Job Analysis - A Basic

Understanding
Job Analysis is a systematic exploration, study and recording the

responsibilities, duties, skills, accountabilities, work environment and ability

requirements of a specific job. It also involves determining the relative importance of
the duties, responsibilities and physical and emotional skills for a given job. All these
factors identify what a job demands and what an employee must possess to perform a
job productively.

What Does Job Analysis Involve ?

The process of job analysis involves in-depth investigation in order to control the output,
i.e., get the job performed successfully. The process helps in finding out what a particular
department requires and what a prospective worker needs to deliver. It also helps in
determining particulars about a job including job title, job location, job summary, duties
involved, working conditions, possible hazards and machines, tools, equipments and
materials to be used by the existing or potential employee.

However, the process is not limited to determination of these factors only. It also extends
to finding out the necessary human qualifications to perform the job. These include
establishing the levels of education, experience, judgment, training, initiative, leadership
skills, physical skills, communication skills, responsibility, accountability, emotional
characteristics and unusual sensory demands. These factors change according to the
type, seniority level, industry and risk involved in a particular job.

Importance of Job Analysis

The details collected by conducting job analysis play an important role in
controlling the output of the particular job. Determining the success of job depends
on the unbiased, proper and thorough job analysis. It also helps in recruiting the right
people for a particular job. The main purpose of conducting this whole process is to
create and establish a perfect fit between the job and the employee.

Job analysis also helps HR managers in deciding the compensation package and
additional perks and incentives for a particular job position. It effectively contributes in
assessing the training needs and performance of the existing employees. The process
forms the basis to design and establish the strategies and policies to fulfill organizational
goals and objectives.

However, analysis of a particular job does not guarantee that the managers or
organization would get the desired output. Actually collecting and recording information
for a specific job involves several complications. If the job information is not accurate and
checked from time to time, an employee will not be able to perform his duty well. Until
and unless he is not aware of what he is supposed to do or what is expected of him,
chances are that the time and energy spent on a particular job analysis is a sheer
wastage of human resources. Therefore, proper care should be taken while conducting
job analysis.

A thorough and unbiased investigation or study of a specific job is good for both the
managers and the employees. The managers get to know whom to hire and why. They
can fill a place with the right person. On the other hand, existing or potential employee
gets to know what and how he is supposed to perform the job and what is the desired
output. Job analysis creates a right fit between the job and the employee
Purpose of Job Analysis
As discussed already, job analysis involves collecting and recording job-related

data such as knowledge and skills required to perform a job, duties and responsibilities
involved, education qualifications and experience required and physical and emotional
characteristics required to perform a job in a desired manner.

The main purposes of conducting a job analysis process is to use this particular
information to create a right fit between job and employee, to assess the performance of
an employee, to determine the worth of a particular task and to analyze training and
development needs of an employee delivering that specific job.

Let’s understand the concept with the help of an example. If the job of an executive sales
manager is to be analyzed, the first and foremost thing would be to determine the worth
of this job. The next step is to analyze whether the person is able to deliver what is
expected of him. It also helps in knowing if he or she is perfect for this job. The process
doesn’t finish here. It also involves collection of other important facts and figures such as
job location, department or division, compensation grade, job duties, routine tasks,
computer, educational, communicational and physical skills, MIS activities, reporting
structure, ability to adapt in a given environment, leadership skills, licenses and
certifications, ability to grow and close sales, ability to handle clients, superiors and
subordinates and of course, the presentation of an individual.

Purpose of Job Analysis

Job Analysis plays an important role in recruitment and selection, job evaluation, job
designing, deciding compensation and benefits packages, performance appraisal,
analyzing training and development needs, assessing the worth of a job and increasing
personnel as well as organizational productivity.

