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V III. P H Y S IC A L D E M A N D S (W alk in g , lifting, equipm ent o p eratin g , etc.) List only those physical requirem ents th a t a rc essential to th e jo b and/or ca n n o t be easily accom m od ated . IX . W O R K IN G C O N D IT IO N S AND E N V IR O N M E N T (i.e., necessary travel,rk hours, unusual environm ental conditions, etc.)

Job Specification
In tro d u c tio n
J o b Sp ecification is a w ritten statem en t o f q u a lifica tio n s, traits, physical and m ental ch aracteristics o f an individual intending to perform a jo b effectively. It is a statem ent in w hich th e qu alificatio n s and qu alities required fo r an individual to be placed on a jo b are sum m arized. T h e w ord J o b Sp ecification can be split up as: J o b Sp ecification = Jo b * Sp ecificatio n J o b m eans a co llectio n o f d uties, tasks and responsibilities w hich are assigned to an individual and w hich are d ifferent from o th e r assignm ents. Sp ecificatio n m eans nam ing explicitly. T h u s, J o b Sp ecificatio n is th e sp ecification o f intended jo b holder.

D e fin itio n s
1. 2. J o b Sp ecification describes skills, know ledge, and ab ilities to d o th e jo b ."

(Nelson: 2004)
Jo b Sp ecificatio n is a statem en t o f the needed know led ge, skills, an d a b ilities (K SA s) o f the person w h o is to perform the jo b ."

(Bohlander an d Snell: 2004)

3. J o b Sp ecificatio n describes the em ployee ch aracteristics needed to perform th e jo b .

(Batentan an d Snell: 2002) 4.

" J o b Sp ecificatio n s arc specialized jo b d escrip tion s; statem en ts o f th e specific know led ge, sk ill, and ability required o f individuals w ho w ill be perform ing th e jo b ."

(Bergman and Scarpello: 2001)

T h u s, J o b Sp ecification is a list o f a jo b s hum an req u irem en ts," th a t is, th e requisite ed u catio n , skills, personality, and so o n . It specifies physical sp ecificatio n s, m ental sp ecificatio n s, em otio n al an d social sp ecificatio n s and behavioural sp ecificatio n s, necessary to perform a jo b properly. T o design a jo b sp ecificatio n , sum m arize Personal Q ualities list, prioritizing th e essential o r desirable qu alities. A sam ple o f a jo b sp ecificatio n , alth ough its co n ten t is very b asic, has been given to provide an idea a b o u t how to design a jo b sp ecification to fit business needs o f a p articu lar org anization .

S A M P L E J O B SPECIFICA TIO N
Quality
Qualifications Experience Specialist training or knowledge Physical Lifestyle Charactenstics Personality

Essential

Desirable

F or u nd ertaking recruitm ents (internal and e x te rn a l), d escribe th e personal requirem ents exp ected fro m the em ployee. L ike jo b d escrip tion , it includes the jo b title, to w hom th e person reports to , and a sum m ary o f th e positio n .

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O n ce it is being d o n e, a Jo b Sp ecificatio n profile should be designed. T h is o utlin es the essential and desirable q u alities, w hich w ould m ake the ideal cand id ate. It will help to focus w hile advertising fo r th e new jo b position and w ill remind o f th e qu alities required a t the tim e o f interview .

Guidelines for Writing Job Specifications

T h e m a jo r steps are: 1. 2. 3. Sp ecificatio n s fo r T rained Versus U ntrained Personnel. J o b Sp ecificatio n s Based o n Jud gm ent. J o b Sp ecificatio n s Based on Statistical Analysis.

Job Specification Form

J o b Sp ecificatio n Form m ethod can be used fo r revising/updating J o b Specification s for all classes o f jo b s w ithin the organization from tim e to tim e. It involves a sm all Q u estion n aire, w hich is circulated to all em ployees and in form ation is collected , processed and analysed, prim arily by th e H um an R eso u rce departm ent w ith the help o f M anagem ent and fu n ctional exp erts. Such jo b sp ecificatio n form becom es th e basis fo r form al docum ents fo r setting stand ard s o f p erform an ce by the M an agem en t. T h ese jo b sp ecification form s a rc to Ik preserved by th e organization for various ad m inistrative reasons. A Sam ple J o b Sp ecification Form is given below :

JO B SPEC IFIC A T IO N FO RM
Post T itle ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ L o catio n _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Salary D e ta ils ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sum m ary o f J o b ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Attributes
Physical Q u alificatio n s E xperien ce T ra in in g Special K now ledge A d aptability D isposition A ttitudes P ractical and Intellectual Sk ills an d Strengths

Essential
________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Desirable
________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

N a m e ______________________________________________________ O rg a n iz a tio n s N am e _____________________________________

T e le p h o n e N o .___________________________________ F.-mail ID ________________________________________

H en ce, w e m ay co n clu d e th at w riting the jo b d escrip tion and jo b sp ecification s helps to determ ine w hether a parto r full-tim e em ployee is needed, w hether the person should Ik perm anent o r tem porary, and w hether an independent co n tra cto r can be used to fill the p osition.

