Job Analysis Case Scenario

Human Resource

HR planning must be tied to the overall business plan. You can start the process by assessing
the current conditions and future goals of your company. Perform these assessments regularly.
Consider some of the following questions:

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What are the company’s goals and objectives? Do these goals call for expansion into new markets? Are new product lines planned? Are changes in technology necessary to stay competitive? Will new skills and/or training be required to meet the company’s goals and objectives?

You are the Human Resource Manager of a Fortune 100 enterprise. You decided that your
organization is in need of an additional employee to effectively achieve business strategy
missions. As an HR professional you know you must conduct a four-step job analysis:

1. Review your current workforce –

Describe the employees you now have in terms of their knowledge, skills, and experience and
describe how they function together to get work done. Map these onto your strategic plan and
describe the skills and knowledge that you will need for the anticipated new work or function.
At the same time, consider how the current work could be reorganized to make the best use of
current and future employees.

2. Identify any skills and knowledge gaps –

Note any gaps between the skills and abilities your current employees have and the skills and
abilities that your workforce needs to meet your business objectives in the future. To ensure
that you have considered the full scope of the new position from all different perspectives, ask
your current employees what they think this position would involve. The checklist below might
help you identify the desired attributes of potential employees.

Employee Attributes Checklist

 Examples of Needed Skills
o Interpersonal
o Organizational
o Decision making/judgment
o Tactile
o Typing/word processing
o Plumbing Interviewing/counselling
o Roofing Verbal and written communication
o Leadership Problem solving
 Examples of Needed Knowledge/Experience
o About industry
o About product
o About methods
o About market
o About technology
o Completion of trade certificates
o Program planning
o Product design
o Languages
o High school/university/college
o Specialized training
o Within specific business area
 Examples of Needed Qualities/Approaches
o Self-motivated
o Customer-oriented
o Team-player
o Flexibility/adaptability
o Innovative
o Results-oriented
o Competitive insight
o Detail-oriented

Tips for Conducting a Job Analysis

	Ask employees about each position within the business and how they are (or are not) connected Ask employees if they think hiring a new employee or creating a new position would be a good idea Observe employees at work and earnestly ask for their ideas about better ways to operate; be prepared to put good suggestions into action Talk to customers about which employees are easiest to deal with or provide the best service Find out and understand why past employees have left – be truthful with yourself Talk to customers about their needs Understand the needs of people the new employee will be working with Differentiate between “nice to have” and “must have” skills and experiences Look at employees who are performing at a superior level and try to assess the skills and behaviors that distinguish them; look for evidence of these behaviors during the interview Look at similar positions in other companies and the requirements they have
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	Read books or articles ab out companies that may have found themselves in similar situations

3. Write a Job Description –

After completing steps one and two, you can begin to draft a job description. Although many
small businesses do not take the time to draft job descriptions, it is a worthwhile exercise.
4. Set an Appropriate Salary –
Start by adopting a general salary range to help you determine what you will need to budget –
and whether potential candidates are within your budget. You may want to complete a job
evaluation, whereby you rank jobs and their corresponding salaries. Weigh the importance of
critical skills and knowledge for each position, compare positions, and rank the new position
on the pay scale accordingly.
For example, if you already employ an administrative assistant and plan to hire another, you
will probably pay him/her approximately the same rate, depending on experience. If, on the
other hand, you decide to create a new position and recruit an employee with a unique skill set,
you will need to do a comparison between the new and existing positions. Some points to
consider when planning salary:

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Is the new position more junior/senior? Will the new position require more specialized skills and knowledge? Will the position have more complex tasks and different working relationships? Will the new position have more or less responsibility?