Job Analysis and Recruiting Research Paper

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Job Analysis

There are a number of different approaches to job analysis that can be taken. Three main ones are the observational method, the interview method and the questionnaire method. Interviews and questionnaires are basically the same thing using different methods, so a better third will be task inventory (MSG, 2016). The observational method involves sitting in on the people working at the call center and observing what they do in their daily work. Ideally, this information would be compared with other call center jobs. Further, it is possible that this information would be compared with other data regarding the local workforce. The downside of the observational method is that there might be things that are difficult to observe that are actually quite important to the job. It takes a certain amount of training in that type of work to truly understand what is necessary to succeed.

The interview/questionnaire method can be better for gaining insights, because it asks the people working in the position about what they do. There may be things that they tell you that are not easy to observe. Furthermore, these individuals can often provide insight into the trade -- offs that they are making to work for your company. The latter is critical here, because the problem is that the customer service department is having trouble recruiting people. If the department is located in a very expensive area, it is possible that people cannot live in that area on the money the company is paying. Alternately, the company can find out from talking to people that there is more money available in other jobs nearby, but the people who are working at the position do so for other reasons. It is easier to understand the comparative problem that the company has with interviews in particular, because they allow for open-ended responses. The downside of this method is that it can take time, and it may be difficult to get employees to talk on the record about certain things -- their responses may be biased by a desire to keep their jobs.

A task inventory is usually conducted with the people running the department, and consists of creating an inventory of the different tasks that are performed with this work. The task inventory can also be expanded to understand the qualifications that are needed to perform these tasks (Wright, 2016).
The main advantage of the task inventory is that it is what HR uses when hiring for the position, so it is something that is communicated to applicants. However, there may be deviations between the task inventory and the actual work. Those deviations are important for the company to understand. However, they do not affect a recruiting problem. Recruiting problems stem from a mismatch between the task analysis and the compensation; other equivalent positions may be paying more. The downside of a task analysis is the risk that there is a gap between the task analysis as provided by management and the actual on-the-job requirements. Ideally, the task analysis should be paired with either interviews or observations to get a full picture of what the job really entails.

That said, the task analysis combined with interviews and observations can have a lot of value. For example, suppose the task analysis contains things that are not actually part of the job. If those things -- tasks or qualifications -- are at the high end, then that could be the cause for the mismatch. The company might be asking for a lot from applicants but actually not paying for it. If in reality the company does not need to ask for that much, it can cut some things from the task list, reduce the qualifications, and thus better align with the compensation offered. The marketplace….....

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"Job Analysis And Recruiting", 11 May 2016, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/job-analysis-recruiting-2156398