Job Analysis as an Important Feature of the Recruitment Process - Assignment Example

Why is Job Analysis such an Important Feature of the Recruitment Process? Total Number of Words: 2,001 Introduction Considering the tight competition in the global markets today, the inability of the human resource managers often leads to a serious financial difficulty on the part of the business establishments. In line with this matter, the human resource management is considered to have a significant role to play within each business organization. Basically, the human resource managers have the power and capabilities to keep employees aligned with the organization’s overall business objectives, strategies, and goals. Therefore, having a competitive human resource management increases a company’s competitive advantages within the global markets as compared with other similar businesses that failed to establish a reliable HR department. Human resource managers often consider job analysis as an important component of recruitment process. This is primarily due to the fact that both the local and international businesses that exist today are very dynamic aside from the fact that most of these companies are heavily relying with the use of high-communication technology (Hough & Oswald 2000, p. 632). As part of addressing the question “why job analysis is considered an important feature in recruitment process”, a literature review will be conducted in this particular study. To enable the reader to have a better understanding of the topic argument, the definition of job analysis will first be provided followed by discussing its main purpose. To be able to prove that the absence of job analysis could result to some negative effects in the overall business performance of a particular organization, some examples related to the work potential and/or efficiency of employees within a business organization aside from the profitability of a company will be discussed as a way of giving emphasis on the importance of job analysis in recruitment process. In the process of going through the main discussion, the benefits and impact of job analysis in general recruitment and selection process will be highlighted. Prior to conclusion, the significant connection between job analysis, recruitment and selection process including the importance of developing attractive employment packages will be examined. Definition of Job Analysis and Its Main Purpose According to Dessler (2000), job analysis is referring to the “procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for each available job vacancy” (Dessler 2000, p. 678). On the other hand, Stone (2005) explained that job analysis is actually the process of defining a part specifically when it comes to determining a particular task and responsibilities aside from being able to identify the human abilities, skills and/or educational qualifications and experience needed in enabling a person to successfully perform the job. (Stone 2005, p. 10) Likewise, Heron (2005) stated that “job analysis is actually referring to the development of a detailed and systematic process that enables the HR manager to effectively break down the work that needs to be performed into different tasks and duties” (Heron, 2005) In general, job analysis focuses on identifying the specific work requirements that needs to be performed rather than focusing on the person that is applying for the job. (Bartlett, 2000) As soon as the job analysis data has been gathered, HR managers are expected to develop a job description, a job specification, and behavioural competencies suitable to what the specific skills and knowledge that company needs (Bach 2005, p. 119 – 121). Considering the given definitions of job analysis, it is possible for us to conclude that the main purpose of job analysis is to enable a business organization to hire qualified employees who has the specific required skills and knowledge with regards to each particular job position. By carefully identifying the tasks that needs to be performed, it is easier on the part of the HR department to deliver an effective employee selection and recruitment. Evidences Showing that the Absence of Job Analysis could Result to Negative Effects in the Overall Business Performance of a Particular Organization A sensitive part of the duty and responsibilities of the HR department is to recruit and select individuals who are searching for a job employment. As a standard operating procedure of recruiting process, one of the prerequisite of having a group of highly competitive employees is to analyze a particular job description such as skills and personal traits the needs to be fulfilled by the applicants. (Nelson 1997, p. 40) Since there is a very tight competition within the domestic and global markets, having competitive employees and assigning the right person for each particular job description becomes a very important factor that can significantly contribute to the success of a business organization in terms of improving the cost-effectiveness and profitability of the company (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2005, p. 104). According to Hacker (1997), “a poor recruitment decision can cost a company the amount equal to 30% of the company’s First-year earnings” due to the possibility that the company will lose some of its loyal cusomers, the high cost associated with the provision of training programs, advertising costs, recruitment fees, and lower productivity level (Bach 2005, p. 115). Considering the tight competition in the global markets, reducing the fixed operational costs should be done to increase the competitive advantage of a business organization. For instance: Given that the HR manager is to increase the profitability of the company by increasing its annual sales, choosing between a highly-skilled applicant who is capable of multi-tasking is more likely to contribute more in terms of work performance, flexibility, and trainability as compared to an applicant who has a limited skill, knowledge, and work experiences in selling. One of the benefits of job analysis in selection and recruitment is that the process enables the HR manager to place the right person on the right job. (Dessler 2000, p. 4) With regards to the qualifications of these two applicants, hiring a person who is not only competitive in terms of writing documents but also has a pleasing personality, competitive public relations, and has an outstanding record or success in the applicant’s ability to sell is more likely to impress the HR manager since he/she will be able to maximize the organizational contribution in terms of increasing the work efficiency of the employee as an individual and a team. This is primarily the reason behind the need to carefully subject each qualified applicant to an initial screening interviews and pre-employment testing prior to the final decision on who among the large group of applicants will be hired for a given job vacancy. (Dessler 2000, p. 7 – 8) In general, the absence of job analysis will make it very difficult on the part of the HR manager to select the right person that can successfully perform the job requirements of the company (Dessler 2000, p. 4). Hiring an applicant with the proper skills and work experiences is very important due to the fact that we can never expect an accountant to do the tasks