Meaning, Definition, and Objectives of job specification
Job Specification Meaning
Job specification is also known as job requirement it is a by-product of job analysis. It covers all the human qualities to be considered such as physical, personal, and psychological responsibilities to be acquired, academic qualifications, experience, etc. It converts the job description into human qualifications so that the job can be done more efficiently. It assists in hiring the right person for the right position.
Job Specification Definition
According to Edwin B. Flippo – “A job specification is a statement of the minimum acceptable human qualities necessary to perform a job properly”.
According to Dale Yoder – “Job specification as a summary is a specialised job description, emphasising personnel requirements and designed specially to facilitate selection and placements”
Objectives of Job Specification
Objectives of job specification are as follows:
1) To Find out the Prospective Candidate
Job specification helps in searching for a potential candidate for a vacant position. It helps in evaluating the resume more rapidly and impartially. It also helps in making a list of relevant questions for the interview.
2) To Attract Candidates
It is necessary to make the job specification professional and a good representative of the organisation’s image to the candidate. For this purpose, the job specification must be active and precise to attract talented candidates.
3) To Set-Up Competency of the Organisation
When an organization has set up its core competency, the job specification assists in executing the various competency programmes.
4) To Identify Competencies
It helps employers in recognising the accurate duties and skills of the employee. It also makes the prospective candidates capable of ascertaining their capacity of satisfying the job requirements.
5) To Eliminate Discrimination
It helps in preventing the violation of equal employment opportunities laws. It sets a standard of basic skills needed for a job description and specifies the basic required qualifications or experience.
Contents of Job Specification
Contents of job specification relate to:
1) Physical Characteristics
It consists of age, health, strength, size of the body, body weight, poise, vision, etc.
2) Psychological Characteristics or Special Aptitudes
It covers qualities such as manual dexterity, mechanical aptitude, ingenuity, judgement, etc.
3) Personal Characteristics or Results of Temperament
It includes good and pleasing manners, personal appearance, emotional stability, aggressiveness or submissiveness, etc.
4) Responsibilities
It involves supervision, responsibility for the process, production and equipment, the safety of other people, preventing loss in monetary terms, etc.
5) Other Features of Demographie Nature
Age, sex, education, experience, language ability, etc.
| Educational Qualification | A degree or diploma in personnel management/HRM or any other related discipline from a recognised institution. |
| Work Experience | Minimum experience of 2 years in a similar post in a leading industry. |
| KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) | 1) Knowledge and expertise in the area of compensation administration in competing industries, procedures of job analysis, techniques of compensation survey, and performance appraisal issues. 2) Possess skills in writing job descriptions, conducting interviews for job analysis, making group presentations, in performing statistical calculations. 3) Ability to organise and conduct meetings. |
| Work Orientation Factors | The post may require 10 per cent of travelling. |
| Age | Maximum 30 years. |