Job analysis workshop

In a multi-day job analysis workshop with SMEs, you'll help SMEs and hiring manager(s) identify and define the required competencies and proficiency levels for the position. The group will then write two assessments that can assess the required proficiency levels. SMEs will use the assessments to determine whether applicants meet the technical qualifications for the job.

Participants
  • HR Specialist
  • Subject Matter Expert
  • Hiring Manager
  • IO Psychologist (Optional)
Time

2.5 to 3 days (16 hours)

HR Outcomes
  • SME and HR agreement on required duties, competencies, and proficiency levels for the position
  • Aligment on requirements to be qualified, well qualfiied (if using three categories), and best qualified.
  • Assessment materials
  • Completed job analysis documentation as needed for hiring action case file
  • SME decisions about resume review page length and any recency requirements

Toolkit

About Core Competencies and Proficiencies

Core competencies are the professional skills an applicant must possess from their first day in the position you're hiring for, while proficiencies gauge how skilled an applicant is with the given competency depending on years of experience, the scale of the organizations they've worked in, or the complexity of the projects they've participated in.

The job analysis workshop bridges what may be a standardized position description (PD) with the actual job your agency is hiring for. By defining your core competencies and proficiencies, your group will have a shared understanding of the core competencies and proficiencies an applicant needs to be successful in performing the duties for a given role. You'll also:

  • Determine the assessment criteria and qualifications for your role(s).
  • Develop structured interview questions.
  • Decide how to accurately describe your role to applicants in your job announcement.

Preparing Your Workshop

Your job analysis workshop should be a total of 16 active hours, which typically spans 2.5 days with breaks. Send calendar invites to as many SMEs and hiring managers who will participate in your hiring action as possible.

  • Update the presentation template with your agency's specific information.
  • Update and print the agenda as necessary for distribution at the workshop.
  • Identify and prepare 2-4 resumes for an exercise in the workshop. Resumes should be marginally strong to force discussion, and the resumes you pick should inclulde these categories: short (2 pages or less), long (over 5 pages), private sector background, public sector background. Instructions to gather resumes are here.
  • Print the Sample Competencies to distribute at the workshop as supporting material.
  • Think through the SMEs that will be attending and how to group them to avoid strong personalities overwhelming small groups.
  • Decide in advance who will handle technical issues and present each section of slides. If conducting remotely, use real-time collaborative software (e.g. MAX.gov Word Online or a virtual whiteboard/notecard tool).

Documenting Job Tasks

For your job analysis to be legally defensible, the competencies you develop must be based on actual job tasks that you expect people in this role and level to perform on their first day. Work with SMEs to complete a job task exercise to identify your competencies.

Converting Job Tasks to Competencies

Once SMEs have listed their common job tasks, group similar tasks to create your competencies.

Defining Competencies

In the job analysis workshop, SMEs clearly define the specialized experience in the form of competencies. You will list these competencies and their definitions in the job announcement.

Defining Proficiency Levels and Required Experience

Define proficiency levels for each competency, determining what is needed to qualify in this hiring action.

Creating Assessments from Competencies

In the second half of your job analysis workshop, work with SMEs to develop material for your job related assessments.