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Employee Specification
Concept
J o b s p e c ific a tio n in fo r m a tio n is u tiliz ed to fo rm e m p lo y e e s p e c ific a tio n in fo r m a tio n . E m p lo y e e s p e c ific a tio n is the p ro ce ss o f a s c e r ta in in g th e k in d o f p erso n n e l re q u ired to fill up a jo b w ith in th e o r g a n iz a tio n . J o b s p e c ific a tio n is useful t o id e n tify a n id eal c a n d id a te a n d it is d iffic u lt, i f n o t im p o s s ib le , t o fin d p e rso n n e l w h o m a tc h c o m p le te ly ( 1 0 0 % ) w ith th e jo b s p e c ific a tio n re q u ire m e n ts d u e to a n u m b e r o f re a s o n s . F o r e x a m p le , in a re a s o f d em o g ra p h ic s k ills s h o rta g e s , p ro fe ss io n s w h ere su p p ly is less th a n d em a n d o r w h e re sk ills c h a n g e fa s te r th a n w h a t h u m a n m in d c a n a d a p t to , e m e rg in g p ro fe ss io n s w h e re th e re a re n o r e n o u g h q u a lifie d p erso n n e l a v a ila b le in th e h u m a n re so u rc e m a rk e t. H o w e v e r, th e d eg ree o f d ev ia n ce a llo w e d b y a n o r g a n iz a tio n d e p e n d s o n its p o lic ie s , p ra c tic e s , siz e, n a tu re o f in d u stry , im ag e o f th e o r g a n iz a tio n , c o m p e n s a tio n p la n o n o ffe r a n d c o m p e titiv e p o sitio n in g in th e m a rk e tp la c e . T h u s , e m p lo y e e s p e c ific a tio n is th e p ro c e s s o f a c q u irin g re a lis tic a lly h u m a n re so u rc e s b ased o n v a rio u s in te rn a l an d e x te rn a l c o n s tr a in ts w ith view th a t p e rfo rm a n c e w ill n o t b e c o m p ro m is e d . A s a m p le E m p lo y e e S p e c ific a tio n is g iv en b e lo w :
Q U A L IT IE S Relevant Experience C R IT E R IA A minimum of... experience of working in a....position and using...equipm ent. Experience of at least one of the following using computer packagesfeystem s such a s w ord-processing, spreadsheets, datab ases. Powersolve. Masterpiece U sin g a V D U to access/mput/oxtract information Calculations/handling m oney and maintaining numoricaU financial records on computerised system u sin g a V D U to access/input/extract information Experience of handling enquiries m ade by telephone and m ade in person to ensure effective custom er service Expenence o f organizing and servicing m eetings Experience of collecting/processing paym ents Expenence of dealxig with sensitive issu e s Education and Training Attainm ents Relevant qualifications such a s N V Q . R S A . G C S E Expenence of suitable training such a s custom er care/ cashienngftelephone techniques A go o d standard of literacy - to be able to co m po se and produce b asic correspondenco/reports/m em os A go o d standard of num eracy - to enable calculation and m aintenance of accurate num ber/cash b a se d records K n ow led ge Sk ills and Abilities A w aren e ss of the importance of maintaining confidentiality within a service B a sic knowledge of health and safety practices A w aren e ss of iss u e s arising from workingiliving in a diverse community Ability to adapt to change and respond flexibly to non-routine situations Additional Factors A w illingness to work flexibly within normal office hours Aw are of the Coun cil's commitment to custom er care A w aren e ss of and commitment to the C o u n cil's Equal Opportunities Policy W illingn ess to undergo further training H O W ID E N T IF IE D Apphcatton Form/interview RANK A

Application Form/lnterwew/Test

Application Form/lntorvtcwJTcst Application FomVlntorview/Test

A A

Application Form/Interview

Application Form/Interview Application Form/Interview Application Form/Interview Application Form/Certificates/Test Application Fomn/lnterview

C C C B B

Application Form/lnterview/Test

Application Form/Test

Application Form/interview

Application Form/Interview Application Form/Interview

B B

Application Form/Interview

Application Form/Interview Application Form/Interview Appfccation Form/Interview

A B B

Application Form/lntervrow

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Difference Between Job Description and Job Specification

T h e m a jo r d iffe re n c e s a r c a s u n d er:
S .N O . B A S IS O F D IF F E R E N C E M eaning J O B D E S C R IP T IO N J O B S P E C IF IC A T IO N

