The human resources department is usually responsible for the job analysis of open positions in organizations. The purpose of a job analysis is to collect information about knowledge, skills, abilities and tasks required for a specific job. It enables human resource personnel to prepare a job description and recruit qualified candidates to fill job vacancies. The technical conference method of job analysis involves qualified people collaborating to provide information about a specific job.

Select subject matter experts for the technical conference method of job analysis. Experts include supervisors, human resource analysts and other individuals who have expertise in the job and know the requirements.

Document the functions and tasks of the job. Prioritize them by placing the most important tasks at the top of the list. Describe the data flow using verbs such as compile, copy, analyze and compare. Explain the job's people interaction requirements using verbs such as negotiate, supervise, persuade, mentor and instruct. Outline how tasks should be handled using verbs such as arrange, manipulate, feed, handle and operate.

Outline the knowledge and skill set required for the job. Subject matter experts should agree on the job elements, including the minimum level of education, years of experience and technical skills. Assign weights to each of the requirements based on employees who are currently performing the job well, the effectiveness of the requirement in picking a superior employee and the impact of including the element on the organization’s ability to fill job vacancies.

Describe the impact of internal and external factors on the job. Internal factors include employee relationships, ergonomics, feedback, tools, resources, consequences of good and bad job performance, incentives and the general work environment. External factors include the industry environment and customer interactions. Understanding these internal and external factors may also help company management improve work procedures and processes.

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Other methods of job analysis include observations, questionnaires and interviews.

The technical conference method of job analysis does not include the employee's perspective. It may also be difficult to achieve consensus among the subject matter experts on the job characteristics.