 Recruitment and Selection: Job Analysis helps in determining what kind of

person is required to perform a particular job. It points out the educational
qualifications, level of experience and technical, physical, emotional and personal
 skills required to carry out a job in desired fashion. The objective is to fit a right
person at a right place.
 Performance Analysis: Job analysis is done to check if goals and objectives of a
particular job are met or not. It helps in deciding the performance standards,
evaluation criteria and individual’s output. On this basis, the overall performance of
an employee is measured and he or she is appraised accordingly.

 Training and Development: Job Analysis can be used to assess the training and
development needs of employees. The difference between the expected and actual
output determines the level of training that need to be imparted to employees. It
also helps in deciding the training content, tools and equipments to be used to
conduct training and methods of training.

 Compensation Management: Of course, job analysis plays a vital role in

deciding the pay packages and extra perks and benefits and fixed and variable
incentives of employees. After all, the pay package depends on the position, job title
and duties and responsibilities involved in a job. The process guides HR managers in
deciding the worth of an employee for a particular job opening.

 Job Designing and Redesigning: The main purpose of job analysis is to

streamline the human efforts and get the best possible output. It helps in designing,
redesigning, enriching, evaluating and also cutting back and adding the extra
responsibilities in a particular job. This is done to enhance the employee satisfaction
while increasing the human output.

Therefore, job analysis is one of the most important functions of an HR manager or

department. This helps in fitting the right kind of talent at the right place and at the right
time

Job Analysis Process

Where to place the employees in order to best utilize their skills and talent? How to

determine the need of new employees in the organization? How to eliminate unneeded
jobs? How to set realistic performance measurement standards? How to identify the jobs
and prepare a plan to fill them?

Well, all this can be effectively done by a proper and thorough job analysis. Managers
deal such kinds of challenges in day-to-day company operations where they need to fulfill
effectively and efficiently fulfill the organization’s requirements related to human
resource recruitment, selection, performance, satisfaction and cutting down and adding
extra responsibilities and duties. And there is no scope where they can avert the risk of
being wrong.

An effective and right process of analyzing a particular job is a great relief for them. It
helps them maintain the right quality of employees, measure their performance on
realistic standards, assess their training and development needs and increase their
productivity. Let’s discuss the job analysis process and find out how it serves the
purpose.

Job Analysis Process

 Identification of Job Analysis Purpose: Well any process is futile until its
purpose is not identified and defined. Therefore, the first step in the process is to
determine its need and desired output. Spending human efforts, energy as well as
money is useless until HR managers don’t know why data is to be collected and
what is to be done with it.
 Who Will Conduct Job Analysis: The second most important step in the process
of job analysis is to decide who will conduct it. Some companies prefer getting it
done by their own HR department while some hire job analysis consultants. Job
analysis consultants may prove to be extremely helpful as they offer unbiased
 advice, guidelines and methods. They don’t have any personal likes and dislikes
when it comes to analyze a job.

 How to Conduct the Process: Deciding the way in which job analysis process
needs to be conducted is surely the next step. A planned approach about how to
carry the whole process is required in order to investigate a specific job.

 Strategic Decision Making: Now is the time to make strategic decision. It’s
about deciding the extent of employee involvement in the process, the level of
details to be collected and recorded, sources from where data is to be collected,
data collection methods, the processing of information and segregation of collected
data.

 Training of Job Analyst: Next is to train the job analyst about how to conduct
the process and use the selected methods for collection and recoding of job data.

 Preparation of Job Analysis Process: Communicating it within the organization

is the next step. HR managers need to communicate the whole thing properly so
that employees offer their full support to the job analyst. The stage also involves
preparation of documents, questionnaires, interviews and feedback forms.

 Data Collection: Next is to collect job-related data including educational

qualifications of employees, skills and abilities required to perform the job, working
conditions, job activities, reporting hierarchy, required human traits, job activities,
duties and responsibilities involved and employee behaviour.

 Documentation, Verification and Review: Proper documentation is done to

verify the authenticity of collected data and then review it. This is the final
information that is used to describe a specific job.

