LECTURE 3

JOB ANALYSIS, JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Every job in the hospitality industry or in a managed services setting includes several distinct work
segments or units of work. For example, the job of server in a restaurant includes taking orders,
serving food, serving wine, and so on. Each of these is a separate unit of the work that, when
combined, comprise a job. Such units appear in other jobs as well, and the same standards will
apply in each case.
Each unit consists of a number of tasks — perhaps 5, 10, 20, or 100 things that the server has to
do in carrying out the work of that unit. A task is an identifiable activity that constitutes a skill or
activity necessary to complete a unit of the job. Once you have a list of tasks or procedural steps
for a unit, you have the complete description for that job, the entirety of the work, the sum total of
what each person in that job is paid to do, the fair day’s work.

The interrelated nature of job analysis, job description, and job specification.

Guidelines for Creating an Effective Job Description.

1. Identify the main duties and responsibilities of the position.
• Summarize the most critical or important functions.
• List the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks or responsibilities of the position.
• Use descriptive verbs to identify the skills required (e.g., manage serving
staff, resolve customer complaints, coordinate shift schedules, complete food orders).
Example: Hotel Manager duties and responsibilities
• Plan, implement and manage overall hotel daily operations
• Conduct hotel budgeting and financial planning
• Plan and organize hotel activities to drive sales
• Manage and monitor hotel expenses
• Manage and track hotel inventory
• Plan and implement marketing campaigns with marketing teams
• Build and maintain strong relationships with visitors and clients
 • Build relationships with vendors
• Suggest and implement new ideas
• Determine key performance indicators (KPI)
• Track KPIs and produce reports
• Hire and onboard new hotel staff
• Evaluate staff performance
• Ensure safety and adherence to rules and regulations
• Prepare and manage schedules and shifts

2. Be specific about the qualifications, skills, and experience required.

• Consider requirements for education, work experience, technical skills, and “soft” skills (i.e.,
interpersonal skills, attitude) that an employee must have to succeed in the position.
• Identify the specific skills that you require (e.g., the ability to solve problems with staff and
guests tactfully and efficiently).
• Specify to what degree the candidate needs to possess the skills you require (e.g., for
keyboarding skills, specify the speed and accuracy expected).
• Include the level of education and training needed to meet the requirements of the job.
• Be sure to include any specific training prerequisites (e.g., Food Safety Cert, Food Handlers
Cert), as well the number of years of experience in a similar position (e.g., minimum two years’
experience working in a high-volume restaurant or hotel).
• Determine which skills are essential for the position and which are an asset but not absolutely
necessary.
• Be clear to what degree you are willing to train successful candidates once they are hired (such
as offering an apprenticeship).
• Be realistic. Asking for too much may prevent suitable applicants from applying; asking for
too little may attract too many underqualified applicants.
• Identify to which position this position reports.
• List which positions report to this position. In both these cases, the people in the positions may
change but the reporting structure would not necessarily change.
Example: Hotel Manager requirements
• Proven experience as Hotel Manager or relevant role
• Fluency in English
• Knowledge of other languages is a big plus
• Understanding of all hotel management
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office
• X years of experience with management software
• Excellent customer service skills
• Great decision making and problems solving skills
• Good leadership skills
• Ability to motivate staff
 • Degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management or relevant field

3. Date the document.

Job descriptions are not static documents. As positions within the organization and the needs of
the organization change, so do the job requirements. Therefore, the job description needs to reflect
these changes and knowing the date the job description was last reviewed is very helpful.
In short, be sure to include the following components when creating a job description:
• Job title
• Main duties and responsibilities
• Skills, qualifications, and experience required
• Equipment and tools required
• Training requirements
• Working conditions (e.g., any travel requirements, heavy lifting expectations, hours of work,
whether inside or outside work)
• Reporting structure
• Date

