Part 1
Hiring qualified persons into an organization’s workforce remains one of the vital roles played by human resource managers. Typical recruitment exercises and interviews are channels through which managers will identify the right person for a vacant position. According to Heron (2005), the purpose of carrying a thorough assessment and testing on new employees is because certain tasks within an organization require specific technical and interpersonal skills. In practical context, customer relations officers should be friendly, presentable and with good communication skills. On the other hand, machine operators and engineers should possess substantial dexterity in dealing with tools and equipment within production lines. This shows that every job position require individuals with specific skills in order to perform the post’s duties competently. In this regard, human resource managers should carry out comprehensive job analysis prior to advertising for a vacant position.
Job Analysis
In the context of human resource management, job analysis entails the process of matching employees to suitable positions based on their skills and experiences. As acknowledged earlier, every position in a workplace needs individuals with specific technical and personal skills. Heron (2005) says that technical requirements include professional experiences, academic qualifications and functional skills. On the other hand, personal skills range from fluency in using a given language to specific requirements like display of appropriate non verbal impressions. Job analysis is necessary in order to avoid a situation where managers place new employees in inappropriate position. Subsequent effects of placing workers in the wrong positions would include low productivity, incompetence and dissatisfaction among employees.
Steps of Job Analysis
In order to ensure an objective job analysis exercise, human resource managers prefers conducting the process through some systematic steps. The first step in analysis is job design. Heron (2005) says that job design enables managers to understand the significance of each position within an organization. This first step enables managers to understand contribution of each task towards meeting the overall goals of an organization. Job design is followed by job description, where middle level managers will write a detailed description of each task in a company. This second step sheds light on specific duties performed by every employee, and the chain of command surrounding that job. This step also allows managers to take stock of all employees and the duties they perform within an organization.
Job specification is the third step on carrying out a job analysis. In this stage, managers will evaluate the nature of tasks performed by employees within a given job post. Managers will then specify that position based on talents, skills and experiences required in order for employees to perform duties effectively. During job specification, HR may learn that some employees are already misplaced or mismatched in their current positions. Therefore, job specification gives management a chance to rectify misplacement within the workforce. Finally, job analysis ends with the process of job evaluation. Job evaluation involves carrying out review on the organization’s staffing levels, and substantiating the number of vacant positions. This is the point where human resource managers may resolve to advertise for vacant positions.
Qualifications Required by Employers
Upon completion of a job analysis process, some employees may be laid off due to lack of required skills and experience. Others may be promoted because they had been kept in subordinate positions despite having superior qualifications. In looking for new people to fill vacant posts, employers will be looking for qualifications outlined within the job analysis documents. According to Heron (2005), two major areas of interest to employers include previous experience and academic qualifications. In this regard, technical positions will need individuals with the right kind of academic background, while management posts may require persons with past experience in administrative duties.
Part 2
In the recent past, a company in Melbourne Metro was looking for a junior internal auditor. The HR posted job advertisement online, which attracted a number of applicants from within the metro, and outside the local area. The advert indicated that the junior internal auditor will report to the revenue audit manager, and will perform the following duties:
- Help in preparing pre-audit and audit reports
- Help the manager in preparing audit programs and list of periodic deliverables
- Plays a vital role in filling of audit worksheets
- Performs numerous audit projects as directed by the manager
Individuals interested in applying for the job were required to possess the following qualifications;
- Good communication skills
- Team player
- Motivated in his or her professional undertakings
- Substantial experience in essential audit skills
- Should have a diploma or degree in business and accounting
Job Description
Based on the job posting above, we can learn of numerous concepts employed by human resource managers during job analysis. One of such concepts is job description. As the title implies, job description provide applicants with information on what the job advertised involves. Managers describe a job by explicitly outlining the duties and responsibilities that applicants interested for a post will be required to perform. This means that a job description is a true reflection on what individuals hired for that position will be doing. Ronald (2007) adds that the description also serves as a warning to those who wants to apply for the job and would not perform duties mentioned on a vacancy notice. Based on the posting from Melbourne, elements of job description are the four duties listed on the advertisement. All these duties indicate what the person suited for that job will be doing within the company. This means that persons applying for the internal auditor’s position know that they will be responsible for preparing audit reports, filling worksheets and completing projects.
Job Specification
Apart from job description, managers will also require the use of job specification in attracting suitable candidates for a vacant position. According to Louis & Prien (2012), job specification contains all the skills and qualifications required of anyone interested for a post. It clearly states the academic knowledge required, technical skills needed and professional abilities suited for the position. Actually, a job specification can qualify as a list of minimum requirements expected for persons interested for a job. With respect to Melbourne’s advertisement above, job specifications listed include all the qualifications mentioned. They include good communication skills, a degree or diploma in business, and experience in audit skills among the others. Louis and Prien (2012) says that during recruitment, academic qualifications will be proven easily by provision of relevant documents, while intangible aspects like professional abilities and communication skills will be evaluated through aptitude tests.
Based on my opinion, I am sure that the company carried out an objective job analysis before coming up with the advertisement. In case the company had not done the analysis, they would not have ascertained the specific duties and responsibilities of a suitable candidate for the post. In addition, lack of job analysis would not indicate the type of qualifications required of individuals interested in the vacant position. Elements which indicate presence of a thorough job analysis are that for job description and specifications. According to Ronald (2007), job description helps applicants to know the role of that job in contributing to an organization’s objectives. The detailed description posted by the Melbourne Company indicates that the applicant will be playing a role in preparing periodic audit for financial statements. Therefore, the annual financial statements and balance sheets will contain the work of the junior financial auditor. Apart from indicating the job’s contribution, job description also spells out the relationship between a given post and other positions within the company. This explains why in the description, the company spells out that the internal auditor will report to the revenue audit manager.
On the aspect of job specification, we are able to learn that individuals interested in the position should possess at least a diploma or a degree in business and accounting. In an event that the company had not done a comprehensive analysis, they would not have ascertained the kind of academic qualifications required for suitable candidates. In addition, the internal auditor post needs someone with good communication skills. According to Ronald (2007), the thorough analysis conducted was responsible for specifying good communication skills as a requirement. In this case, all these facts about academic and personal qualifications will help management in selecting the right person for the job. Therefore, the company conducted a thorough job analysis prior to making the advertisement.
Conclusion
As a result of good job analysis, I believe that the company will receive numerous letters from applicants interested in the job. Fortunately, the minimum academic requirement is a college diploma. In modern labor markets, a significant number of job seekers hold a diploma; hence most of them will apply for the post. At this point, we have acknowledged the role played by job analysis in human resource management. Analysis enables managers in substantiating the right kind of skills required from employees. Component tasks like job design and job description all play a crucial role in supplementing necessary information to management. In this regard, job analysis proves indispensible in managing an organization’s workforce.
References
Heron, R. (2005). Job and Work Analysis: Guidelines on Identifying Jobs. London: Oxford University press.
Louis, G. & Prien, E. (2012). A Practical Guide to Job Analysis. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons.
Ronald, R. S. (2007). Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. New York: Cengage Learning.
