What is job analysis?

Answer 1

Job analysis is information about a position to be filled that helps to identify the major job requirements (MJR) and links them to skills, education, training, etc., needed to successfully perform the functions of that job. The purpose of the job analysis is to identify the experience, education, training, and other qualifying factors, possessed by candidates who have the potential to be the best performers of the job to be filled. It can also be used to identify documents and other elements vital to the candidate evaluation, referral and selection process, such as measurement methods and interview requirements.

There are two key elements of a job analysis:

1. Identification of major job requirements (MJRs) which are the most important duties and responsibilities of the position to be filled. They are the main purpose or primary reasons the position exists. The primary source of MJRs is the most current, official position description.

2. Identification of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to accomplish each MJR and the quality level and amount of the KSAs needed. Most job analyses deal with KSAs that are measurable, that can be documented, and produce meaningful differences between candidates. Typically, possession of KSAs is demonstrated by experience, education, or training. The goal of KSAs is to identify those candidates who are potentially best qualified to perform the position to be filled; they are most useful when they provide meaningful distinctions among qualified candidates. Source documents for KSAs may be the position description, Office of Personnel Management qualification standards and job classification standards.