Advantages and Disadvantages of Job Analysis

Though job analysis plays a vital role in all other human-related activities every process that has
human interventions also suffers from some limitations.
Advantages of Job Analysis
Provides first hand job-related information: The job analysis process provides valuable job-related
data that helps managers and job analysts the duties and responsibilities of a particular job, risks
and hazards involved in it, skills, and abilities required to perform the job, and other related info.
Helps in creating right job-employee fit: This is one of the most crucial management activities.
Filling the right person in the right job vacancy is a test of the skills, understanding, and
competencies of HR managers. Job Analysis helps them understand what type of employee will
be suitable to deliver a specific job successfully.
Helps in establishing effective hiring practices: Who is to be filled where and when? Who to target
and how for a specific job opening? The job analysis process gives answers to all these questions
and helps managers in creating, establishing, and maintaining effective hiring practices.
Guides through performance evaluation and appraisal processes: Job Analysis helps managers
evaluate the performance of employees by comparing the standard or desired output with delivered
or actual output. On these bases, they appraise their performances. The process helps in deciding
whom to promote and when. It also guides managers in understanding the skill gaps so that the
right person can be fit at that particular place in order to get desired output.
Helps in analyzing training & development needs: The process of job analysis gives an answer to
following questions: Who to impart training, When to impart training, What should be the content
of the training? What should be the type of training: behavioral or technical, Who will conduct
training?
Helps in deciding compensation package for a specific job: A genuine and unbiased process of job
analysis helps managers in determining the appropriate compensation package and benefits and
allowances for a particular job. This is done on the basis of responsibilities and hazards involved
in a job.
Disadvantages of Job Analysis
Time consuming: The biggest disadvantage of the Job Analysis process is that it is very time-
consuming. It is a major limitation especially when jobs change frequently.
Involves personal biasness: If the observer or job analyst is an employee of the same organization,
the process may involve his or her personal likes and dislikes. This is a major hindrance in
collecting genuine and accurate data.
Source of data is extremely small: Because of the small sample size, the source of collecting data
is extremely small. Therefore, information collected from a few individuals needs to be
standardized.
Involves lots of human efforts: The process involves lots of human efforts. As every job carries
different information and there is no set pattern, customized information is to be collected for
different jobs. The process needs to be conducted separately for collecting and recording job-
related data.
Job Analyst may not possess appropriate skills: If a job analyst is not aware of the objective of the
job analysis process or does not possess the appropriate skills to conduct the process, it is a sheer
wastage of the company’s resources. He or she needs to be trained in order to get authentic data.
Mental abilities cannot be directly observed: Last but not the least, mental abilities such as
intellect, emotional characteristics, knowledge, aptitude, psychic, and endurance are intangible
things that cannot be observed or measured directly. People act differently in different situations.
Therefore, general standards cannot be set for mental abilities.

Job descriptions that are well-written and accurate help attract individuals who are qualified
and prepared to fulfill the duties listed. Sometimes it even helps prepare the individual for the
interview questions or the general structure of the interview process. A good job description
makes the interview process faster and easier with a better group of qualified candidates.