 Developing Job Description and Job Specification: Now is the time to

segregate the collected data in to useful information. Job Description describes the
roles, activities, duties and responsibilities of the job while job specification is a
statement of educational qualification, experience, personal traits and skills required
to perform the job.

Thus, the process of job analysis helps in identifying the worth of specific job, utilizing the
human talent in the best possible manner, eliminating unneeded jobs and setting
realistic performance measurement standards

What to Collect during Job

Analysis ?
Gathering job-related information involves lots of efforts and time. The process

may become cumbersome if the main objective of it is not known. Any information can
be gathered and recorded but may be hazardous for health and finances of an
organization if it is not known what is required and why.

Before starting to conduct a job analysis process, it is very necessary to decide what type
of content or information is to be collected and why. The purpose of this process may
range from uncovering hidden dangers to the organization or creating a right job-person
fit, establishing effective hiring practices, analyzing training needs, evaluating a job,
analyzing the performance of an employee, setting organizational standards and so on.
Each one of these objectives requires different type of information or content.
While gathering job-related content, a job analyst or the dedicated person should know
the purpose of the action and try to collect data as accurate as possible. Though the data
collected is later on divided in to two sets - job description and job specification but the
information falls in three different categories during the process of analyzing a specific
job - job content, job context and job requirements.

What to Collect ?
 Job Content
 Job Context

 Job Requirements

1. Job Content: It contains information about various job activities included in a

specific job. It is a detailed account of actions which an employee needs to perform
during his tenure. The following information needs to be collected by a job analyst:

 Duties of an employee

 What actually an employee does

 Machines, tools and equipments to be used while performing a specific job

 Additional tasks involved in a job

 Desired output level (What is expected of an employee?)

 Type of training required

Fig 1.1 Categorization of Job Analysis Information

The content depends upon the type of job in a particular division or department. For
example, job content of a factory-line worker would be entirely different from that of
a marketing executive or HR personnel.

2. Job Context: Job context refers to the situation or condition under which an
employee performs a particular job. The information collection will include:
  Working Conditions

 Risks involved

 Whom to report

 Who all will report to him or her

 Hazards

 Physical and mental demands

 Judgment

Well like job content, data collected under this category are also subject to change
according to the type of job in a specific division or department.

3. Job Requirements: These include basic but specific requirements which make a
candidate eligible for a particular job. The collected data includes:
 Knowledge or basic information required to perform a job successfully

 Specific skills such as communication skills, IT skills, operational skills,

motor skills, processing skills and so on

 Personal ability including aptitude, reasoning, manipulative abilities,

handling sudden and unexpected situations, problem-solving ability,
mathematical abilities and so on

 Educational Qualifications including degree, diploma, certification or

license

 Personal Characteristics such as ability to adapt to different environment,

endurance, willingness, work ethic, eagerness to learn and understand
things, behaviour towards colleagues, subordinates and seniors, sense of
belongingness to the organization, etc

For different jobs, the parameters would be different. They depend upon the type of job,
designation, compensation grade and responsibilities and risks involved in a job.

Job Analysis Methods

Though there are several methods of collecting job analysis information yet

choosing the one or a combination of more than one method depends upon the needs
and requirements of organization and the objectives of the job analysis process.
Typically, all the methods focus on collecting the basic job-related information but when
used in combination may bring out the hidden or overlooked information and prove to be
great tools for creating a perfect job-candidate fit.

Selecting an appropriate job analysis method depends on the structure of the

organization, hierarchical levels, nature of job and responsibilities and duties involved in
it. So, before executing any method, all advantages and disadvantages should be
analyzed because the data collected through this process serves a great deal and helps
organizations cope with current market trends, organizational changes, high attrition rate
and many other day-to-day problems.

