Job analysis is just that — analyzing the tasks you need done so that you can create just the position you need. It doesn't have to be difficult or complicated. Job analysis is the process of looking at exactly what a job entails in order to determine the necessary job qualifications.

Is a job analysis required to determine job qualifications? No, but remember that planning is the key to successful, effective, and cost-effective hiring. The better you know what you need in an employee, the more likely you are to find the right candidate. Doing a job analysis is just a formal documentation of an unconscious thought process that you should go through anyway. It's a great first step toward creating a job description.

• Hiring your first employee. For first-timers, we recommend a simple analysis of your needs. It's a basic exercise that will help you get your thoughts together and may be just enough analysis to get you started on searching for that perfect candidate.
• Hiring a replacement for an employee who has left. If you're replacing an employee, you will be analyzing an existing job and will have more information and knowledge to work with. You can talk with the employee who is leaving and, if you have other employees doing the same type of work, you can get input from them. There are a few ways to gather this information ranging from informal to formal, and you may choose to try one or all of them.