A clear definition of what workers do on the job, and which employee traits are needed to do them, is central for effective HRM. Defining job behaviors and the needed employee characteristics is a focus of many organizations.
This is done within specific professions as well. This process is called job analysis.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the federal agency that manages many of the HR functions for U.S. government agencies such as recruitment, hiring, retention, and compensation. OPM’s HR practices affect millions of government employees. OPM provides detailed guidelines to federal agencies about how to define what workers do on the job. OPM also helps federal agencies use job analysis data to develop selection procedures such as structured interviews.1 Other organizations analyze work through a similar process called competency modeling. IBM has developed a comprehensive competency model that defines what traits and behaviors are required for all its professional workers.2 These types of analyses are also done for professions like health care. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN) conducted a detailed analysis for the job of nurse aide. And the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) developed a job analysis for Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists, including a survey of thousands of job experts. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) systematically developed a competency model that defines the competencies required for success in the HR profession across a range of different types of HR jobs.

Case Discussion Questions 

1. Suppose you are working in the HR department of a small city. If you were asked to do a job analysis for firefighter, what are some ways you would use to learn about the job?
2. Describe three ways that a city might use this job analysis information about the firefighter job.
3. Why do you think that job analyses are done for specific professions?
How could this information then be used by employers and by the workers themselves?