Job Analysis and Design Tips

Does your job description analysis assure you of hiring and retaining superior performers? Your employees may be doing the tasks required by the job, but are they performing those tasks the way they need to be done; and does the job motivate them by rewarding their values?

The typical job description analysis looks only at what duties the job involves; it doesn't go deeper to see if a person is a good match for the job. You need to look at the who, how, and why as well as the what when doing a job analysis and design.

If you're creating a new job at your company or reworking your current job descriptions, here is a proven seven-step job analysis process that includes hiring tips on getting the right person for each job.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

A team of your best people in a job and their manager (your subject matter experts) meet to determine the key accountabilities for the position. These are the tasks the employee must commit to doing on a daily or regular basis for the job to exist. Write a strong statement describing each key accountability and rank them according to importance.

TASK TYPES

Using a validated online job benchmark assessment, your team determines which of three task types the job calls for and in what order. The task types are routine tasks (highly predictable and need to be accomplished immediately), troubleshooting tasks (highly unpredictable and need to be accomplished immediately), and project tasks (highly predictable and do not have to be accomplished immediately).

BEHAVIORS

Next your team comes to a consensus on what behaviors are required by the job for superior performance. By ranking statements, they produce an assessment that gives you the ideal behavioral style for the person in the job. For example, does the job call more for "frequent interaction with others" or "analysis of data?" Behavioral styles determine if people are strong or weak in each area.

MOTIVATORS

The final section of the benchmark assessment determines which motivators the job rewards. For example, if the job rewards service to others, you need someone in that job who is passionate about helping people. If the job rewards their passions, employees will be naturally motivated to be superior performers.

ASSESS CURRENT EMPLOYEES

When the benchmark assessment is complete, you'll have a detailed report of the ideal job analysis and design. Assess your current employees in that job in these three areas then match their employee assessments to the benchmark. Those who most closely match will be your top performers. Those who don't fit the profile in some areas can be coached to improve performance.

ASSESS JOB CANDIDATES

Even before you interview an applicant for the job, have him or her complete an employee assessment and match it to the benchmark assessment. For superior performance, hire only those who most closely match the benchmark.

COACH EMPLOYEES FOR SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE

You want to use an employee assessment that gives you detailed information on how to manage, motivate, and communicate with each person to improve morale and productivity. The assessment should show you precisely in which areas of your job benchmark employees are strong, and in which they need coaching to improve their performance.

The key to creating an ideal job analysis and design is to benchmark the job, itself, first. Let the job talk - and listen. Use a job benchmark assessment that tells you exactly what types of tasks the job requires, the behaviors it requires, and the values/motivators it rewards. It should also give you behavioral interview questions to ask applicants that are specific to each particular job.

Then you need an employee assessment that compares each of your job candidates to the benchmark and hire only those who closely match it.

BENEFITS

As a result, you'll get a job analysis and design that gives you greater clarity on what the job requires for superior performance and be guaranteed you're getting the right person for each position.

The company benefits, managers benefit, and employees benefit with improved productivity, morale, job satisfaction, and retention. Plus you'll improve profitability, which is why you have those jobs in the first place.

An ideal job analysis and design looks at more than the tasks required of the employee. You need a process that matches a person to the position for superior employee job performance. Here is a proven seven-step process that does just that.

Get tips on hiring the best people in your industry by subscribing to the author's free behavioral based interview newsletter and get more info on job benchmarking Annette Estes is a Certified Professional Behavioral and Values Analyst and heads The Estes Group, a global performance management company. ©2009 Annette Estes.

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