Job Analysis

Job analysis provides the basis for determining what types of information should be
obtained from the applicant, from previous employers, and from other sources. Even
though many companies are laying off substantial portions of their workforces,
employee selection is a vital part of HRM. Personnel selection is important in the
building of a productive workforce. Determining the qualifications of job candidates
requires that as much information as possible be obtained from the candidates and
other sources. It is important for you to understand that the information that is
collected should be relevant to the job and sufficiently reliable and valid. HR
practitioners should have an understanding of job requirements to permit an analysis
of application forms, employment tests, interviews, and reference checks of individual
candidates.

Some definitions:

* Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a
job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.

* A defined data collection and analysis procedure through which information about
job tasks and job requirements are obtained.

Steps involved in Job Analysis

Step 1

Identify the use to which the information will be put, since this will determine the
types of data you collect and how you collect them. Some data collection techniques
like interviewing the employee and asking what the job entails and what his
responsibilities are - are good for writing job
descriptions and selecting employees for the job.

Step 2

Review relevant background information such as organization charts, process charts,

and job descriptions. Organization charts show how the job in question relates to other
jobs and where it fits in the overall organization. The chart should identify the title of
each position and, by means of its interconnecting lines, show who reports to whom
and with whom the job incumbent is expected to communicate.

Step 3

Select representative positions to be analyzed. This is done when many similar jobs
are to be analyzed and it is too time-consuming to analyze, say, the jobs of all
assembly workers.

Step 4

Next actually analyze the job by collecting data on job activities, required employee
behaviors, working conditions, and human traits and abilities needed to perform the
job. For this, you would use one or more of the job analysis techniques explained in
this lesson.

Step 5

Review the information with job incumbents. The job analysis information should be
verified with the worker performing the job and with his or her immediate supervisor.
This will help to confirm that the information is factually correct and complete. This
"review" step can also help gain the employee's acceptance of the job analysis data
and conclusions by giving that person a chance to review and modify your description
of his or her job activities.

Step 6

Develop a job description and job specification. A job description and a job
specification are usually two concrete products of the job analysis. The job
description is a, written statement that describes the activities and responsibilities of
the job, as well as important features of the job such as working conditions and safety
hazards. The job specification summarizes the personal qualities, skills, and
background required for getting the job done; it may be either a separate document or
on the same document as the job description.

Unit 2- Lecture 3: Recruitment

This section describes Recruitment and its Process.

Recruitment

Recruitment means an activity which refers to the discovery and development of

workers and employees in the enterprise at the time they are required. It involves
locating, maintaining and contacting the sources
of man power.

The recruitment has been defined by many eminent authors as follows:

In the words of Edwin Flippo, “Recruitment is the process of searching for

prospective employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for jobs in the
organisation.” According to Dale Yoder, “Recruitment is a process to discover the
sources of manpower to meet the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ
effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate
effective selection of an efficient working force.”

In short recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and

stimulating them for jobs in the organisation, Thus, the recruitment of employees
involves the identification of the sources of
personnel, evaluation of different sources available, selection of a particular source
and stimulating the prospective candidates to apply for the job so that right candidates
may be obtained for right job.

Recruitment is defined as a process that provides the organization with a pool of

qualified job candidates from which to choose. Before companies recruit, they must
implement proper staffing plans and forecasting to determine how many people they
will need. The basis of the forecast will be the annual budget of the organization and
the short- to long-term plans of the organization—for example, the possibility of
expansion. In addition to this, the organizational life cycle will be a factor.

Forecasting is based on both internal and external factors. Internal factors include the
following:

1. Budget constraints
2. Expected or trend of employee separations
3. Production levels
4. Sales increases or decreases
5. Global expansion plans

External factors might include the following:

1. Changes in technology
2. Changes in laws
3. Unemployment rates
4. Shifts in population
5. Shifts in urban, suburban, and rural areas
6. Competition

Lecture 4: Recruitment

This section describes various types of Recruitment and types of interviews used in
recruitment.

Types of recruitment

Types of Recruitment

Types of recruitment are broadly classified into two different categories.

These are the internal sources and the external sources. Internal sources of recruitment
refer to the hiring of employees within the organization internally. In this case,
applicants are seeking different positions and are those who are currently employed
within the same organization. At the time of recruitment of employees, main
consideration is given to those employees, who are currently working within the
organization. This is an important source of recruitment, which provides the
opportunities for progress and use of the existing resources within the organization.
Internal sources of recruitment are the finest and the stress-free way of selecting
human resources as their work performance and other qualities are already known to
the organization. The internal sources have been stated as follows: (Recruitment and
Selection, 2016).

Promotions - Promotion refers to advancement of the employees by evaluating their

job performance. When the employers, managers and supervisors feel satisfied with
the performance of the employees, they promote them to an upper level within the
organization and it leads to an increase in pay and benefits. It is the process of shifting
an employee from a lower position to a higher position with more responsibilities,
remuneration, facilities, and status. Internally, many organizations fill the vacant
positions at higher levels with the process of promotions.

