LHR305:

Lesson Overview

Lesson 4 begins a series of lessons that drills down into the day-to-day functions for which HR professionals are responsible. This lesson discusses the ways in which an organization can analyze and organize jobs in the work place. For most of us the result of these activities is the job description which we receive to help define the variety of roles we will play as well as the knowledge, skills and behaviors required to perform those roles successfully.

Lesson Objectives

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to

• identify the primary ways in which an organization would conduct job analysis;
• determine from internal and external data sources, workforce needs and trends; and,
• analyze a job description based on required tasks, knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance.

Lesson Readings & Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 4 Course Schedule.

Job Analysis

To begin an effective recruiting process, requires an organization to engage in extensive research and analysis. As examples, the organization must answer at least two important questions.

• What role will an incumbent play in helping to create effective outcomes related to organizational mission? 
• What knowledge and skills must someone possess to perform that role effectively?

Incumbents at every level within an organizational hierarchy represent a mosaic of knowledge and skills defining a variety of “jobs”. Many skills, for example, are shared by many apparently unrelated jobs. For example, what types of skills might a surgeon and admissions clerk share in a hospital? In order to perform their roles well they must both be skilled in communicating effectively. In this respect clearly articulating a message, actively listening, expressing empathy are all elements in this skill set. That doesn’t mean that the admissions clerk, even if having mastered the communications skill set, is qualified to perform surgery, nor that the surgeon is sufficiently patient to conduct in-take in an emergency room.

Therefore, two processes that precede the ability to recruit job candidates are:

• To engage in job analysis; and, 
• Identify discrete combinations of skills and abilities that represent a “job description”.

Job Analysis

The reading in the text provides a comprehensive discussion of the various ways in which organizations can engage in job analysis. According to the text, analysis is, “the process of getting detailed information about jobs”. In some cases we analyze jobs as we create new positions within a company. In other cases we will periodically reassess existing jobs, understanding that within existing roles, there may be shifting responsibilities that require different skills and/or knowledge to appropriately perform.

Job Descriptions

Job descriptions help incumbents understand the range of responsibilities they will assume at work. Consider the following example:

Human Resource Specialist

Tasks

• Prepare or maintain employment records related to events such as hiring, termination, leaves, transfers, or promotions, using human resources management system software.
• Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
• Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
• Inform job applicants of details such as duties and responsibilities, compensation, benefits, schedules, working conditions, or promotion opportunities.
• Address employee relations issues, such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other employee concerns.
• Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Schedule or conduct new employee orientations.
• Maintain and update human resources documents, such as organizational charts, employee handbooks or directories, or performance evaluation forms.
• Confer with management to develop or implement personnel policies or procedures.

• Select qualified job applicants or refer them to managers, making hiring recommendations when appropriate.

Knowledge

• Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Clerical — Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

If you visit the O-Net Online site you can see the even larger varieties of information that has been accumulated with respect to this particular title.

What is most interesting is that all by itself the job description might easily distinguish one job title from another. For example, one could compare the description of the HR Specialist with the HR Manager. Certainly there may be some overlap in tasks, knowledge, skills; however, one can easily distinguish between the nature of the two positions.

It is much more difficult to determine the exact job responsibilities of every person employed as a Human Resources Specialist. For example, in a large HR Office a person in this title might focus almost entirely on EEO work, while another person in the same title would spend most of her time recruiting. In a much smaller office the incumbent might be required to dabble in each task area, in essence the “jack of all trades, master of none”.

In other words, a job description may set some clear parameters concerning the nature of the job, but all by itself does not clearly define anyone’s specific job responsibilities within the title itself.