Recruitment, Selection and Work
Performance - EXAM
Job Analysis (Week 1)
Learning Goals
Understand and describe the process of job analysis (what it is, why it is
important and how to do it?)
Identify and explain the advantages and disadvantages of different methods
used in job analysis
Understand how job analysis fits into the entire personnel selection process
Lecture 1: Introduction & Job Analysis
A job analysis concerns what the job is
about and who the company is looking for.
It involves gathering information, looking
at one’s tasks and duties and finding out
the KSAOs.
You look at the effect of the predictor
(potential for success) on the criterion
(actual success on the job).
Construct Domain Performance Domain
This domain is conceived by the This domain is determined and influenced
researchers, with the reference to some by organizational decision makers and the
sort of theoretical frameworks selection specialists
The aim: explain the general The aim: translate the broad
regularities in human behaviours organizational goals into normative
statements of valued behaviors and
outcomes
e.g. Look at extraversion (this is for e.g. it has been seen that leaders need to
instance a crucial construct in be able to negotiate
leadership)
1
,Validation : the process of gathering evidence or evaluating the necessary data.
Process of Job analysis
Before anything is done on the job the following steps are crucial:
1. Define the job and specify what employee behaviour is necessary to complete it
(JOB DESCRIPTION)
2. Identify which characteristics underlie this behavior (JOB SPECIFICATIONS)
A job analysis is the building block of HRM it lies at every program. In this case you
need to find the accurate information about a specific job at hand.
Why is the job analysis important?
Goal : define each job in terms of specific behaviors necessary to perform the job and
develop hypotheses about personal characteristics necessary to perform it important
for job descriptions/specifications, personnel selection, performance appraisal, training
and development
Job description Job specification
need to specify the work to be which psychological constructs underlie
done (the tasks, duties and performance (personal characteristics
responsibilities of a job) necessary to do the job)
This involves the KSAO’s
Must indicate the minimal
requirements/qualifications for the job
Reliability and validity Reliability and validity
Do the job descriptions accurately Do people possessing the personal
represent the job content, environment characteristics believed necessary for
and conditions of employment successful job performance in fact do
perform more effectively on the job than
people lacking such characteristics.
e.g. person scoring high on visual-
spatial intelligence better pilot than
someone who scores low?
Skill: practiced act they can increase over time to the limits of one’s natural ability,
intelligence or personality (e.g. foreign language skills, computer skills)
Ability: something in which individuals may be limited in their capacity to change e.g
(cognitive ability)
2
,The results of a job analysis are able to affect all of the other parts of a personnel
selection. A thorough and competently conducted job analysis provides a deeper
understanding of individual jobs and their behavioral requirements.
As such, it is a solid basis for employment decisions.
How to establish KSAO’s?
First, 1 SME develops a list of tasks and KSAOs. Then a second SME judges the necessity
of the tasks and KSAOs. Finally, a third SME judges the clarity and adequacy of the level
and finalizes the tasks and KSAOs (to what extent is the profile indicated suitable to
identifying the barely acceptable applicant)
Choices awaiting the job analyst when collecting work-related information
One or the other
Activities Attributes Or maybe a hybrid?
(work-oriented, (worker-oriented,
description) focus only specifications, KSAOS and
on activities or the tasks personality) focus on how
which need to be done. the work gets done or maybe
hybrid?
General level of detail Specific level of detail
needed for the analysis needed for the analysis
Qualitative Quantitative
(narrative career (numeric on fixed scales –
planning) description time, frequency, importance,
criticality for cross-job
comparisons) description
Taxonomy-based Blank slate
(e.g. PAQ and F-JAS) i.e. in these cases you collect
relatively general work data based on personal
activities are applied to a scaling and not previously
broad range of work developed scales
Observer (i.e. trained job Incumbents (people on the
analyst) job) or supervisor
WHERE DOES THE
INFORMATION COME FROM
KSAS KSAOS
Do you also focus on other
characteristics such as
personality traits, values and
attitudes?