Transfers – Transfer refers to the process of interchanging from one job to another
without any change in the designation and responsibilities. It can also be the shifting
of the employees from one department to another department or from one location to
another, depending upon the requirement of the position. Transfers are normally
based on the job requirements and the capabilities of the employees. If the
organization has two branches, then it may take place between two branches. The
internal shifting of the employee from one branch to another is known as transfer.

Recruitment of Former Employees – Recruitment of former employees is a process of

internal sources of recruitment, wherein the ex-employees are called back, depending
upon the requirement of the positions. This process is cost effective and saves plenty
of time and money. The other major benefit of recruiting former employees is that
they are well aware of the organization, the roles and responsibilities of the job and
personnel. The employers are well versed with their personality traits and approaches
and the organization is not required to undertake much stress regarding their training
and development.
Internal Advertisements or Job Postings - Internal advertisements are referred to as
the processes of posting and advertising jobs within the organization. These job
postings are an open invitation to all the employees within the organization, where
they can apply for the vacant positions. It makes provision of equal opportunities to
all the employees. Hence, the recruitment will be carried out from within the
organization and it involves less expenses.

Employee Referrals - Employee referrals is an operative way of sourcing the right

candidates at a low cost. It is the process of hiring new capitals through the references
of the employees, who are currently employed within the organization. In this
process, the present employees can refer their friends and relatives for filling up the
vacant positions. Organizations inspire employee referrals, the reason being, it is
lucrative and saves time as compared to hiring candidates from external sources. In
most cases, employees are stimulated and motivated towards the performance of job
duties, by giving them benefits, incentives and rewards for their performance.

Previous Applicants – In this case, the hiring team examines the profiles of previous
applicants from the organizational recruitment database. These applicants are those,
who have applied for jobs in the past. These individuals can be easily contacted and
the response will be positive in most cases. It saves cost and employees are well
aware of all the features of the organization and the performance of their job duties. It
is also an economical way of filling up the vacant positions.

External sources of recruitment refer to hiring of the employees outside the

organization externally. In other words, the applicants seeking job opportunities in
this case are those, who are external to the organization. External employees bring
innovativeness, resourcefulness, creativity and new thoughts and ideas to the
organization. Although hiring through external sources is an expensive and a difficult
process, it has great potential of driving the organization towards the achievement of
goals and objectives. The external sources have been stated as follows: (Recruitment
and Selection, 2016).

Direct Recruitment - Direct recruitment refers to the external source of recruitment,

where the recruitment of qualified candidates are carried out by putting a notice
regarding job vacancy on the notice board of the organization. This method of
sourcing is also called as factory gate recruitment. This is in most cases used to recruit
blue collar and technical workers.

Employment Exchanges - As per the law, for certain job vacancies, it is compulsory
that the organization provides details to the employment exchange. Employment
exchange is a government entity, where the details of the job seekers are deposited
and given to the employers for filling the vacant positions. This source of external
recruitment is accommodating in hiring of the unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled
workers.

Employment Agencies – Employment agencies are external sources of recruitment.

They are functioned by various sectors, such as private, public and government. It
provides, unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled resources in accordance to the needs and
requirements of the organizations. The job seekers usually register themselves with
employment agencies and in this way, they have a database of qualified candidates
and organizations can use their services at the time of requirement.

Advertisements - Advertisements are the most prevalent and common external

sources of recruitment. The job vacancy is displayed through various print and
electronic media with a specific job description and specifications of the
requirements. Advertisements regarding jobs are displayed in newspapers, magazines
and on the websites. Making use of advertisements is the best way to source
candidates in a short span and it provides an efficient way of screening the specific
requirements of the candidates.

Professional Associations - Professional associations can help the organizations in

hiring professional, technical, and managerial personnel, however, they focus on
sourcing mid-level and top-level resources. There are many professional associations
that perform the roles of facilitators between the organizations and the job-seekers.

Campus Recruitment - Campus recruitment is an external source of recruitment,

where the educational institutions such as, colleges and universities make provision of
information to the students regarding employment opportunities. It is when
opportunities are made available for hiring students. In this process, the organizations
visit technical, management, and professional institutions for recruiting students
directly for new positions.

Word of Mouth Advertising - Word of mouth is an imperceptible way of sourcing the

candidates for filling up the vacant positions. There are many reputed organizations
with good image in the market. Such organizations only need a word of mouth
advertising regarding a job vacancy to arouse interest and enthusiasm among large
number of candidates.

Unit 2- Lecture 5: Psychological Testing in Selection

This section explains various types of psychological testing used for selection.

Psychological testing in selection

A psychological test is an objective and standardized measure of a sample of

behaviour from which inferences are drawn as to future behaviour or performance.

