FREE online courses on Job Analysis and Evaluation - Job Specification

 

Job specification summarizes the human characteristics needed for satisfactory job completion. It tries to describe the key qualifications someone needs to perform the job successfully. It spells out the important attributes of a person in terms of education, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities (SKAs) to perform a particular job. The job specification is a logical outgrowth of a job description. For each job description, it is desirable to have a job specification. This helps the organization to find what kind of persons are needed to take up specific jobs. The personal attributes that are described through a job specification may be classified into three categories:

 

• Essential attributes: skills, knowledge and abilities (SKAs) a person must possess.
• Desirable attributes: qualifications a person ought to posses.
• Contra-indicators: attributes that will become a handicap to successful job performance.

 

A job specification can be developed by talking with the current jobholders about the attributes required to do the job satisfactorily. Opinions of supervisors could also be used as additional inputs. Checking the job needs of other organizations with similar jobs will also help in developing job specifications.

 

Job specification is useful in the selection process because it offers a clear set of qualifications for an individual to be hired for a specific job. Likewise, a well-written job specification offers a clear picture to new recruits of what they will be doing in the organization. A specimen job specification is given below:

Table: Job Specification of Compensation Manager

 

Education:                        MBA with specialization in HRM/MA in social work/PG Diploma in HRM/MA in industrial psychology.

                   A degree or diploma in Labor Laws is desirable.

Experience:                       At least 3 years experience in a similar position in a large manufacturing company.

Skill, Knowledge, Abilities:    Knowledge of compensation practices in competing industries, of job analysis procedures, of compensation survey techniques, of performance appraisal systems.

Skill in writing job descriptions, in conducting job analysis interviews, in making group presentations, in performing statistical computations 

                                      Ability to conduct meetings, to plan and prioritise work.

Work Orientation Factors:    The position may require upto 15 per cent travel.

Age:                                Preferably below 30 years.

 

Preparing a job specification is always not easy. Regarding the human resource requirements of a job, there is scope for disagreement. For a clerical job, one bank may demand high school education, another bank may demand the services of graduates or even postgraduates. Differences may also crop up when stating an attribute as a ‘desirable' or ‘essential' qualification. To avoid further confusion as rightly pointed out by Mathis and Jackson, while “writing any job specification, it is important to list only those SKAs essential for job performance.”