Single job comparison Multiple-job comparison
This is when the focus is on In this case the focus is on
a single job, i.e. developing documenting similarities and
and entry level test for bank differences across jobs (e.g.,
tellers to justify using the same
selection system with
different types of work)
Descriptive Prescriptive
Describing the job as it Describing the job when it
exists currently does not yet exist strategic
work analysis (new job)
What are the factors influencing the accuracy of job information?
Group decision making biases bias towards common information; group think
Self-presentation exaggerations and omissions, especially in ability statements
3
, Cognitive limited ability to process information (information overload)
When taking in all of the important job information the following issues emerge:
The length of the job cycle can exceed the observation period
There is no access to the job site for a personal observation
There is no familiarity with the job’s tasks, duties and responsibilities
Changes occur in the job
How to gather job information?
1. Direct observation and actual performance of job
In the direct observation, a job analyst observes (live or video) representative samples of
work behaviour (e.g a teacher teaching a class). This measure needs to be unobstrusive
and assumes that the job is static.
It might be helpful to make use of the functional job analysis (FJA; used to record the
observed tasks, such as what gets done).
The functional job analysis is a checklist which notes down how many qualities are
needed for the job (e.g. standing – frequently, walking – not significant part of the job)
Can be about the general physical abilities, about the environmental factors and
the materials that need to be handled.
Advantages Disadvantages
Manual, standardized, short-cycle jobs Jobs requiring mental work and
concentration, but you could just use
observation for some aspects of the work
behavior and other methods for the other
On the other hand, an actual job performance requires the job analyst to actually
perform the job at hand.
Advantages Disadvantages
Appropriate for jobs that the analyst can Does not work for complex jobs requiring
easily learn expert knowledge and skills
2. Interviews
This is the most commonly used technique for establishing tasks, duties and behaviours
at work.
A structured interview is one which there are already pre-decided questions. Need to
check for appropriateness:
Questions related to purpose of analysis
No personal or intimate material this leads to resentment
Do not ask about knowledge or information that interviewees do not have
Clear and unambiguous wording
No ‘leading’ or ‘loaded’ questions (social desirability)
Advantages Disadvantages
Worker knows job, including hidden and Success highly dependent on interviewer
long-term aspects skill, and initiating trust and covering the
whole content domain and on interviewee
4
Performance - EXAM
Job Analysis (Week 1)
Learning Goals
Understand and describe the process of job analysis (what it is, why it is
important and how to do it?)
Identify and explain the advantages and disadvantages of different methods
used in job analysis
Understand how job analysis fits into the entire personnel selection process
Lecture 1: Introduction & Job Analysis
A job analysis concerns what the job is
about and who the company is looking for.
It involves gathering information, looking
at one’s tasks and duties and finding out
the KSAOs.
You look at the effect of the predictor
(potential for success) on the criterion
(actual success on the job).
Construct Domain Performance Domain
This domain is conceived by the This domain is determined and influenced
researchers, with the reference to some by organizational decision makers and the
sort of theoretical frameworks selection specialists
The aim: explain the general The aim: translate the broad
regularities in human behaviours organizational goals into normative
statements of valued behaviors and
outcomes
e.g. Look at extraversion (this is for e.g. it has been seen that leaders need to
instance a crucial construct in be able to negotiate
leadership)
1
,Validation : the process of gathering evidence or evaluating the necessary data.
Process of Job analysis
Before anything is done on the job the following steps are crucial:
1. Define the job and specify what employee behaviour is necessary to complete it
(JOB DESCRIPTION)
2. Identify which characteristics underlie this behavior (JOB SPECIFICATIONS)
A job analysis is the building block of HRM it lies at every program. In this case you
need to find the accurate information about a specific job at hand.
Why is the job analysis important?
Goal : define each job in terms of specific behaviors necessary to perform the job and
develop hypotheses about personal characteristics necessary to perform it important
for job descriptions/specifications, personnel selection, performance appraisal, training
and development
Job description Job specification
need to specify the work to be which psychological constructs underlie
done (the tasks, duties and performance (personal characteristics
responsibilities of a job) necessary to do the job)
This involves the KSAO’s
Must indicate the minimal
requirements/qualifications for the job
Reliability and validity Reliability and validity
Do the job descriptions accurately Do people possessing the personal
represent the job content, environment characteristics believed necessary for
and conditions of employment successful job performance in fact do
perform more effectively on the job than
people lacking such characteristics.
e.g. person scoring high on visual-
spatial intelligence better pilot than
someone who scores low?
