"Job analysis is a fundamental HRM activity"

However this can be very time-consuming and also very costly. Questionnaires have recently become quite common practice, mainly to reduce the time devoured by interviews, but also in an attempt to “standardise data collection”(Rudman, 2000). However, this also has its disadvantages as some people are able to express themselves greater through writing, and complicated questionnaires can vary in their scope of coverage and depth of analysis. There are also a number of minor methods, which can prove to be more appropriate depending on the position and tactics used in job analysis. These include checklists, observation, group interviews, technical conferences, Diary method, work participation, critical incidents, essays and more recently, computer interviews. From the gathering of information through any one of these methods, the Human Resource Manager is then able to write down exactly what is required for the position in the form of a job description. The job description not only outlines the position but also shows what those who are intending to apply require and why they require such skills. Without doing a thorough job analysis first, the writing up of the job description would take a lot more time and would not be an accurate description of the position as many aspects would be left out which can only be viewed by doing a job analysis first. The job analysis process is also fundamental in being able to work out a person specification for a given position. The person specification is important when advertising a job vacancy so that those who are in charge of employing knows what characteristics are needed from the ideal person. Without this, the process of hiring for a position can become more time consuming and in the end, the right person may not have been chosen for the job. By using a job analysis process of the position that is being advertised, the task of writing up an ideal person specification becomes a lot easier and a lot more accurate. With the use of a job analysis process the Human Resource Manager and the company is now in a better position to work out what training is needed in order for the job to be carried out to the best of the workers ability. The Human Resource Manager is now better prepared to find the necessary training by observing what the job requires and by interviewing others that work in the same or similar job. This need not only apply to new employees, but also to existing employees that are in the same line of work. The job analysis process is to give the Human Resource Manager the information needed to work out numeration packages for those who work in the position that the job analysis has covered. During the process, the observations made gives an indication of what is being required and what compensation in way of numeration is required by the company to be given to the employee. In conclusion, no matter what the job position is a job analysis in some form needs to be taken in order to gain information from the position and help fulfil the vacancy. Job analysis processes have changed over the years with the change in job position structure. Rudman (2000) says, “job analysis will continue to be useful so long as the job- simply a collection of tasks that need to be done- remains the basic unit of organisation and work design.” So by explaining, in reference to job description and person specifications, I have identified the finer points of job analysis and outlined other methods of analysis to prove my support for the idea that job analysis is fundamental to Human Resource Management activity. Part 3: Structure For A Suitable Recruitment And Selection Process. This process of structure and outline of rationale suitable for recruitment and selection is for an Information Manager at a major electrical company. Firstly the job position needs to be analysed in order for the specifications of the position to be documented. This process is required to give an understanding as to what is required for the job and why the job exists. In order for this to be done successfully, the job analysis will consist of both observing other positions that are similar to this position, including those positions both below and above the position. Along with this, interviews with other employees that work in the same areas will be carried out in order to see what type of person would fit in the best. By doing this as the first step, the overall job selection will run smoother due to all the facts being there from the beginning. From the results of the job analysis process, the job description can then be written. The job description will have all the information required for the person who will fill the vacancy including the title of the job, purpose of the job, the responsibilities of the position and key tasks, and who they are responsible too. The job description is required so that everyone that intends to apply for the vacancy knows exactly what is required of them before they apply. Person Specifications can be drawn up from the information that is in the job analysis and in the job description. This information is used in order to describe who the ideal person for the vacancy is and what is required of them as an employee in that position. Carrying on from what they have decided for the job description and the person specification, person in charge of employing for the vacancy can view, correct, and give any opinions on the two. This is done because they are the ones employing the new employee and need to know what they will be advertised and what type of potential people is likely to apply. From this, a general agreement on how everything will be handled, and by whom, will ensure that the selection policies can be formalised. The next step will be to advertise the position via all the various media including newspapers and Internet, through recruitment agencies as well as internally. The type of advertising required will be to show what the job is and a basic description the person specification. The advertisement will also explain how to apply for the position and by which time. In this case, the potential employee will need to apply in writing, with an accompanying Curriculum Vitae, to the Information Systems Manager. This can be done in person, by mail, or via e-mail. The process of selection mentioned previously will be for the IS Manager to go through the applicants Curriculum Vitae’s, references and applications and firstly discard any that do not meet all the requirements of the person specification. Those who are discarded will at this point be told of their application not being accepted and where necessary, point out to them the areas in which they failed. Those applicants who have not been discarded will also be informed that they are still being considered for the job and that they will be required to come in for an interview. These interviews are in place in order for the employer to get to know the potential employee and also for the candidate to be formally introduced to the company. Background checking on the potential employee, through various questions and discussions will take place at this time. The structure of the interview will be, instead of set questions, an interview where the interviewer will be able to delve into a person background and previous experiences. In order to do this, the questions will be tend to be open ended to give the potential applicant a better chance to explain I little more about themselves, instead of giving a simple yes or no response. This will enable to give the interviewer, the IS Manager, a clearer understanding of what they are like and possibly, how they would likely fit in to the job position. The interview will also give the potential applicant the opportunity to see in more detail what the job is likely to be like and raise any issues that they might have. From a combination of the application, Curriculum Vitae, and interview the final selection will be conducted. Reference checks will be made in order to make sure everything the applicant has said and done is actually true and to make sure nothing was being kept by the applicant that may jeopardise their position within the company. The successful applicant will then by notified of their selection and will be given the chance to accept or decline the offer. If the offer is accepted then they will then have to go through the necessary medical checks that are required to make sure they can successfully fulfil their position. At the same time, the unsuccessful applicants will be notified of their unsuccessful application and where necessary will be told where and why they may have failed. The company may also choose to inform the unsuccessful interviewed applicants of further vacancies that may be arising in the company or ask if they would like to be referred to apply for other positions that they might be aware of. This is done so that no hard feelings are kept between the applicants and the company, and also to maintain a good company reputation in personal relations. Lastly, an appointment will be made where contract details will be finalised and the successful applicant can be introduced to their job and fellow workers. From here the successful applicant will begin their job and become familiar with procedures. A performance review will be done after the first 3 months in order to see how well the cope with the job position. If all is successful then the new employee will be offered a pay rise and encouraged to sort out any problems they might be having.