Job Analysis 151
programs by identifying the skills required for different jobs. Identifying
the knowledge, skill, and responsibility requirements of each job makes
it possible to train and develop employees for promotional opportunities.
Available information helps all employees understand promotion and
transfer requirements and recognize career opportunities.
Performance evaluation. Performance standards should be derived
from what employees actually do on the job. A job analysis identifi es the
tasks and responsibilities that employees perform in the course of their
jobs. Areas of accountability can be identifi ed and evaluation standards
developed.
Risk management. A job analysis can be used to identify job hazards
such as exposure to fl ammable materials or complicated machinery.
Employers should use this information to develop training programs to
alert employees to possible dangers. Included in this are health, safety,
and security issues.
Job design. Jobs are arranged around a set of work activities designed
to enable the organization to carry out its mission. External and inter-
nal changes, however, often force organizations to rearrange or restruc-
ture work activities. The traditional tasks associated with a particular job
change over time; a job analysis is necessary to identify and accommo-
date these changes.
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This chapter discusses the legal signifi cance of job analysis, the types of
information obtained through a job analysis, the factors to consider when
designing a job analysis program, and some of the advantages of strategic
job analysis and generic job descriptions. The chapter concludes with a
look at some of the job analysis techniques commonly used in the public
and nonprofi t sectors.
Legal Signifi cance of Job Analysis Data
To demonstrate the validity and job relatedness of an employment test, the
Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978) require that
a job analysis be conducted.
The test ’ s content, criteria, and construct test-validation strategies
must be based on a thorough and up - to - date job analysis. Employers must
show that the requirements established for selecting workers are related to
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