A person-oriented job analysis focuses primarily on collecting information on

Job Analysis is a process to identify and determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the relative importance of these duties for a given job. Job Analysis is a process where judgements are made about data collected on a job.

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Purpose of Job Analysis
Methods of Job Analysis
What Aspects of a Job Are Analyzed?

The Job; not the person An important concept of Job Analysis is that the analysis is conducted of the Job, not the person. While Job Analysis data may be collected from incumbents through interviews or questionnaires, the product of the analysis is a description or specifications of the job, not a description of the person.

Purpose of Job Analysis

The purpose of Job Analysis is to establish and document the 'job relatedness' of employment procedures such as training, selection, compensation, and performance appraisal.

Determining Training Needs

Job Analysis can be used in training/"needs assessment" to identify or develop

training content
assessment tests to measure effectiveness of training
equipment to be used in delivering the training
methods of training (i.e., small group, computer-based, video, classroom...)

Compensation

Job Analysis can be used in compensation to identify or determine:

skill levels
compensable job factors
work environment (e.g., hazards; attention; physical effort)
responsibilities (e.g., fiscal; supervisory)
required level of education (indirectly related to salary level)

Selection Procedures

Job Analysis can be used in selection procedures to identify or develop:

job duties that should be included in advertisements of vacant positions;
appropriate salary level for the position to help determine what salary should be offered to a candidate;
minimum requirements (education and/or experience) for screening applicants;
interview questions;
selection tests/instruments (e.g., written tests; oral tests; job simulations);
applicant appraisal/evaluation forms;
orientation materials for applicants/new hires

Performance Review

Job Analysis can be used in performance review to identify or develop:

goals and objectives
performance standards
evaluation criteria
length of probationary periods
duties to be evaluated

Methods of Job Analysis

Several methods exist that may be used individually or in combination. These include:

review of job classification systems
incumbent interviews
supervisor interviews
expert panels
structured questionnaires
task inventories
check lists
open-ended questionnaires
observation
incumbent work logs

A typical method of Job Analysis would be to give the incumbent a simple questionnaire to identify job duties, responsibilities, equipment used, work relationships, and work environment. The completed questionnaire would then be used to assist the Job Analyst who would then conduct an interview of the incumbent(s). A draft of the identified job duties, responsibilities, equipment, relationships, and work environment would be reviewed with the supervisor for accuracy. The Job Analyst would then prepare a job description and/or job specifications.

The method that you may use in Job Analysis will depend on practical concerns such as type of job, number of jobs, number of incumbents, and location of jobs.

What Aspects of a Job Are Analyzed?

Job Analysis should collect information on the following areas:

Duties and Tasks The basic unit of a job is the performance of specific tasks and duties. Information to be collected about these items may include: frequency, duration, effort, skill, complexity, equipment, standards, etc.
Environment This may have a significant impact on the physical requirements to be able to perform a job. The work environment may include unpleasant conditions such as offensive odors and temperature extremes. There may also be definite risks to the incumbent such as noxious fumes, radioactive substances, hostile and aggressive people, and dangerous explosives.
Tools and Equipment Some duties and tasks are performed using specific equipment and tools. Equipment may include protective clothing. These items need to be specified in a Job Analysis.
Relationships Supervision given and received. Relationships with internal or external people.
Requirements The knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSA's) required to perform the job. While an incumbent may have higher KSA's than those required for the job, a Job Analysis typically only states the minimum requirements to perform the job.

Job Analysis is used to show the relatedness of employment procedures used by the employer. The procedures supported by job analysis include:

Job Analysis may be conducted by the employer's Human Resources department or by a trained Job Analyst/Consultant.

The Job Analysis may be conducted by a member of the employer's Human Resources department. This analysis may be in conjunction with the job incumbent (if the position is not vacant), the incumbent's supervisor, and possibly subject matter experts (SMEs).

A consultant is not necessary for Job Analysis. However, consultants may provide a more independent (unbiased) analysis of the job. Their analysis may not be affected by the internal politics of the organization. Also, a consultant may be needed for situations in which a large number of jobs will be analyzed in a relatively short period of time. A consultant in this situation may be better able to concentrate on the job analysis task as their main function whereas internal employees probably still have their regular jobs to perform.

job description is the main product of a job analysis.

Can an employer be sued over inadequate or missing Job Analysis?

Are there Federal guidelines for Job Analysis?

The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures states that a thorough job analysis is needed for supporting a selection procedure (see: 60-3.9 - No assumption of validity. Section B.)

The Americans with Disabilities Act specifically states:
No covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.

The Act defines "qualified individual with a disability" as someone with a disability who:
"with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires." (see ADA Section 101. Definitions (8)).

Essential functions may be determined through a Job Analysis.

Is there software to perform Job Analysis?

HR-Guide offers an on-line form for creating Position Description Questionnaires. You may use this application to create the form that will be useful in collecting the job information.

What are sources of information for conducting a Job Analysis?

Before a Job Analysis is conducted, the job analyst should review external sources of job information including:

U.S. Standard Occupational Classification System
Other on-line job descriptions

What methods are used for Job Analysis?

The main methods of job analysis are:

Interviews
Questionnaires
Observation

What is Functional Job Analysis?

Functional Job Analysis (FJA) was used by U.S. Employment Service job analysts to classify jobs for the DOT (Fine & Wiley, 1971). The most recent version of FJA uses seven scales to describe what workers do in jobs: (1) Things, (2) Data, (3) People, (4) Worker Instructions, (5) Reasoning, (6) Math, and (7) Language.

What is the Position Analysis Questionnaire

This questionnaire, developed by McCormick, Jeanneret, and Mecham (1972), is a standardized job analysis instrument. It consists of 187 job elements that describe generic human work behaviors. This questionnaire was designed to be used for a wide variety of jobs.

What is the Critical Incident Technique?

This method of Job Analysis focuses on identifying the critical incidents that distinguish satisfactory workers from unsatisfactory workers. This is based on the theory that certain tasks are crucial to satisfactory job performance, while others are not. In this method, the job analyst interviews incumbents and/or supervisors to identify a list of critical incidents. The identification of required Knowledges, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) is made by examining the incidents--their causes and solutions. This technique is useful for developing work sample tests.

What is the Job Element Method?

This method of Job Analysis, developed by Ernest Primoff, is a worker oriented method and is used primarily with lesser skilled workers and industrial occupations. This method, like the Critical Incident Technique, focuses on satisfactory workers. This method attempts to identify the characteristics of satisfactory workers (job elements). Once identified, these elements are used to develop appropriate selection tests. The steps to perform a Job Element job analysis are:

Select a group of experts (may include incumbents and supervisors)
Conduct brainstorming sessions to identify job elements (the KSA's of satisfactory workers).
Assign weights to each of the elements based on the following criteria:
1. proportion of barely acceptable workers who have the job element;
2. effectiveness of the element in picking a superior worker;
3. the trouble likely to occur if the element is not considered; and
4. practicality--the effect of including the job element on the organization's ability to fill job openings.
Analyze the Job Element data.