Skills, Competencies, of HR in the Hospitality Industry

Hospitality is an important industry with varied departments and sections and whether you choose
to work in hotels, catering, beverages, cruises, events, or nightlife, there are hundreds of roles on
offer, with many choosing to stay in the sector long term and work their way up the ladder. In
order to be successful, though, there are a core set of skills that you will need to possess. After all,
hospitality is all about providing outstanding service and leaving customers with a smile on their
faces, which is a role that isn’t necessarily suited to everybody. Below is a list of key attributes
required.
1. Customer Service Skills
Above all else, the one thing that can make or break you in hospitality is your ability to meet
customer expectations. Whether you are simply serving drinks or running an entire hotel, it’s your
job to ensure that your customers are having a great time and that they have nothing to worry
about. Essentially, customer service is about being both positive and proactive. Even when you are
dealing with a difficult customer, it’s important to smile, be polite and remain professional;
alternatively, on certain occasions, it can also be about going that extra mile for a guest or a patron.
Remember: the more positive the experience you provide, the more likely you are to receive good
feedback – and a good tip, too.
2. Cultural Awareness
In hospitality, a large percentage of the customers you face (and, indeed, people you work
alongside) will be from abroad; this means working with people from a variety of cultural
backgrounds. As a result, your ability to be culturally aware and adapt to attitudes and norms that
are different from your own is crucial to building a successful career. Your customers will not
always share the same values, belief systems and perceptions, so it’s important to take this into
account when trying to help them feel more comfortable. As with all customers, the goal is to make
them so happy that they’ll want to come back, so ensure that you’ve taken all measures required,
whatever they may be.
3. Communication Skills
Strong communication skills are highly valued in every industry, but especially so in hospitality
and tourism. Each day, you will be dealing with people from a variety of backgrounds, ages,
nationalities and temperaments, so it is important that you can communicate in a way that is both
clear and understandable, as well as representative of your employer’s brand. As already
mentioned, you want your customers to come back, so the ability to build and cultivate
relationships can make a big difference. It is also important to be able to communicate clearly with
your fellow staff members, especially in busy, high-pressure environments like kitchens or
nightclubs, where effective teamwork is crucial.
4. Multitasking Skills
One of the reasons why hospitality can be so difficult to work in is because it’s almost always
hectic. In most cases, there’s no such thing as a quiet day in the office and, therefore, the ability to
multitask and handle several tasks at once will serve you well. This means learning how to
prioritize and manage your time effectively, while you’ll also need to be able to handle
pressure and remain calm when things get chaotic. Even if it’s just a part-time role while you’re
studying, these are key soft skills that are highly sought-after in any workplace.
5. Work Ethic
If you’re going to work in hospitality, then regardless of your role, you’re going to have to work
hard. It’s likely that you will be on your feet for most of the time, working long shifts for little
reward – all while maintaining a cheerful and friendly façade in front of customers. Therefore, if
you have a tendency to skive, or you’re not willing to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, it’s
likely that you will get found out – and dismissed – rather quickly.
 6. Language Skills
Although not necessarily a requisite, language skills are a huge bonus in this field because they
allow you to communicate with a wider range of clients. They are particularly useful if you want
to work in the hotel (front office. F&B) sector, where your knowledge of languages is useful on
an in-person, day-to-day basis. Language skills can also benefit your career in the long term, too.
If you speak French, for example, then there could be operations and/or management opportunities
available to you on a more senior level, such as in a customer liaison or relationship management
role.
7. Professionalism
Most employers in the hospitality industry rely on their customer-facing staff to uphold the
reputation of their brand; therefore, it’s important that, at all times, you remain highly professional.
Usually, this means ensuring that you look tidy and well-groomed, are on time for your shifts and
are not caught doing anything you shouldn’t be, such as smoking outside the main entrance,
picking of nose, or not washing your hands before handling food. It also means keeping your
cool and not reacting negatively when dealing with an angry or irate customer, especially at the
end of a long and tiring shift.
8. Teamwork Skills
In hospitality, regardless of your role, you will always only ever be one cog in a much larger
machine. Whether it’s within a particular hotel department, in a busy kitchen or as part of the bar
staff, you need to be able to work well with others, especially during busy periods. Given the high
turnover rate within the industry, this can be challenging. After all, you’ll have to adapt to new
faces constantly and build relationships from scratch all over again. But if you’re not working
seamlessly in the union, the whole operation can start to go south, which is bad for customers, for
your employer, and, ultimately, for you.
9. Problem-Solving Skills
Again, this is a skill that is highly valued in any industry; in hospitality, though, the ability to think
on your feet and solve problems quickly can yourself a lot of potential hassle. For instance, if a
guest complains about their room, you could offer them complimentary drinks in the bar while you
wait for another guest to check out. This keeps the customer happy, leaves a good impression of
the hotel, and saves you the trouble of a potential conflict. Alternatively, if a customer has very
specific dietary requirements, you could consult with the chef on their behalf to offer a tailored
alternative solution.
Remember: the easiest way to keep customers happy is to provide solutions to their problems
(within reason, of course), so if you are proactive and keen to get issues resolved, hospitality could
be a good fit.
10. Attention to Detail
Although your attention to detail skills won’t make or break your hospitality career, there are times
when they can come in handy. Whether it’s spotting billing or administrative errors at reception or
noticing that a particular ingredient is past its best in the kitchen, it’s the little things that can make
a big difference. It can also help you to develop relationships with customers and provide a more
positive experience overall. For instance, suggesting a particular wine to accompany a dish,
remembering how a certain customer prefers their drink to be made, or even noticing that
somebody is struggling to carry their luggage and offering to help are all small details that can
leave a big impression on customers. Although it’s not for everybody, the hospitality industry can
be a fascinating and rewarding place to work, especially if you enjoy meeting and interacting with
new people.