In the rush to fill urgent vacancies, creating a job analysis is something small business owners often neglect. But this can be a big mistake, as it often means the job description, and, as a consequence, the job advertisement, is not fit for purpose.
This means that recruiters end up attracting the wrong candidates, or worse still, hiring the wrong person for the job. And, as every human resources department knows, hiring the wrong candidates can be costly and time-consuming to deal with. Generic job descriptions just attract generic job applications.
When you consider that 74% of small businesses hire the wrong person for the job, you can see how performing a job analysis is crucially important when it comes to recruitment and workforce planning.
What is a job analysis?
A job analysis is an in-depth study of the tasks, responsibilities and skills needed to perform a job role successfully. As such, it should be viewed as the first step in the recruiting process. By performing a job analysis, human resources personnel are able to clarify the role’s needs, as well as define employer expectations – essentially everything you need to write the most accurate job description and produce the best job ad for your recruitment needs.
Creating the best job analysis for workforce planning:
- Identify the task/duties required for the role by talking to someone familiar with the position, such as the incumbent and their direct manager.
- Compile all information regarding the duties and responsibilities of the role.
- Determine ways to assess the difference between potentially poor, average, and above average performers.
- Examine how workers in the position are currently performing and anything needed for the role to add more productivity or value to the organisation.
Now you should have a list of the duties you expect the employee to perform, as well as an in-depth understanding of business objectives for the role. You’ll now be able to put together a list of the skills and attributes needed by potential candidates, and even discover new ways to fine-tune the role for greater efficacy.
Finally, look at the sort of background and experience candidates will be expected to have to fit into your business model and company culture. Here it’s a good idea to look at who they will be partnering, or interacting with. It may be useful to analyse these roles too in order to synergise productivity between workers.
Get your recruitment strategy working for your business
Putting your needs and expectations of the company and the role in writing as a job description may take time, but it’s one of the most important steps in the hiring process. It’s the key to finding the right person to do the job, whether you do the recruiting yourself, hire a recruiter, or use online job boards, such as Zoek.
Besides this, a job analysis can help you find ways to improve work processes within the organisation, support promotion from within, and provide employees with the support needed to help with their own career aspirations, as well as drive organisational goals. Job analysis can also be a useful tool when it comes to applying and demonstrating consistent, equitable employee policy across the organisation.