Tags – Importance of Job Analysis

The first step in building a top performing hiring process is to define the job; referred to as job analysis

And, in a rush to fill urgent vacancies, creating the job analysis is often overlooked, especially in smaller businesses.

However, neglecting this can be a huge mistake; often job descriptions are inaccurate and therefore the role advertised is not fit for purpose.

As a consequence, recruiters end up attracting the wrong candidates or even hire the wrong person.

In fact, 74% of small businesses hire the wrong person for the job, which highlights how important job analysis actually is.

What is Job Analysis?

Job analysis is the process of reviewing the qualifications and requirements needed for a particular role prior to recruitment and selection.

In essence, by coming up with a number of assessment questions you’ll be able to gain a better understanding of the skills required by someone to succeed in the given role.

And, after gathering this data, the job requirements will be clearly defined and can be used in the recruitment stage to pre-hire assessments and employee training.

How To Create a Job Analysis 

To get an accurate list of duties you expect a new employee to perform, and to get an in depth understanding of the objectives for the role, follow these steps:

  1. Identify the duties required by talking to others in similar roles and their direct manager
  2. Gather all the information of duties and responsibilities 
  3. Devise a plan as to how to asses the difference between poor, average and excellent performers
  4. Examine how employees are currently performing for that role and if there’s anything to add which will boost productivity

Doing so will allow you to put together a full list of skills needed as well as discover new ways to fine tune the role for better results.

Furthermore, you should take a look at the experience candidates are expected to have to establish whether or not they’re a good fit for the company’s culture; have a look at who they’ll be interacting with.

It’s worth mentioning here, the analysis should not take long and does not need to be a complex exercise – the main goal is to ensure each role within the organisation is still fit for purpose and discover ways to improve existing work processes.

Why It’s Important

Not only does job analysis increase the chances of a good hire, but it’s a great way to identify top performers, create a bonus scheme and compensation packages to protect your business against employee litigation.

Moreover, a job analysis is important as it offers valuable insights that can help you determine the value of each role within the business.

Not doing this, you may experience difficulty at evaluating your employees and who deserves a bonus; after all, a bonus scheme should be based on the responsibilities of each role.

Lastly, by neglecting the job analysis, you may end up asking too much of your employees, which can lead to stress and conflict.

Closing Thoughts

Without a job analysis, you may fail to successfully recruit the right person.

Therefore, before advertising a position you should conduct a job analysis to ensure you are attracting the right candidates.

Lastly,  you should review every role in the organisation periodically, to make sure they’re still fit for its purpose and make changes as necessary. 

Get in touch today to find out more.Please check our HR Consultancy Birmingham in the meantime.