What is the purpose of a job analysis and its primary outputs?

• A. To determine duties, responsibilities, required knowledge, skills, and abilities; outputs include job description, job specification, and competency requirements
• B. To set vacation policies
• C. To determine marketing campaigns
• D. To choose office furniture

Answer: (A)

Job analysis identifies what a job entails—the duties and responsibilities and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform it. From this process you get key outputs that underpin many HR activities: a job description that lays out tasks and the scope of the role; a job specification that lists the minimum qualifications, experience, and skills required; and competency requirements that describe the behaviors and capabilities needed for success. These documents are used for recruiting and selecting the right people, designing training, evaluating performance, guiding compensation, and shaping job design, while also supporting legal compliance and consistency across roles. The other options don’t fit because vacation policies, marketing campaigns, and selecting office furniture are not produced by or driven by job analysis; they belong to policy setting, marketing strategy, and facilities decisions, respectively.