Let’s discuss few of job analysis methods that are commonly used by the organizations
to investigate the demands of a specific job.
Job Analysis Methods

Most Common Methods of Job Analysis

 Observation Method: A job analyst observes an employee and records all his
performed and non-performed task, fulfilled and un-fulfilled responsibilities and
duties, methods, ways and skills used by him or her to perform various duties and
his or her mental or emotional ability to handle challenges and risks. However, it
seems one of the easiest methods to analyze a specific job but truth is that it is the
most difficult one. Why? Let’s Discover.

It is due to the fact that every person has his own way of observing things. Different
people think different and interpret the findings in different ways. Therefore, the
process may involve personal biasness or likes and dislikes and may not produce
genuine results. This error can be avoided by proper training of job analyst or
whoever will be conducting the job analysis process.

This particular method includes three techniques: direct observation, Work

Methods Analysis and Critical Incident Technique. The first method includes
direct observation and recording of behaviour of an employee in different
situations. The second involves the study of time and motion and is specially
used for assembly-line or factory workers. The third one is about identifying

the work behaviours that result in performance. Job Analysis

Tools
Job Analysis supports all other management activities including recruitment and

selection, training and development need analysis, performance analysis and appraisal,
job evaluation, job rotation, enrichment and enlargement, a right job-individual fit
creation and regulation of entry and exit of talent in an organization. The process is the
basis of all these important management activities, therefore, requires solid ground
preparation. A properly performed job analysis is adequate for laying strong organization
foundation.

There are various tools and techniques such as O*Net model, PAQ model, FJA model, F-
JAS model and competency model that help HR managers to develop genuine job
description and job specification data. Though not very new but these specialized tools
and techniques are used by only a few of very high profile organizations. Not very
common in use but once understood, these systematic approaches prove to be
extremely useful for measuring the worth of any job in an organization.

Job Analysis Tools

O*Net Model: The beauty of this model is that it helps managers or job analysts
in listing job-related data for a very large number of jobs simultaneously. It helps
in collecting and recording basic and initial data including educational
requirements, physical requirements and mental and emotional requirements to
some extent. It also links the level of compensation and benefits, perks and
advantages to be offered to a prospective candidate for a specific job.

FJA Model: FJA stands for Functional Job Analysis and helps in collecting and
recording job-related data to a deeper extent. It is used to develop task-related
statements. Developed by Sidney Fine and his colleagues, the technique helps in
determining the complexity of duties and responsibilities involved in a specific
job. This work-oriented technique works on the basis of relatedness of job-data
where complexity of work is determined on a scale of various scores given to a
particular job. The lower scores represent greater difficulty.

PAQ Model: PAQ represents Position Analysis Questionnaire. This well-known and
commonly used technique is used to analyze a job by getting the questionnaires
filled by job incumbents and their superiors. Designed by a trained and
experienced job analyst, the process involves interviewing the subject matter
experts and employees and evaluating the questionnaires on those bases.

F-JAS Model: Representing Fleishman Job Analysis System, it is a basic and

generic approach to discover common elements in different jobs including verbal
abilities, reasoning abilities, idea generation, quantitative abilities, attentiveness,
spatial abilities, visual and other sensory abilities, manipulative abilities, reaction
time, speed analysis, flexibility, emotional characteristics, physical strength,
perceptual abilities, communication skills, memory, endurance, balance,
coordination and movement control abilities.

Competency Model: This model talks about the competencies of employees in

terms of knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, expertise and performance. It also
helps in understanding what a prospective candidate requires at the time of entry
in an organization at a particular designation in a given work environment and
schedule. The model also includes some basic elements such as qualifications,
experience, education, training, certifications, licenses, legal requirements and
willingness of a candidate.
 Job Scan: This technique defines the personality dynamics and suggests an ideal
job model. However, it does not discuss the individual competencies such as
intellect, experience or physical and emotional characteristics of an individual
required to perform a specific job.

Different tools can be used in different situation. Selection of an ideal job analysis tool
depends upon job analysis needs and objectives and amount of time and resources

 Interview Method: In this method, an employee is interviewed so that he or she

comes up with their own working styles, problems faced by them, use of particular
skills and techniques while performing their job and insecurities and fears about
their careers.