Job desenption is a statement in which purpose, scope, duties, ta sk s and responsibilities of a particular job are sum m anzed T o determine the duties, responsibilities and organizational relationship that constitute a job

Job specification is a statem ent in w hich the qualification and qualities required for an indrvidual to b e placed o n a job are sum m arized To determine the standards of the qualifications and quakbes required for an em ployee to be placed o n a job A n a ly s is o f tho ab ilities, c h a ra c te ristic s a n d qualification of cm ployoo to bo placed on a particular job Helpful in the developm ent of an em ployee

Objective

Subjoct Mattor

A n alysis of tho task, activibos. working condition, com pensation and accountability of a particular job Helpful in the better performance of jobs in the organization T ask

Importance

Orientation

H um an qualities

Work Design
M eaning and Concept
J o b a n a ly sis is co n c e rn e d w ith jo b s a s th e y e x is t an d b ein g p erfo rm ed in th e o rg a n iz a tio n . J o b an aly sis is gen erally u n related to m o tiv a tio n a l w o rk c h a ra c te ris tic s a n d s a tisfa c tio n . T h is is b eca u se jo b a n a ly sis is b ased o n th e p ro p o sitio n th a t c o m p le tin g a w h o le jo b its e lf is m o tiv a tin g . R e se a rch suggests th a t w h en w o rk is designed t o c o m p le te a ta s k fro m b eg in n in g t o e n d , it tend s t o b e ro u tin e , iso lated an d sim p listic . T h is suggests th a t th e m o tiv a tio n a l b en efits o f w o rk h ig h in ta s k id en tity m igh t b e m in im a l. A n o th e r d ilem m a p ertain s to re la tio n sh ip b etw een s a tisfa c tio n a n d e fficie n cy . W o r k designed to b e m o tiv a tio n a l is o fte n in efficie n t to p e rfo rm w h ere a s w o rk th a t is e ffic ie n t to p e rfo rm is d em o tiv a tio n a l. R e se a rch suggests th a t to o v erco m e th is d ilem m a is to e n a b le jo b h o ld ers to d ev elop a n d utilize a d ep th o f k n o w led g e an d lo o k fo r o p p o rtu n itie s fo r s o c ia l su p p o rt an d th e w o rk b eco m es m o re in terestin g to p e rfo rm a s w ell a s m o re e fficie n t. P ro p er w o rk d esign help s t o a tta in m a x im u m p e rfo rm a n ce , e ffic ie n c y a n d sa tisfa ctio n resu ltin g to p ea k o rg a n iz a tio n a l effe ctiv e n ess an d co m p etitiv e n e ss, w h ich is highly req u ired t o su sta in a n d g ro w in a g lo b a l e co n o m y . T o u n d e rta k e a w o rk d esign sy stem in th e o r g a n iz a tio n , w o rk d esign q u e s tio n n a ir e c a n b e used t o c o lle c t, p ro ce s s , a n a ly se an d m a k e d e c isio n s fo r p ro p e r w o rk d esign in th e o r g a n iz a tio n . A S a m p le W o r k D esig n Q u e s tio n n a ire is given b e lo w :

W O R K D E SIG N Q U EST IO N N A IR E
Autonomy
O th e r te rm s : A u to n o m y / re sp o n sih ility / tim in g co n tro l/ m e th o d c o n tro l/ p ro d u c tio n resp o n sib ility / d ecisio n -m a k in g / com m u nication/ g en eral responsibility/skill d iscretion/ d ecision authority/ d ecision h titu d c/ sclf-d ctcrm ination / v a r ia n c e h a n d led a t sou rce/ resou rce a u th o rity / a u to n o m o u s grou p s/ task d iffe ren tia tio n / b o u n d a ry co n tro l/ ta s k co n tro l/ o rg a n ic stru ctu rc/ sclf-m a n a g cm cn t/ p a rticip a tio n / flex ib ility / sclf-m a n a g cm en t/ a cco u n tab ility / re sp o n sib ility / m a k in g d e c is io n s a n d so lv in g p ro blem s/ d evelo p in g o b je c tiv e s a n d strateg ics/ im p lem en tin g id e a s, p ro g ra m m e s , sy stem s, o r p ro d u cts se llin g o r in flu e n c in g o th e rs. Ite m s: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. T h e jo b a llo w s m e to m a k e m y o w n d e c isio n s a b o u t h o w t o sch e d u le m y w o rk . T h e jo b a llo w s m e t o d ecid e o n th e o r d e r in w h ic h th in g s a r c d o n e o n th e jo b . T h e jo b a llo w s m e t o p la n h o w I d o m y w o rk . T h e jo b g ives m e a c h a n c e to u se m y p e rso n a l in itia tiv e o r ju d g m e n t in c a rry in g o u t th e w o rk . T h e jo b a llo w s m e to m a k e a lo t o f d e cisio n s o n m y o w n .

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