SHRM Survey Findings: Job Analysis
Activities
In collaboration with and commissioned by
ACT
December 11, 2014
Definitions
• In this research, respondents were asked about activities related to the processes that occur to
examine and analyze the activities of a particular job or role within an organization. The analysis
can result in information that includes the tasks or competencies of the job/role; the knowledge,
skills and abilities required for successful performance in the job/role; and the conditions under
which the responsibilities are performed. These types of activities are often referred to as a job
analysis.
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Key Findings
• What methods and tools did organizations use to conduct job analysis activities? The
leading methods to conduct job analysis were interview (50%), observation (33%) and structured
questionnaires (27%). Organizations with 25,000 or more employees were more likely than
organizations with 1 to 99 employees to use structured questionnaires to conduct job analysis
activities. Over two-fifths (44%) of organizations used tools that were specifically designed for their
organization, and one-quarter (26%) used online job analysis tools.
• What types of information did organizations collect when conducting job analysis activities?
The most common types of information organizations collected when conducting job analysis
activities were knowledge (96%), skills (95%), abilities (92%) and task statements (90%).
• How did organizations use information collected through job analysis activities? Nearly
three-quarters of organizations used the information collected through job analysis activities for
recruitment (73%) and performance standards (72%). Other purposes included compensation
(69%) and training (61%).
• For what job levels did organizations conduct job analysis activities? The majority of
organizations conducted job analysis activities for management (87%), nonexempt (84%) and
professional nonmanagement (80%) job levels. Furthermore, 60% of organizations conducted job
analysis activities for executive-level positions.
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Key Findings (continued)
• What experience did HR professionals have with job analysis? Roughly one-half (51%) of HR
professionals have participated in at least one formal or informal job analysis-related activity, and
45% 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. Approximately two out of five HR professionals have conducted job analyses at their
current organization.
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Implications for the HR Profession
• Considering that many HR professionals say they are having trouble finding qualified candidates for
open positions at the moment, an accurate job description becomes even more important as an
element of the recruiting process. Nearly three-fourths of respondents to this survey said they used
information collected through job analysis activities for recruiting.
• With proper analysis of jobs at all levels of organizations, HR professionals will also have a more
effective performance management process. Clearly knowing the responsibilities that come with
certain jobs allows for ease of measurement on annual evaluations, periodic reviews, goal
attainment and other forms of performance management.
• HR professionals need a comprehensive understanding of how jobs are performed at all levels of
their organizations to perform their own duties. The tasks of managing personnel, developing
training guidelines and fulfilling other responsibilities could be much more difficult for HR
professionals without an effective job analysis system.
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Methods to Conduct Job Analysis Activities
Interview
50%
Observation
33%
Structured questionnaire
27%
Checklist
25%
Open-ended questionnaire
25%
Existing sources of information
24%
Technical conference/focus group
19%
Critical incident
9%
Diary
None of the above
Other
7%
6%
3%
Note: n = 459. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this
analysis.
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Methods to Conduct Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization sector
• Government organizations were more likely than publicly owned for-profit organizations to report existing sources
of information as a method for identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a
job/role.
Existing sources of information
Government (42%)
>
Publicly owned for-profit (17%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Methods to Conduct Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization staff size
• Larger organizations were more likely than smaller organizations to report checklists, structured questionnaires
and technical conference/focus groups as methods for identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and
competencies required for a job/role.
Checklists
25,000 or more employees (42%)
>
500 to 2,499 employees (18%)
Structured questionnaires
25,000 or more employees (38%)
>
1 to 99 employees (13%)
Technical conference/focus groups
25,000 or more employees (36%)
>
1 to 99 employees (13%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Tools for Conducting Job Analysis Activities
Tools designed specifically for my organization
44%
Online job analysis tools
26%
Off-the-shelf questionnaires
16%
Survey software
Human capital management (HCM) software
Other
13%
8%
9%
Note: n = 388. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about
methods associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this
analysis.
