Nearly three-quarters, 73 percent, of organizations use information collected through job analysis activities for recruitment purposes including job listings, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.

Job analysis, the process of examining and analyzing the criteria needed to perform a job’s duties and tasks, typically includes a candidate’s knowledge, skills and abilities. According to the survey, other uses of job analysis included performance management (72 percent), compensation (69 percent) and training (61 percent).

According to the survey, 50 percent of respondents reported interviewing as the top method used to conduct job analysis, followed by observation at 33 percent and a structured questionnaire at 27 percent.

“It is critical for HR departments to clearly understand how jobs are performed at all levels, so HR professionals can properly perform their own job duties,” said Bettina Deynes, vice president of HR and diversity at SHRM. “This is where job analysis is helpful. It is helpful not only in recruiting but in completing various performance management tasks as well.”
About half, 51 percent, of HR professionals have participated in at least one formal or informal job analysis-related activity, and 45 percent of HR professionals have used information from job analyses for purposes beyond identifying what was required for a job/role, such as developing interview questions and performance appraisal systems, according to the survey.

The survey included 459 randomly selected human resources professionals.