and responsibilities of a sales executive or vice versa. This is the main reason why it is crucial on the part of the HR manager to carefully screen not only the academic background of a job applicant but also his/her personality, traits, special skills, and previous work experiences. Another good example is the issue regarding the hiring of single mothers or single parent. A business organization that requires employee to be on a 24-hour on-call duty would prefer to hire single individuals who do not have a child to take care. Although the status of each applicant can be a significant ground for hiring, other qualifications related to skills and work experiences are equally important which needs to be considered during the selection process. In line with the nature of this particular job requirement, HR manager can easily develop a set of applicants’ qualification which can be done during the stage of conducting a job analysis. Likewise, it is not possible for HR managers to hire a female applicant if the vacant job requires tedious work activities which involve the handling and transportation of heavy loads (Bratton & Gold 2007, p. 191). Upon analyzing the whole scenario, hiring the wrong people to perform a specific job and responsibility can be very costly on the part of the business organization considering the increased possibility of work inefficiency, wasted time including financial investment on training and development programs (Marchington & Wilkinson 2005, p. 105 – 106). In other words, errors made during the selection and recruitment process of a business organization is a very serious problem since it could result to the increased inability of the company to cope with the market challenges that the company is currently facing. Since hiring the wrong people does not contribute any good on the success of a business organization, inability of the HR manager to perform effective job analysis is considered as an organizational “liability” (Newell 2005, p. 115). In general, a job analysis follows a procedure or a check list that guides the HR managers as they exert extra effort in determining the exact nature of a specific job requirement. For this reason, the process of job analysis can be used in assisting the HR department to develop an objective, systematic and structured function which is useful in developing the corporate reward system and work evaluation process among others (Jerrold 1987, p. 64). The fact that the process of a job analysis follows a systematic structure, the chances that the HR manager would develop a list of misaligned work-related qualifications is avoided. Connection between Job Analysis, Recruitment and Selection Process including the Importance of Developing Attractive Employment Packages Basically, job analysis is considered an important component of recruitment and selection process that enables the HR manager to hire competitive individuals in performing a specific job responsibility. A good job analysis enables the HR managers to develop a job description, a job specification, and behavioural competencies. (Bach 2005, p. 121) However, identifying these factors that affects the recruitment process is not sufficient in terms of attracting competitive individuals from external sources to join the company. Since the job analysis method includes the major decision in developing a salary and work packages / benefits (Bach 2005, p. 118), there is a higher chance that the HR manager will be able to persuade highly competitive individuals to join the business organization. In other words, a job analysis is considered an important component of the recruitment process since it allows the HR manager to identify applicants who holds the specific skill, knowledge, and behaviour based on the specific need of the business organization. Being able to point out a particular talent, characteristics and traits minimizes the HR manager’s tendency to hire wrong individuals to join the company. Conclusion Job analysis is an important feature of recruitment process since it allows the HR manager to identify specifically the qualities and skills the company needs from a large group of applicants. Using the job analysis as a basis of selection and recruitment effectively narrows down the choices of applicants down to the top five best individuals that are considered qualified to deliver the required task and responsibilities. Aside from allowing the HR manager to select the best candidate for a vacant job, this method narrows down the chances wherein the HR manager would end up recruiting a wrong person. In line with narrowing down the chances of hiring an unqualified applicant, the HR manager on behalf of the business organization saves a large sum of money from unnecessary business opportunity loss associated with losing customers, the high cost of training and development programs, and work inefficiency. In order to increase the success rate of a business organization, the human resource department should strengthen its job analysis as part of its selection and recruitment processes. By improving the company’s selection and recruitment process, the business organization will be able to enjoy the benefits in terms of increasing the annual profitability and overall success despite the existing tight competition in the global markets. This strategy minimizes the risk that the company would end up filing bankruptcy caused by corporate mismanagement. *** End *** References: Bach, S. (2005). Managing Human Resources. 4th Edition. Personnel Management in Transition. Blackwell Publishing. Bartlett, B. (2000, December 15). PCT Online. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from Job Analysis a Vital Aid to HR Function: www.interviewtech.com/news%20docs/PCT%20-%20Job%20Analysis%20A%20Vital%20Aid%20To%20HR%20Function.pdf Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2007). Human Resource Management, 4th Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Dessler, G. (2000). Human Resource Management. 8th Edition. Pearson Education Ltd. Hacker, C. (1997). The Cost of Poort Hiring Decisions... and How to Avoid Them. In Nuewell, Sue (ed) "Chapter Five - Recruitment and Selection". Heron, R. (2005). ILO Skills and Employability Department. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from Job and Work Analysis Guidelines on Identifying Jobs for Persons with Disabilities: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1163&context=gladnetcollect Hough, L. M., & Oswald, F. L. (2000). Personnel Selection: Looking toward the future—remembering the past. Annual Review of Psychology , Vol. 51, pp. 631 - 664. Jerrold, M. (1987). Management the Job Analysis Process. Training and Development Journal , Vol. 41, No.8, pp.64 - 66. Marchington, M., & Wilkinson, A. (2005). Human Resource Management at Work. People Management and Development. 3rd Edition. London: CIPD. Nelson, J. B. (1997). The Boundaryless Organization: Implications for Job Analysis, Recruitment, and Selection. Human Resource Planning , Vol. 20, pp.39-48. Newell, S. (2005). "Chapter Five - Recruitment and Selection" In Bach, Stephen (ed) Managing Human Resources. 4th Edition. Personnel Management in Transition. London: Blackwell Publishing. Stone, R. (2005). Human Resource Management, 5th Edition. Ausralia: John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd. Read More