This method helps interviewer know what exactly an employee thinks about his or
her own job and responsibilities involved in it. It involves analysis of job by
employee himself. In order to generate honest and true feedback or collect genuine
data, questions asked during the interview should be carefully decided. And to avoid
errors, it is always good to interview more than one individual to get a pool of
responses. Then it can be generalized and used for the whole group.

 Questionnaire Method: Another commonly used job analysis method is getting

the questionnaires filled from employees, their superiors and managers. However,
this method also suffers from personal biasness. A great care should be takes while
framing questions for different grades of employees.

In order to get the true job-related info, management should effectively

communicate it to the staff that data collected will be used for their own good. It is
very important to ensure them that it won’t be used against them in anyway. If it is
not done properly, it will be a sheer wastage of time, money and human resources.

These are some of the most common methods of job analysis. However, there
are several other specialized methods including task inventory, job element
method, competency profiling, technical conference, threshold traits analysis
system and a combination of these methods. While choosing a method, HR
managers need to consider time, cost and human efforts included in

conducting the process. Problems with Job

Analysis
No process can be entirely accurate and fully serves the purpose. Job analysis is no

exception to it. The process involves a variety of methods, tools, plans and a lot of
human effort. And where ‘people’ are involved, nothing can be 100 percent accurate.
However, they may be appropriate considering various factors including organizational
requirements, time, effort and financial resources. Since the entire job analysis
processes, methods and tools are designed by humans only, they tend to have practical
issues associated with them. Human brain suffers with some limitations, therefore,
everything created, designed or developed by humans too have some or other
constraints.

Coming back to the subject, even the process of job analysis has lot of practical problems
associated with it. Though the process can be effective, appropriate, practical, efficient
and focused but it can be costly, time consuming and disruptive for employees at the
same time. It is because there are some typical problems that are encountered by a job
analyst while carrying out the process. Let’s discuss them and understand how the
process of job analysis can be made more effective by treating them carefully.

Problems with Job Analysis

 Lack of Management Support: The biggest problem arises when a job analyst
does not get proper support from the management. The top management needs to
communicate it to the middle level managers and employees to enhance the output
or productivity of the process. In case of improper communication, employees may
take it in a wrong sense and start looking out for other available options. They may
have a notion that this is being carried out to fire them or take any action against
them. In order to avoid such circumstances, top management must effectively
communicate the right message to their incumbents.
 Lack of Co-operation from Employees: If we talk about collecting authentic
and accurate job-data, it is almost impossible to get real and genuine data without
the support of employees. If they are not ready to co-operate, it is a sheer wastage
of time, money and human effort to conduct job analysis process. The need is to
take the workers in confidence and communicating that it is being done to solve
their problems only.

 Inability to Identify the Need of Job Analysis: If the objectives and needs of
job analysis process are not properly identified, the whole exercise of investigation
and carrying out research is futile. Managers must decide in advance why this
process is being carried out, what its objectives are and what is to be done with the
collected and recorded data.

 Biasness of Job Analyst: A balanced and unbiased approach is a necessity

while carrying out the process of job analysis. To get real and genuine data, a job
analyst must be impartial in his or her approach. If it can’t be avoided, it is better to
outsource the process or hire a professional job analyst.

 Using Single Data Source: A job analyst needs to consider more than one
sources of data in order to collect true information. Collecting data from a single
source may result in inaccuracy and it therefore, defeats the whole purpose of
conducting the job analysis process.

However, this is not the end. There may be many other problems involved in a job
analysis process such as insufficient time and resources, distortion from incumbent, lack
of proper communication, improper questionnaires and other forms, absence of
verification and review of job analysis process and lack of reward or recognition for
providing genuine and quality information

Role of Job Analysis in

Establishing Effective Hiring
Practices
A major change has been observed in the world of work since 1980s. The era of

structured jobs, packed or fixed work schedules, male-dominated working culture and no
family intruding started diminishing gradually.