It is used to measure the abilities, aptitudes, interest, intelligence and personality of an

individual in quantitative terms.

With the help of these tests, it is possible to determine how much of a given
characteristic an individual possesses in relation to others with whom he is being
compared. Tests are the most misused; the least understood yet the most valuable
sources of information about applicants.

Psychological tests are not as widely used in India as in the West. In the selection of
skilled workers, trade tests are used. Tests represent sample problems or short tasks
which demand similar ability for their solution as that which is required in the
particular job to be filled.

c Tests are also sometimes used in selecting employees for training purposes and in
evaluating candidates for transfer.
Tests that are used for selection are of various kinds. These are intelligence tests,
personality tests, interest tests, special aptitude tests, achievement tests, performance
tests and paper and pencil tests.

Various types of tests are used for the purpose of employee selection in organisations.
Some of them are as follows:

Tests of cognitive abilities, Tests of motor and physical abilities, Personality and
interests, and achievement tests.

Psychological Testing in Selection

This section describes about Achievement tests, and Online testing

Achievement Tests

Achievement tests measure what someone has learned. Most of the tests you take in
school are achievement tests. They measure your “job knowledge” in areas like
economics, marketing, or human resources. Achievement tests are also popular at
work. For example, the Purdue Test for Machinists and Machine Operators tests the
job knowledge of experienced machinists with questions like “What is meant by
‘tolerance’”? Some achievement tests measure the applicant’s abilities; a swimming
test is one example.

Achievement test measures present proficiency, mastery and understanding of general

and specific areas of knowledge. Achievement tests attempt to measure what and how
individual has learnt.

Achievement tests can be of various categories basing on form, purpose, time, method
and subject area. Achievement test can be of different forms like oral test, written test
and practical test. Items of achievement test can be essay type questions or short
answer questions or objective type of questions or combination of all these types.

Achievement test may be of different types on the basis of the purpose for which it is
administered. They are diagnostic tests, prognostic test, accuracy test, power test,
speed test etc. Achievement tests can be administered in different period of time.
When it is based on time or period factor, the test is summative test, daily test, weekly
test, fortnightly test, monthly test, quarterly test, half yearly test, annual test or final
examination at the end of course of study.

Psychological Testing in Selection

This section elaborates on Personality and Interest assessments.

Personality Assessment

A person’s cognitive and physical abilities alone seldom explain his or her job
performance. As one consultant put it, most people are hired based on qualifications,
but are fired because of attitude, motivation, and temperament.

Personality tests measure basic aspects of an applicant’s personality, such as

introversion, stability, and motivation. Industrial psychologists often focus on the “big
five” personality dimensions: extraversion, emotional stability/neuroticism,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.

Neuroticism represents a tendency to exhibit poor emotional adjustment and

experience negative effects, such as anxiety, insecurity, and hostility. Extraversion
represents a tendency to be sociable, assertive, active, and to experience positive
effects, such as energy and zeal. Openness to experience is the disposition to be
imaginative, nonconforming, unconventional, and autonomous. Agreeableness is the
tendency to be trusting, compliant, caring, and gentle. Conscientiousness is comprised
of two related facets: achievement and dependability.

Some personality tests are projective. The psychologist presents an ambiguous

stimulus (like an inkblot or clouded picture) and the person reacts. The person
supposedly projects into the ambiguous picture his or her attitudes, such as insecurity.
Other projective techniques include Make a Picture Story (MAPS) and the Forer
Structured Sentence Completion Test.

Other personality tests are self-reported: applicants fill them out. Thus, available
online, the Myers-Briggs test provides a personality type classification useful for
decisions such as career selection and planning. Its DiSC Profile learning instrument
enables the user to gain insight into his or her behavioral style.

Personality test results do often correlate with job performance. For example “in
personality research, conscientiousness has been the most consistent and universal
predictor of job performance.” In another study, neuroticism was negatively related to
motivation.

Extroversion correlates with success in sales and management jobs. The

responsibility, socialization, and self-control scales of the California Psychological
Inventory predicted dysfunctional job behaviors among law enforcement officers.
Emotional stability, extroversion, and agreeableness predicted whether expatriates
would leave their overseas assignments early.

There are four caveats.

First, projective personality tests are particularly hard to interpret. An expert must
analyze the test taker’s interpretations and infer from them his or her personality.

Second, personality tests can trigger legal challenges. For example, one court held
that the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a medical test
(because it can screen out applicants with psychological impairments), and so might
violate the ADA.

Third, a panel of distinguished industrial psychologists said using self-report

personality tests in selection “should be reconsidered [due to low validity].” Other
experts call such concerns “unfounded.”

Fourth, people can and will fake responses to personality and integrity tests. The
bottom line: make sure the personality tests you use predict performance for the jobs
you are testing for.