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Tools for Conducting Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization staff size
• Larger organizations were more likely than smaller organizations to use survey software and tools designed
specifically for their organization when identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies
required for a job/role.
Survey software
500 to 2,499 employees (23%)
>
1 to 99 employees (2%)
Tools designed specifically for my organization
25,000 or more employees (69%)
>
100 to 499 employees (40%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Information Collected in Job Analysis Activities
Percentage
Knowledge (i.e., specific types of information people need to perform a job such
as an understanding HIPAA regulations)
Skills (i.e., practiced acts such as writing clearly or operating a crane)
Abilities (i.e., stable capacity to engage in a specific behavior such as lifting
objects weighing up to 50 pounds or climbing ladders up to 25 feet)
Task statements (i.e., list of activities performed on the job)
96%
95%
92%
90%
The types of tools and technology that are used in the job
Requirement/qualification of knowledge, skills and abilities at time of
appointment
Competencies (i.e., set of defined behaviors that are used to identify, evaluate
and develop employees)
Job context (e.g., purpose of job within the organization or work environment)
89%
Ratings for knowledge, skills, abilities (e.g., importance, criticality, frequency)
64%
Performance criteria (e.g., standards for each performance level)
64%
86%
84%
80%
Note: n = 267-339. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about
methods associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Responses for this question were as follows: yes, no and don’t know.
Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents who answered “yes” are shown.
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Information Collected in Job Analysis Activities
(continued)
Percentage
Ratings for tasks (e.g., importance, criticality, frequency, difficulty)
61%
Ratings for competencies (e.g., importance, criticality, frequency)
58%
Other characteristics (e.g., personality, interests, work styles, values)
55%
Consequences of error
36%
Note: n = 267-339. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about
methods associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Responses for this question were as follows: yes, no and don’t know.
Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis. Only respondents who answered “yes” are shown.
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Information Collected in Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization sector
• Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to collect
ratings for tasks and ratings for competencies when identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and
competencies required for a job/role.
Ratings for tasks
Publicly owned for-profit (75%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (52%)
Ratings for competencies
Publicly owned for-profit (74%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (50%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Information Collected in Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization staff size
• Organizations with 2,500 to 24,999 employees were more likely than organizations with 100 to 499 employees to
collect ratings for tasks when identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a
job/role.
Ratings for tasks
2,500 to 24,999 employees (75%)
>
100 to 499 employees (48%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Purposes for Job Analysis Activities
Percentage
Recruitment
73%
Performance standards/appraisals
72%
Compensation (e.g., classification and pay)
69%
Training
61%
Employee development
58%
Selection
54%
Workforce planning/organizational design
45%
Succession planning
43%
Disability or return-to-work accommodation
38%
Legal support (e.g., ADA compliance, termination, workers’ compensation)
33%
High-potential identification and development
27%
Test identification, test development and/or test validation
15%
Other
1%
Note: n = 344. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about methods
associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis.
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Purposes for Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization sector
• Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to use
information identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for
workforce planning.
Workforce planning
Publicly owned for-profit (62%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (36%)
• Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit and nonprofit organizations to
use information identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for
succession planning.
Succession planning
Publicly owned for-profit (64%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (39%)
Nonprofit (31%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Purposes for Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization sector
• Nonprofit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to use information
identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for compensation.
Compensation
Nonprofit (80%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (60%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Job Levels Used for Job Analysis Activities
Executive level
(e.g., CEO, CFO, VP)
Management
(e.g., director, manager, supervisor)
Professional nonmanagement
(e.g., analyst, nurse, engineer)
Nonexempt
(e.g., assistant, coordinator, specialist)
60%
87%
80%
84%
Note: n = 344. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about methods
associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis.
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Job Levels Used for Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization sector
• Nonprofit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to identify the knowledge,
skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for executives and nonexempt job levels.
