Job Analysis and Job Descriptions
Employers Should Identify Staff Duties and Requirements Prior Hire
Apr 20, 2009
Job analysis is a process in which employers identify and determine the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Judgments are made about the data collected on a job.
It’s often been said that the best businesses have the best people - competent, energetic and creative. To attract these people, employers need both ingenuity and initiative. Staffing business with the available best people should be one of the highest priorities of an employer.
Job Analysis
This is the most important step in staffing because it forms the basis for any hiring decisions made. Unfortunately, it’s often skipped over by employers who in a rush to get a position filled quickly, would rather hire now and ask questions later. Then when confronted with poor performance, low morale, and high turnover, they wonder why it’s so hard to find good workers any more. Taking a little more time in the beginning is the way to avoid a great many problems later.
During job analysis the following leading questions should be asked as a guide by anyone who hires, be it the business owner, the manager or supervisor:
- What work has to be accomplished?
- Will additional help be needed to do it?
- How many people do is needed?
- Would part-time help be sufficient?
- What are the skills being looked for?
- How much experience is required?
- How much payment will entail?
Perhaps, if workflow is rescheduled or work assignments juggled, the current employees might be able to handle the work. Perhaps an additional staff is not enough. Maybe two or more people need to be hired to keep pace with the workload. It may perhaps a particular skill is required that is not available from the current employees.
The answer to all questions may surprise an employer after evaluate the needs. This is why doing a job analysis is important. It’s better to be surprised before hiring someone, rather than after. Often, it is costly, to regret later, only to find out that a costly mistake has been done from unnecessary hiring or losing hiring the wrong skill.
Job Descriptions
A job description is a written record of the duties and responsibilities associated with the particular job. It serves a dual purpose, making it easier to match the right person to the right job, and informing all employees what their jobs entail. Some of these job descriptions include the role of a computer technician, project manager, finance jobs, information technology jobs, and payroll jobs, among others.
In preparing a job description, the following details must be included:
- A general description of the job
- The duties to be performed
- The job responsibilities
- Specific skills needed
- Education and experience required
Once everything is put down on paper, the employer is ready to start looking for the person who fits the description.
Readers who find this article insightful may want to check out Employer-Employee Mutual Benefit, How Should Employers Handle Staff Motivators and Training Employees Boosts Business.
