Organizations consist of positions

Organizations consist of positions that have to be staffed. Job analysis is the procedure through which you determine the duties of these positions and the characteristics of the people to hire for them.2 Job analysis produces informa- tion used for writing job descriptions (a list of what the job entails) and job specifications (what kind of people to hire for the job).
The supervisor or HR specialist normally collects one or more of the following types of information via the job analysis:3
s Work activities. First, he or she collects information about the job’s actual work activities, such as cleaning, selling, teaching, or painting. This list may also include how, why, and when the worker performs each activity.
s Human behaviors. The specialist may also collect information about human behav- iors like sensing, communicating, deciding, and writing. Included here would be information regarding job demands such as lifting weights or walking long distances.
s Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids. This category includes informa- tion regarding tools used, materials processed, knowledge dealt with or applied (such as finance or law), and services rendered (such as counseling or repairing).
s Performance standards. The employer may also want information about the job’s performance standards (in terms of quantity or quality levels for each job duty, for instance). Management will use these standards to appraise employees.
s Job context. Included here is information about such matters as physical working conditions, work schedule, and the organizational and social context—for instance, the number of people with whom the employee would normally inter- act. Information regarding incentives might also be included here.
s Human requirements. This includes information regarding the job’s human require- ments, such as job-related knowledge or skills (education, training, work experi- ence) and required personal attributes (aptitudes, physical characteristics, person- ality, interests).