CIPD Level 3 Certificate in Human Resource Practice
Module:
3CJA Contributing to the Process of Job Analysis
By:
Emma Matthews

Contributing to the Process of Job Analysis
(3CJA)

Activity One
The purpose of a job analysis should be to determine what the ‘job holder’ is expected to do and how the job should best be performed. It will also help decide what skills and qualities are required of the person who is to perform the job. By undertaking this process, the analysis will have a better understanding of things such as staffing levels, productivity, any adjustments that need to be made, and performance appraisals. Job analysis plays a major role in organisations and it is important to remember that it is an analysis of the job and not the person. Job analysis is also important when it comes to the selection process as this will be based on the job description which should be written from the job analysis provided.
There are several methods in which a job analysis can be carried out. These could be; interviews, questionnaires and observation and all methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
Interviewing the incumbent(s)
The interview method of gathering information needs to be carefully structured and conducted in an open and transparent manner. They are a good way of obtaining valuable information, however the interviewer must have a rapport with the interviewee to feel comfortable enough for them to openly discuss their job role.
Questionnaire
Like an interview, the questionnaires should also be carefully structured to bring out the importance of the job aspects. These can usually be completed relatively quickly and are cost effective. However, the difficulty with a questionnaire is that the person answering the question may not interpret the question in the same way as the person that wrote the questionnaire. Furthermore, the answers themselves will also be open for interpretation when they are analysed so the overall picture of the job could be distorted. In an interview these questions could be clarified which is why it would be good to carry out more than one of the analysis methods in conjunction with each other.
Observation
Observation of the individual performing the job and taking notes to detail the roles and duties performed. Observation is only really useful for repetitive duties in conjunction with other methods because unless the observer is watching for a long period of time, you’ll never really see the full scale of what the job entails. However, it is useful to watch certain parts of the job to gain an understanding or to a gain a familiarity of the job and the conditions under which it is performed.
For the next activity, I’ve chosen to use the questionnaire method, and interviewing the incumbent in conjunction with each other to undertake a job analysis which has been detailed in my plan that I’ve included. Emma Matthews
Student ID: 227576

Contributing to the Process of Job Analysis
(3CJA)
Activity Two – Final Report
Role – Recruitment Coordinator
Department – HR Service Delivery
Line Manager – Recruitment Manager
Number of direct reports – None
For this follow up report I have undertaken an interview with the incumbent, and asked them to complete a questionnaire. I have gone through the questionnaire in detail during the interview to ensure that no questions are left misinterpreted.
The questionnaire provided useful information but without the face to face interview there would have been areas misunderstood, therefore the interview was used as the main analysis activity but using the questionnaire as a basis.
The Recruitment Coordinator’s general purpose is; to select the best talent within the research councils and BIS whilst cost saving and delivering excellent customer service. The role is made up of the following key tasks below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Recruitment Telephone Queries (20%)
Interviewing Candidates (10%)
Approving vacancies within budget (10%)
Pre sifting CV’s (20%)
New Starter induction paperwork (10%)
Advertising and resourcing (30%)

We discussed at length part two of the questionnaire and in particular, the following question:
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Give examples of problem solving activities in your role: complex application queries, complex interview queries and failed SLA’s.

I was particularly drawn to the failed SLA’s and asked the incumbent to elaborate on this. Each individual is set a target on the amount of Service Level Agreements that they are to complete during the day within their team. If this target is not met the whole team are reprimanded and not just that individual. Perhaps this is to encourage team work, however as seen above, a high percentage of this person’s time is taken up by constant interruptions from phone calls per day. I asked the incumbent why the Service Level Agreement targets are not met and she believes this is simply down to the constant interruptions and not enough man power. As a result of this, the unrealistic time frames are very rarely met.
Elaborating on the interruptions, we then spoke about part 4 of the questionnaire. It appears to be almost daily that this role will be resolving conflicts, dealing with complaints and problem solving.
Some examples are listed below.
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Visa and immigration queries
Disability enquiries
Discrepancies with offer letters
Complex applications
Complex interviews

All of the above are both internal and external whilst trying to meet deadlines and targets. Although there are not many physical demands to this role (mainly desk based work), there are certainly mental
Emma Matthews
Student ID: 227576

Contributing to the Process of Job Analysis
(3CJA)
demands answering 7 out of the 10 questions as yes in part 7 of the questionnaire and according to part 5, there doesn’t appear to be anything ‘straightforward’ within this role.
Recommendations
The analysis and key findings have given what I believe to be an accurate description of what the job entails. It has also given a good basis as to what should be included in the job description when recruiting for this position. Below are my recommendations as to what should be included.
Given the constant disturbances, I would suggest that this role is described as a fast paced environment where targets are to be met as an individual and as a team, I would also recommend that it be noted that there is a level on mental demands whilst targets are being met and problem solving. It would be beneficial to list some of the examples of the types of problem solving associated with this position, i.e. complex applications, visa and immigration queries. I would also suggest that where it is stated as Handling recruitment telephone queries as one of the responsibilities that this is elaborated upon and would include some complaint handling to give a true reflection of the calls that do come in. This will be a customer focused role building rapports both internally and externally.
External customers will be mainly via the telephone, however there will be times that this position will need to interview candidates on behalf of a client face to face.
This role will have to approve jobs within budget, advertise and resource, therefore there is a level of responsibility, the need to negotiate, prioritise and make decisions which should all be included in the job description.
Alongside advertising and resourcing, it should be included in the job description that a high percentage of the position will be spent pre-screening CVs and creating new starter induction packs so a good level of administration will be needed.
It is noted on the questionnaire in Part 10 that only Microsoft Office, and Oracle are required to do this job, however I feel as though a good level of written/oral communication, attention to detail and potentially a customer service certification will all help towards carrying out this job effectively and efficiently. Finally, I do believe that some consideration should be made as to a change in job title. It is clear that this role consists of much more than what a recruitment coordinator does in other similar roles.