Companies and employees around the world faced dramatic effects of modernization,
flexibility in work schedules, job sharing, work from home options and employee-
supportive policies, etc. All thanks to the then managers who analyzed the importance of
fitting an individual at a job he or she excelled at to increase the company turnover,
employee satisfaction and achieve a professional-personal life balance. And all this was
possible by analyzing the worth of a specific job and collecting genuine job-related data.

A proper job analysis, hence, may prove to be a turning point for an

organization. It not only creates the right job-candidate fit but also enhance the success
of management practices, which in turn, lays the foundation for a strong organization.

A step-by-step process of discovering the different aspects of a job results in a proper

regulation of incoming and outgoing of the talent or human resource. Job Analysis thus,
started gaining popularity in early 1990s in order to create competitive advantage and
has been considered as the basis for other HRM practices since then.

The data collected during the process helps managers in identifying the risks and
challenges involved in a specific job and kind of person suitable for delivering the desired
duties perfectly. An employer’s recruitment and selection process purely depends on job
analysis. Until the recruiting managers do not know about job to be performed,
expectations from prospective candidate and the right individual profile required for
performing a specific job, it is almost impossible to source or target talent or human
resource in order to fill the vacancy.

Job analysis process helps in establishing effective hiring practices and guides
managers in identifying the selection criteria required to deliver the expected
output. Let’s discuss how.
How to Establish Effective Hiring Strategies ?
 Identifying KRAs: Job Analysis process helps in identifying Key Result Areas/Key
Responsibilities Areas (KRAs) such as knowledge, technical, communication and
personal skills, mental, aptitude, physical and emotional abilities to perform a
particular task.

Different jobs have different requirements. Therefore, the process needs to be

performed every time when there is a requirement to fill the job opening. This is a
basis for developing questionnaires, devising interview questions and setting
selection test papers. The information in the form of scores or grades can then be
used for hiring process.

 Setting Selection Standards: Job Analysis also helps managers in setting

certain standards for selection process in terms of educational qualifications, work
experience, expertise, special skill sets, unusual sensory abilities, specific career
track, certifications and licenses and other legal requirements. This helps in
identifying the basic requirements that make a candidate eligible for a particular
post.
 Identifying KSAs: The process also helps managers in determining Key Success
Areas or Key Performance Areas. These are performance measurement tools that
are used by companies around the world to measure those aspects that determine
success of a job such as organizational goals, individual goals and the actions
required to achieve these goals. This is about comparing the actual results delivered
by an individual with pre-set success factors and analyzing the performance. Once
through, the whole process may require few changes if achieved results are around
the set standards. They may require a complete change if there is a huge gap
between the expected and delivered results.

Therefore, a thorough and unbiased job analysis process can help organizations source
right candidates, hire the most suitable individual and set appropriate selection
standards

Job Description and Job

Specification
 Job Analysis is a primary tool to collect job-related data. The process results in

collecting and recording two data sets including job description and job specification. Any
job vacancy can not be filled until and unless HR manager has these two sets of data. It
is necessary to define them accurately in order to fit the right person at the right place
and at the right time. This helps both employer and employee understand what exactly
needs to be delivered and how.

Both job description and job specification are essential parts of job analysis information.
Writing them clearly and accurately helps organization and workers cope with many
challenges while onboard.

Though preparing job description and job specification are not legal requirements yet
play a vital role in getting the desired outcome. These data sets help in determining the
necessity, worth and scope of a specific job.

Job Description
Job description includes basic job-related data that is useful to advertise a specific job
and attract a pool of talent. It includes information such as job title, job location,
reporting to and of employees, job summary, nature and objectives of a job, tasks and
duties to be performed, working conditions, machines, tools and equipments to be used
by a prospective worker and hazards involved in it.

