What is job analysis?

Job analysis, as the name implies, involves analyzing a job into its major component parts.  It involves finding out what jobs your graduates are getting in the “real world” and finding out what knowledge, skills, and attitudes lead to success in those jobs. 

When was the last time you interviewed graduates of your program?  You may be shocked to learn that much of the “essential” wisdom you imparted was unnecessary or obsolete, and that there’s plenty of content they wish you’d have taught instead.  Job analysis helps you ensure that your content is relevant and valued.

Here’s a tip: many jobs may entail dozens or even hundreds of tasks.  To cut to the chase, use the “80/20” rule, which states that in any job you spend 80% of your time doing only 20% of the tasks in your job description.  Find that 20% and focus on it first.

What are the major questions used in job analysis?

In job analysis, you ask three major questions:

• What tasks does the job entail?

• What is the ranking of each task?

• What is the time contribution of each task?

Then lastly, you prioritize the tasks by asking “Which tasks are more important?” (80/20 rule)

How do you perform a job analysis?

Three leading ways are:

1. Questionnaires: mail out a paper or email-based survey to dozens or hundreds of people who do jobs relevant to your discipline. Cheap and gathers a lot of data, but take care to get a high return rate and to obtain a representative sample.

2. Interviews: phone or meet face-to-face with people.  Expensive and time-consuming, but better for open-ended questions and also allows you to ask follow-up questions.

3. Focus Groups:  the leading focus group method is a panel of experts (who better to tell you what’s relevant and what’s not, and to point out common mistakes and misconceptions?)