Skill: practiced act they can increase over time to the limits of one’s natural ability,
intelligence or personality (e.g. foreign language skills, computer skills)
Ability: something in which individuals may be limited in their capacity to change e.g
(cognitive ability)
2
,The results of a job analysis are able to affect all of the other parts of a personnel
selection. A thorough and competently conducted job analysis provides a deeper
understanding of individual jobs and their behavioral requirements.
As such, it is a solid basis for employment decisions.
How to establish KSAO’s?
First, 1 SME develops a list of tasks and KSAOs. Then a second SME judges the necessity
of the tasks and KSAOs. Finally, a third SME judges the clarity and adequacy of the level
and finalizes the tasks and KSAOs (to what extent is the profile indicated suitable to
identifying the barely acceptable applicant)
Choices awaiting the job analyst when collecting work-related information
One or the other
Activities Attributes Or maybe a hybrid?
(work-oriented, (worker-oriented,
description) focus only specifications, KSAOS and
on activities or the tasks personality) focus on how
which need to be done. the work gets done or maybe
hybrid?
General level of detail Specific level of detail
needed for the analysis needed for the analysis
Qualitative Quantitative
(narrative career (numeric on fixed scales –
planning) description time, frequency, importance,
criticality for cross-job
comparisons) description
Taxonomy-based Blank slate
(e.g. PAQ and F-JAS) i.e. in these cases you collect
relatively general work data based on personal
activities are applied to a scaling and not previously
broad range of work developed scales
Observer (i.e. trained job Incumbents (people on the
analyst) job) or supervisor
WHERE DOES THE
INFORMATION COME FROM
KSAS KSAOS
Do you also focus on other
characteristics such as
personality traits, values and
attitudes?
Single job comparison Multiple-job comparison
This is when the focus is on In this case the focus is on
a single job, i.e. developing documenting similarities and
and entry level test for bank differences across jobs (e.g.,
tellers to justify using the same
selection system with
different types of work)
Descriptive Prescriptive
Describing the job as it Describing the job when it
exists currently does not yet exist strategic
work analysis (new job)
What are the factors influencing the accuracy of job information?
Group decision making biases bias towards common information; group think
Self-presentation exaggerations and omissions, especially in ability statements
3
, Cognitive limited ability to process information (information overload)
When taking in all of the important job information the following issues emerge:
The length of the job cycle can exceed the observation period
There is no access to the job site for a personal observation
There is no familiarity with the job’s tasks, duties and responsibilities
Changes occur in the job
How to gather job information?
1. Direct observation and actual performance of job
In the direct observation, a job analyst observes (live or video) representative samples of
work behaviour (e.g a teacher teaching a class). This measure needs to be unobstrusive
and assumes that the job is static.
It might be helpful to make use of the functional job analysis (FJA; used to record the
observed tasks, such as what gets done).
The functional job analysis is a checklist which notes down how many qualities are
needed for the job (e.g. standing – frequently, walking – not significant part of the job)
Can be about the general physical abilities, about the environmental factors and
the materials that need to be handled.
Advantages Disadvantages
Manual, standardized, short-cycle jobs Jobs requiring mental work and
concentration, but you could just use
observation for some aspects of the work
behavior and other methods for the other
On the other hand, an actual job performance requires the job analyst to actually
perform the job at hand.
Advantages Disadvantages
Appropriate for jobs that the analyst can Does not work for complex jobs requiring
easily learn expert knowledge and skills
2. Interviews
This is the most commonly used technique for establishing tasks, duties and behaviours
at work.
A structured interview is one which there are already pre-decided questions. Need to
check for appropriateness:
Questions related to purpose of analysis
No personal or intimate material this leads to resentment
Do not ask about knowledge or information that interviewees do not have
Clear and unambiguous wording
No ‘leading’ or ‘loaded’ questions (social desirability)
Advantages Disadvantages
Worker knows job, including hidden and Success highly dependent on interviewer
long-term aspects skill, and initiating trust and covering the
whole content domain and on interviewee
4
