. The stage also involves preparation of documents, questionnaires,
interviews and feedback forms.
 Data Collection: Next is to collect job-related data including educational qualifications of
employees, skills and abilities required to perform the job, working conditions, job activities,
reporting hierarchy, required human traits, job activities, duties and responsibilities involved and
employee behaviour.
 Documentation, Verification and Review: Proper documentation is done to verify the
authenticity of collected data and then review it. This is the final information that is used to
describe a specific job.
 Developing Job Description and Job Specification: Now is the time to segregate the collected
data in to useful information. Job Description describes the roles, activities, duties and
 responsibilities of the job while job specification is a statement of educational qualification,
experience, personal traits and skills required to perform the job.

Thus, the process of job analysis helps in identifying the worth of specific job, utilizing the human talent in
the best possible manner, eliminating unneeded jobs and setting realistic performance measurement
standard