Short answer responses to common questions

¶ … job analysis on key jobs within the organization in order to make sure the positions are being handled correctly. The people in those positions should be the right ones for the jobs, and should be working at their maximum capacity. If that is not the case, it is important to determine why -- which can be done through a job analysis that can be matched up to the skills the workers are strongest at.

Job analysis helps with recruiting and selection, as well as training and career development. The more a person knows about a job, the more he or she can determine if that job is a good fit. While employees can and should do that with jobs they apply for, employers need to do that before they extend employment offers. That ensures that they have the highest chance of getting the best people for the job, and potentially training them to move up to other jobs at a later date.

I would be most likely to observe the entry-level administrative assistant position. While an interview or questionnaire could work, it is very easy for people to forget to list all of their duties, especially if they do many small things each day. Seeing the person "in action" is the best way to get a clear picture of everything that person does.

4. To communicate the requirements of an entry-level customer service representative to a candidate, knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies are all important. It would be beneficial to touch on all of those issues, in order to help the candidate get a clear picture of what will be required of him or her. By doing that, you can also gauge the candidate's reaction and comfort level to the information you are providing.

5. Core information in job descriptions and specifications include the basic duties that are to be carried out for that job, as well as what is expected of the job holder in the way of education, skills, and knowledge. Without clear information about expectations, employees may not perform at optimal levels.

6. Essential skills are those that are absolutely required to perform the job at hand. Nonessential skills are valuable, but the job can be performed without them. These are related to the ADA because reasonable accommodations must be made for essential skills and nonessential skills cannot grounds to withhold hiring someone.

7. Mechanistic job design is related to the scientific method. It is focused on designing the job in the way that needs to be done, and then requiring the worker to accommodate the way the job must be completed. The motivational job design has its emphasis on the worker and allows more freedom as long as the job is completed correctly.

8. Yes, I will apply the job characteristics model of job enrichment to these new jobs, because it's very important that employees get something valuable from the jobs they do. That keeps them happier and more productive, which is also valuable to the company itself.

9. The six major components of the O*net model are essential job functions, critical skills and knowledge, physical demands, environmental factors, the role of federal laws such as the ADA and OSHA, and any necessary explanations to clarify the duties of the job. There are 1,000 occupations are on the onet database, reduced from approximately 12,000.