Executive level
Nonprofit (78%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (51%)
Nonexempt level
Nonprofit (95%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (80%)
• Nonprofit organizations were more likely than publicly owned for-profit and privately owned for-profit organizations to
identify the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for professional
nonmanagement job levels.
Professional nonmanagement level
Nonprofit (94%)
>
Publicly owned for-profit (74%)
Privately owned for-profit (71%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Job Levels Used for Job Analysis Activities
Comparisons by organization staff size
• Organizations with 2,500 to 24,999 employees were more likely than organizations with 100 to 499 employees to
identify the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies required for a job/role for the executive job level.
Executive level
2,500 to 24,999 employees (70%)
>
100 to 499 employees (47%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Job Candidate Evaluation Methods
Percentage
Behavioral interviews: job specific and prepared in advance.
Online, minimum qualifications screening questionnaires: questions that may
eliminate/disqualify candidates from the recruiting process.
Skills testing: assessing the level of a practiced activity such as writing, blueprint
reading and computer programming.
Interviews with behaviorally anchored rating scales: answer keys used to
evaluate candidate responses and rating methods that produce a numeric score.
Situational judgment questionnaires: choosing a response when given a
scenario.
Organizational fit questionnaires: questions that evaluate organization-relevant
factors such as team based, entrepreneurial and traditional.
Personality testing: assessing personality traits such as persuasiveness, detail
orientation, conscientiousness, rule following, optimism, goal orientation, data
rational and boredom proneness.
Aptitude testing: assessing the level of abilities in areas such as problem-solving
and critical reasoning.
Scorable job applications: numeric values placed on experience, skills, etc.
62%
41%
38%
26%
23%
23%
22%
18%
16%
Note: n = 344. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about methods
associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis.
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Job Candidate Evaluation Methods (continued)
Percentage
Cognitive skills testing: assessing the level of abilities in areas such as reading
and mathematics.
Online, realistic job preview (RJP): an overview of the job demands with
questions to confirm interest in continuing the application process.
Biodata questionnaires: standardized questions on verifiable school/work history,
reported in scales such as reliability, dependability and safety.
Simulations: interactive experience that models job demands.
Assessment centers: formal observation under controlled conditions.
Virtual job tryouts: completing online work samples.
Other
16%
12%
7%
7%
6%
2%
2%
Note: n = 344. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about methods
associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question. Respondents who answered "don't know" were excluded from this analysis.
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Job Candidate Evaluation Methods
Comparisons by organization sector
• Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit organizations to use or plan
to use interview with behaviorally anchored rating scales, online minimum qualification screening
questionnaires and biodata questionnaires within the next 12 months to evaluate job candidates for hiring.
Interviews with behaviorally anchored rating scales
Publicly owned for-profit (39%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (18%)
Online, minimum qualifications screening questionnaires
Publicly owned for-profit (58%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (30%)
Biodata questionnaires
Publicly owned for-profit (14%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (3%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Job Candidate Evaluation Methods
Comparisons by organization sector
• Publicly owned for-profit organizations were more likely than privately owned for-profit and nonprofit organizations to
use or plan to use online, realistic job previews within the next 12 months to evaluate job candidates for
hiring.
Online, realistic job previews
Publicly owned for-profit (24%)
>
Privately owned for-profit (8%)
Nonprofit (3%)
• Publicly owned for-profit and privately owned for-profit organizations were more likely than government organizations
to use or plan to use personality testing within the next 12 months to evaluate job candidates for hiring.
Personality testing
Publicly owned for-profit (27%)
Privately owned for-profit (26%)
>
Government (4%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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Job Candidate Evaluation Methods
Comparisons by organization staff size
• Organizations with 2,500 to 24,999 employees were more likely than organizations with 100 to 499 employees to
use or plan to use online minimum qualification screening questionnaires within the next 12 months to
evaluate job candidates for hiring.
Online minimum qualification screening questionnaires
2,500 to 24,999 employees (53%)
>
100 to 499 employees (27%)
Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.
