ABSTRACT
Accurate job descriptions underpin recruitment, selection, appraisal and training, and we are of the opinion that they help to ensure that these processes are conducted in a thorough and systematic way. The first step in writing job descriptions is job analysis. Job descriptions, the use of person specifications is restricted to recruitment and selection. Job analysis can reveal that, perhaps as a result of introducing information technology or through other changes in the working environment, jobs have become diminished, or in some cases have disappeared entirely, although they remain within the established posts. Job analysis can be used as an aid when considering staff structuring and allocation of work, but it may also appear as a predatory activity carried out by parent bodies such as a local authority, company or educational institution, with a view to cutting staff. Job analysis should be used when designing new jobs.
