Understanding Job Analysis
Web Exercise: Understanding Job Analysis Week 3 Human Resources Management Professor Lawrence R. A. Prosper March 23, 2013 1. How easy was it to find the specific occupation you were looking for, and how comprehensive was the information provided about that occupation? I was immediately impressed by the O*NET Resource Center after opening the site. The design was smart and the site was easy to navigate despite the many choices available to explore. This is a great example of what a Government agency working with the business community and the actual workers from each occupation can accomplish.
A wealth of useful information is presented to the public at no cost in an easy to use format. I was quickly able to locate information that was specific to my chosen occupation. My current job title is Special Projects Manager which is a hybrid description. My primary duties are to initiate the acquisition of production machinery and when needed, additional building space to install the equipment; that is the Project Manager role. I also ideate and participate in projects related to safety, facilities management and production flows which justifies the Special Projects designation.
I selected Project Manager in my search and was directed to the page for Architectural & Engineering Managers which gave a brief description of similar titles (Project Engineer, Project Engineering Manager), what these managers do, and what they would be expected to do on the job. The last item listed some on the job duties as to direct, review, or approve project design changes and to confer with management, production, or marketing staff to discuss project specifications or procedures: basically , my assigned duties.
Following the link to Advanced Manufacturing, I was able to see examples of descriptive information about specific jobs. This page had a graphic of a sample career Ladder/Lattice for Advanced Manufacturing which was very similar to my actual career path. The job titles were a bit different but did show a familiar progression from helper, to operator, to production supervisor, to engineering/production manager. This was my path to my current position but I made it here without a college degree, a feat that would be impossible in this company today.
I maneuvered to the Engineering Manager page and found more job specific information. A good amount of detail was devoted to the Job Description and some mention of the required education, workforce preparation, work experience, licensure/certifications, salary and the employment outlook for the next 10 years. The information for this occupation was easy to read and comprehensive. As someone who is presently in this field I can say the duties and expectations presented are realistic. For a person considering pursuing a career in this area a path can be established to achieve that goal by using this resource as a guide.
What did you think of the occupations O*NET suggested as matching your skills? Was the occupation you are in or preparing for among those listed? This exercise has confirmed that I have ended up in an occupation that suits my skill sets, abilities and personality. The non-scientific results earned on the Interest Profiler test were also quite representative of me as a person and the specific area scores did indicate an affinity for my chosen field. My chosen occupation is Project Manager and this was among the professions listed.
I continue to prepare for this occupation by attending college to complete my degree despite having worked at my company for 29 years. A Project Manager works alone while being involved with coordinating the work of many unconnected groups simultaneously. It can be a demanding profession and may not provide satisfaction to certain personalities. The skills detailed on the O*Net are well defined and can be interpreted as needing one to be technically knowledgeable, have good people skills, and to be adaptable to changes in the scope of a project.
Math skills are important in the product design and for producing the cost analyses and project justifications. I recently completed algebra and statistics which the job description notes as necessary. Character skills are described as needing attention to detail, integrity, adaptability, analytical thinking, dependability and stress tolerance. I match up well in those areas and at times tend to overdo the attention to detail. Problem solving skills are used to notice a problem and figure out the best way to solve it. This is a difficult skill to master and sometimes the logical solution is not the best choice as a solution.
Finally, there are project management software tools available and learning to use them benefits the project and the teams involved in the work progression. You can also contact them to tell them your computer has died and you want to use the program on your new computer. They are the ones to reset the activation counts. Just explain what has happened. NP124865399 2. As an HR professional, how could O*NET be useful in conducting a job analysis? Explain specifically how you would use the data from this site to assist your organization. 3. As a director of human resources, would you have your staff use this site? Why or why not?