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HR Professionals’ Experience with Job Analysis
Activities
Percentage
I have conducted job analyses at my current organization.
41%
I have conducted job analyses at a previous organization.
39%
I 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.
45%
I have taken one or more courses that covered job analysis.
30%
I have a certification that covers job analysis.
15%
I have participated in at least one formal or informal activity associated with job
analysis.
51%
I have no experience with any formal or informal activities associated with job
analysis.
15%
Other
1%
Note: n = 339. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple responses. Respondents whose organizations do not use or were unsure about methods
associated with job analysis activities were not asked this question.
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Demographics
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Demographics: Organization Industry
Percentage
Professional, scientific and technical services
18%
Health care and social assistance
15%
Manufacturing
15%
Government agencies
11%
Finance and insurance
9%
Educational services
8%
Transportation and warehousing
7%
Accommodation and food services
6%
Retail trade
6%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
5%
Construction
5%
Note: n = 392. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
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Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)
Percentage
Utilities
5%
Information
4%
Wholesale trade
4%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
3%
Real estate and rental and leasing
3%
Religious, grant-making, civic, professional and similar organizations
3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
2%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
2%
Repair and maintenance
2%
Personal and laundry services
1%
Other
2%
Note: n = 392. Percentages do not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
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Demographics: Organization Sector
Privately owned for-profit
43%
Publicly owned for-profit
23%
Nonprofit
19%
Government
Other
14%
1%
n = 385
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Demographics: Organization Staff Size
1 to 99 employees
14%
100 to 499 employees
24%
500 to 2,499 employees
23%
2,500 to 24,999 employees
25,000 or more employees
25%
13%
Note: n = 387. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.
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Demographics: Other
Does your organization have U.S.-based
operations (business units) only, or does it
operate multinationally?
U.S.-based operations only
70%
Multinational operations
30%
Is your organization a single-unit organization or a
multi-unit organization?
Single-unit organization: An organization in
which the location and the organization are
one and the same.
26%
Multi-unit organization: An organization that
has more than one location.
74%
n = 397
n = 394
What is the HR department/function for
which you responded throughout this
survey?
Corporate (companywide)
69%
Business unit/division
16%
Facility/location
14%
Note: n = 304. Percentages do not equal 100% due
to rounding.
For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and practices
determined by the multi-unit headquarters, by each work
location or by both?
Multi-unit headquarters determines HR
policies and practices
47%
Each work location determines HR policies
and practices
4%
A combination of both the work location and
the multi-unit headquarters determines HR
policies and practices
50%
Note: n = 305. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.
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SHRM Survey Findings: Job Analysis Activities
In collaboration with and commissioned by ACT
Survey Methodology
• Response rate = 16%
• 459 HR professionals from a randomly selected sample of SHRM’s membership participated in
this survey
• Margin of error +/-5%
• Survey fielded September 11-October 15, 2014
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Additional SHRM Resources
• Job Analysis Resource Page
• Performing Job Analysis Toolkit
• Job Analysis: Desk Audit Review Sample Form
• Resources for HR Educators: Job Analysis-Based Performance Appraisal
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About SHRM Research
For more survey/poll findings, visit shrm.org/surveys
For more information about SHRM’s Customized Research Services, visit
shrm.org/customizedresearch
Follow us on Twitter @SHRM_Research
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About SHRM
Founded in 1948, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the
world’s largest HR membership organization devoted to human resource management.
Representing more than 275,000 members in over 160 countries, the Society is the
leading provider of resources to serve the needs of HR professionals and advance the
professional practice of human resource management. SHRM has more than 575
affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China, India and
United Arab Emirates. Visit us at shrm.org.
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About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve
education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as
the nation’s leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality achievement
assessments grounded in more than 50 years of research and experience. ACT offers
a uniquely integrated set of solutions that help people succeed from elementary school
through career, providing insights that unlock potential. To learn more about ACT, go to
www.act.org.
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