Job Analysis Explained [2023]

In Google’s engineering department, there was one role that people  didn’t really appreciate. Google is a company built by  engineers, for engineers – and these engineers were very skeptical  about the value of management. So, to test if the company really  needed engineering managers, it conducted a job analysis to see what value these managers brought to the company – assuming they added any value at all!

As part of this job analysis, employee survey data was analyzed, interviews were conducted, and performance reviews were reviewed. It turned out that managers were indeed important for the company, and not just  to approve expense reports. Great managers developed and  motivated their direct reports, communicated the strategy, helped employees prioritize projects, facilitated collaboration, aligned processes with company goals, and eliminated roadblocks.

Based on this data, Google was able to identify eight behaviors  shared by high-scoring managers. Now this information had a huge impact. Not only was Google able to  prove that great managers made the company more successful.

Using these eight behaviors, the people team at Google was able to better  select future managers and it was able to train low-scoring managers in the behaviors that were  key to being successful. This is a great example of how a job analysis can be used to make a tangible impact on the results of the company. My name is Erik van Vulpen  and in this HR deep dive, you will learn what a job analysis is, the common techniques to conduct a job analysis, and how the job analysis is changing.

All of this will help you  make better people decisions, and help drive results for your organization. Let’s dive in – but before  we do, smash the like button, subscribe, and activate the notification bell! *MUSIC* So what is job analysis, and what is it used  for?

Job analysis is the process of gathering, examining, and interpreting information about  the content, context, and human requirements of a job. It essentially examines what makes up  the job, and what are the outcomes of the job. Once a job analysis has been conducted, it impacts  various aspects of human resource management.

It can be used to create job descriptions,  develop a more effective selection process, create more equitable compensation by  understanding what the job is about, and it can be used to define  performance outcomes for a role. It can also be used to implement training and  development programs. At Google, they developed a feedback tool that allowed team members to rate  their manager on the eight behaviors that defined managerial success.

Google had a culture  of excellence, so low-scoring managers were usually :( ashamed of their scores and were  very motivated to improve their performance. So what’s HR’s role in the job analysis? The  HR professional or the organization development (or OD) team runs the job analysis process. 

OD is often a subset of the HR department. The HR or OD professional running the  job analysis is both the orchestrator and the analyst. They choose the job analysis  method and gather details about the job tasks, skills, and conditions.

In this process,  they work together with the employees who are doing the job and with the manager, who  is often involved in the data collection. This data is then analyzed to create a precise  job description, which shapes recruitment, training, compensation, and performance  management strategies. This means that the job analysis is the basis of  almost everything we do in HR.

Now that you know the importance of the  job analysis, let's dive into the main components that we’re trying to uncover during  the analysis. We’re trying to uncover four things. 1.

What you’re doing in the job – these are the  job tasks. 2. What you need to do the job – these are the required knowledge, skills, abilities, and  other characteristics, also known as KSAOs.

3. The conditions in which you’ll do the job – these  are your working conditions. 4.

And what makes you successful in the job – these are the  performance criteria. Understanding these four components will help you run a faster  job analysis. Let's dive into each of these.

But before I do, I have a favor to  ask you. 83% of the people watching our videos have not yet subscribed to  our channel. If you’re still watching, you are interested in HR, so do me a  favor and subscribe to our channel!

Back to the four components of the  job analysis – the first one being job tasks. Job tasks are the specific day-to-day  activities and responsibilities that make up a job. Examples of job tasks for Google's  engineering managers may include coaching, leading team meetings, managing a budget,  and supporting career development.

Next, we have KSAOs, which stands for Knowledge,  Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics. These are the attributes an employee needs  to be successful in their role. Knowledge refers to the information and expertise  needed, while Skills are the competencies an employee must have for specific job  tasks.

Abilities are talents like empathy, numerical and analytical abilities,  and creativity. The last category, other characteristics, includes other work-related  attributes that contribute to job performance, like the culture fit, work values,  leadership potential, or resilience. The third component, working conditions,  encompass the physical, social, and psychological aspects of a role, including office setup,  hazards, travel, and teamwork expectations.

These conditions can affect employee  satisfaction, performance, and safety. Last, performance criteria are the standards  used to evaluate an employee's success in the job role. As roles are constantly changing,  performance criteria become an increasingly important part of the job analysis.

These  criteria inform performance appraisals, promotion decisions, succession planning,  and other employment decisions. It's important to establish clear, measurable, and  achievable performance criteria (together with the people in the role) to ensure fair  evaluation and support employee growth. By incorporating these four  components into your job analysis, you'll be well-equipped to create a comprehensive  and accurate representation of any job role, setting the stage for effective talent management  strategies.

Now before we examine how job analysis will change in the future, let’s look at the  techniques used to conduct a job analysis. Job analysis techniques The most common job analysis technique is a  combination of interviews and observations. Interviews involve speaking with the  people doing the job, supervisors, or other experts to gather insights on job  tasks, KSAOs, and other elements.

Observations involve observing the worker over a couple of  days to get a better understanding of their work. This is often done by HR or the direct  manager as they work alongside the employee. For a very thorough analysis, you can also use  questionnaires, which help you collect data in a more structured way.

An example is the Position  Analysis Questionnaire, where people working in the role fill out their tasks, managerial duties,  and required KSAOs for the role. Alternatively, you can ask employees to keep a job diary, where  they self-report their tasks and activities. Job Analysis in the Future: 2 Big Changes Job analysis is one of those techniques that  has been around for over a hundred years.

It can be traced back to the scientific management  movement in the early 20th century. At that time, millions of untrained people were moving from  farms to urban centers with little experience working in large organizations.  Back then, people became the job, meaning that they needed to change and adapt  to do the job as efficiently as possible.

Today, the workforce is dominated by service  workers who bring their authentic selves to work. Instead of people becoming the job,  the job now becomes the person doing it. Take the engineering managers at Google.

You can  be an introverted manager who is very successful in connecting with people one-on-one, or you  may be a very extroverted and inspirational manager who is great at motivating the team in the  daily standups and other team meetings. Both may be great at motivating others, but their style is  different. That’s how the person shapes the job.

This means that the modern job analysis will be  less prescriptive as there is more freedom for the employee to give their own interpretation to  their role. That’s why the job analysis will focus on performance criteria, and not so much on rigid  task definitions and detailed job descriptions. Another change in modern job analysis is a focus  on transferable skills.

As individual tasks may be automated or replaced by AI, the transferable  skills necessary to achieve the outcomes of the job become more important. Transferable  skills are the abilities that are valuable across roles, including critical thinking,  leadership, communication, and adaptability. These become key in adapting and excelling in  the job, even when the tasks of the job change.

That’s why modern job analysis emphasizes  job outcomes and transferable skills. So, today you’ve learned that job analysis is  still a critical part of the HR professional’s toolbox as it helps organizations  create accurate job descriptions, develop effective talent management strategies,  and adapt to the ever-changing world of work. By understanding its importance, components,  techniques, and how it is developing, you'll be well-equipped to conduct a successful job analysis  that sets the stage for a thriving workforce.

If you want to learn more about job analysis,  check out our talent management or organizational development certificate programs where you’ll  learn a lot more about this and related topics: the links are in the video description. Now  before you go, smash that like button if you haven’t already, subscribe, and activate  the notification bell to stay up to date. And if you thought this one was interesting,  check out some of our other learning bites!