Purpose of Job Description

 The main purpose of job description is to collect job-related data in order to
advertise for a particular job. It helps in attracting, targeting, recruiting and
selecting the right candidate for the right job.
 It is done to determine what needs to be delivered in a particular job. It clarifies
what employees are supposed to do if selected for that particular job opening.

 It gives recruiting staff a clear view what kind of candidate is required by a

particular department or division to perform a specific task or job.

 It also clarifies who will report to whom.

Job Specification
Also known as employee specifications, a job specification is a written statement of
educational qualifications, specific qualities, level of experience, physical, emotional,
technical and communication skills required to perform a job, responsibilities involved in
a job and other unusual sensory demands. It also includes general health, mental health,
intelligence, aptitude, memory, judgment, leadership skills, emotional ability,
adaptability, flexibility, values and ethics, manners and creativity, etc.

Purpose of Job Specification

 Described on the basis of job description, job specification helps candidates
analyze whether are eligible to apply for a particular job vacancy or not.
 It helps recruiting team of an organization understand what level of qualifications,
qualities and set of characteristics should be present in a candidate to make him
or her eligible for the job opening.

 Job Specification gives detailed information about any job including job
responsibilities, desired technical and physical skills, conversational ability and
much more.

 It helps in selecting the most appropriate candidate for a particular job.

Job description and job specification are two integral parts of job analysis. They define a
job fully and guide both employer and employee on how to go about the whole process of
recruitment and selection. Both data sets are extremely relevant for creating a right fit
between job and talent, evaluate performance and analyze training needs and measuring
the worth of a particular job

General and Specific Purpose of

Job Description
Job description is all about collecting and recording basic job-related data that

includes job title, job location, job summary, job duties, reporting information, working
conditions, tools, machines and equipments to be used and hazards and risks involved in
it. A job description may or may not have specific purpose. It depends on what HR
managers want to determine and what is the objective of conducting the process of job
analysis.

Job Description is a summary of job analysis findings that helps managers determine
what an employee is supposed to do when onboard. The purpose of job description
depends on the level of details the job findings include. Job description carried for
general purpose typically involves job identification (title, designation, location) and a
statement of duties and functions of a prospective or existing employee. A specifically
carried job description includes detailed information about the kind of job, how it is
supposed to be performed and what is expected to be delivered. Let’s discuss the
general and specific purpose of conducting a job description process.
General Purpose of Job Description
General purpose job descriptions are used by organizations to find the very basic
information about a particular job opening. Though data includes worker’s duties but
does not contain sub tasks, performance standards and basis for evaluating jobs and
establishing right compensation packages.

Advantages
The main benefit of general purpose job description is that it does not consume much
time and quickly provides basic information to managers. It does not require much
human efforts and is very easy and convenient to carry out. Additionally, a job analyst
does not have to conduct deep research to gather the required details.

Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of general purpose job description is that it does not provide
managers with full-fledged information about job context and sub tasks. Sometimes, a
manager may fail to extract correct information from such small amount of data.

Specific Purpose of Job Description

Specific purpose job description includes detailed information about job responsibilities of
an employee. It also covers sub tasks, essential functions and detailed job duties. It
involves huge amount of details such as what an employee needs to do, how it is to be
done and what are the performance standards, etc.

Advantages
The main benefit of specific purpose job description is that it offers ample information to
evaluate job performance and determine training needs of employees. It serves as a
basis for all other HR processes including recruitment and selection, performance
appraisal, compensation decision and many more.

Disadvantages
Though it assists managers in decision making process but it has its own limitations. The
process, however, may take very long and consume lots of human efforts. Since, it
involves collecting detailed information; the biased nature of job analyst can cause
severe problems. The data collected may not be 100 percent genuine.
Therefore, it can be said that information collected during job analysis defines the
purpose of job description. If data collected is extremely basic, it will serve only the
general purpose and therefore, can not be used for making management decisions. On
the other hand, detailed data serves the specific purpose and can be easily used while
making important decisions