Job Analysis | Origin: OP115
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Hiring the Right Faculty for Your Institution --> Job Analysis
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Comment on Sandra Goddard's post:
Your reflection captures the full hiring workflow with real precision — moving from KSAOs through deal-breakers and preferences, to job description, to interview questions. This sequencing matters because each step builds on the foundation of the previous one. Skipping the job analysis step is what produces the vague hiring criteria many institutions struggle with.
Your phrase about deal-breakers and preferences stood out to me. The module emphasized that personal preferences shouldn't become absolute deal-breakers, but distinguishing between the two is exactly what produces fair, focused hiring decisions. Without this clarity, hiring teams can disqualify strong candidates over preferences while missing serious gaps in actual deal-breakers.
Your point about time and money saved also resonated. Generic hiring processes produce extended search timelines, weak candidate pools, and disappointing hires that lead to turnover. The upfront investment in job analysis pays returns through faster hiring, better selection, and stronger retention.
In my context as College Director at Central Virginia Community College's Amherst Early College Center, your point about new hire satisfaction is one I'm taking seriously. New instructors who fit their roles well experience the satisfaction of meaningful work, while mismatched hires often struggle and leave. Defining KSAOs carefully serves both the institution AND the people we hire.
Thank you for synthesizing this so clearly.
With Benevolence, Shannon
The Job Analysis module reframed faculty hiring as a discipline that begins long before posting a position. The KSAOs framework — Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics — provides a structured way to define what an ideal instructor actually looks like, rather than relying on credentials alone or vague hiring instincts.
The distinction between knowledge and skills was particularly clarifying. A candidate may know a great deal about a subject from books and study, but knowing about something is different from being able to actually do it. Effective hiring requires evaluating both dimensions, especially in career-focused educational contexts where instructors must demonstrate practical competence alongside content mastery.
The two methods for gathering KSAOs — incumbent observations and incumbent interviews — work together rather than in competition. Observations reveal what effective teaching looks like in practice, while interviews surface the broader scope of instructor work that classroom visits cannot capture. Out-of-classroom activities like student mentoring, curriculum review, and professional development often shape what an ideal instructor looks like as much as what happens during instruction.
In my context as College Director at Central Virginia Community College's Amherst Early College Center, this framework applies directly. Our dual enrollment instructors work with high school students in a college environment, requiring KSAOs that blend rigorous academic content with pedagogical sensitivity to adolescent development. Observation and interview work could clarify exactly what makes effective Early College teaching distinct.
Looking ahead, I intend to apply the KSAOs framework when our Center engages in any future faculty conversations. The module's most enduring lesson for me is this: you cannot hire well without first defining what "right fit" means, and that definition emerges from disciplined observation of real teaching practice.
With Benevolence, Shannon
a clear awareness of your institution’s own gaps and advantages so you can both attract high-quality talent and support long-term retention. I’ve also learned the importance of crafting job descriptions that go beyond basic qualifications to include the attributes and behaviors that truly drive strong performance.
I love the idea of interviewing faculty already in the position in order to determine the actual needs of the position. While I have recently been in the faculty role, I can see where my counterparts who help in the hiring process may need to have a refresher.
In order to find the right instructor, first start with a job analysis to determine KSAOs necessary for the position (through observations and interviews). Once you have your KSAOs sort through them to determine deal breakers and preferences. Then you can prepare a job description and write interview questions. By going through this process, you spend less time and money looking for candidates and interviewing, and also have more satisfaction from new hires.
In order to find the right instructor, first start with a job analysis to determine KSAOs necessary for the position (through observations and interviews). Once you have your KSAOs sort through them to determine deal breakers and preferences. Then you can prepare a job description and write interview questions. By going through this process, you spend less time and money looking for candidates and interviewing, and also have more satisfaction from new hires.
From this module, I learned the importance of approaching educational and organizational decisions through a structured, evidence-based lens. The content reinforced how observation, stakeholder feedback, and reflective analysis help uncover the real dynamics behind performance, engagement, and institutional effectiveness.
One key insight I gained is that decisions—whether related to faculty hiring, curriculum planning, or program evaluation—become far stronger when they are grounded in real behavioral data instead of assumptions. I also learned how crucial it is to recognize cultural factors, communication patterns, and organizational expectations when selecting or developing faculty.
I intend to apply this learning by integrating more systematic observation and feedback loops into my own leadership processes. In my institution, I plan to incorporate stakeholder interviews, classroom observation data, and competency-based frameworks to enhance program development and hiring decisions. Ultimately, this module helped me appreciate how intentional analysis can lead to better alignment, stronger teams, and improved student outcomes.
I have learned the KSAOs term and the importance of the incumbent observation and interviews. The check list you provide in this lesson is perfect and will help me.
Learned that in order to choose the best candidate for the job, you must do your due diligence by identifying KSAO's and applying them to the hiring process.
Utilizing incumbent employees through observations and interviews is important to help identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics you want in the instructors for your institution.
He aprendido que se debe tener en cuenta cuatro atributos para contratar docentes: Conocimientos, Habilidades, Capacidades y Otras características.
Job analysis is important because it will help you in the development of your job description as well as fill the gaps that are needed, to better your team. Observations and interviews are highly important to ensure that the individual does align with your company and the staff, as well to see if there is any training needs prior to hiring.
Hiring the right facilitator/Instructor is important to the success of any educational institution.
I learned that your current instructors can assist in shedding light on what your institution values in instructors and key attributes that your student-base may effectively respond to.
I like doing observations of veteran instructors with the new instructors.
I see that job analysis is very important to assure that you are finding the right people.
I've completed many incumbent observations but had never thought about it from the standpoint of identifying good hires from future candidates. This is a very helpful perspective for myself and my team as we complete observations.
A job analysis is essential to successfully hiring the right instructor for the organization. To perform a sound analysis, you must first establish the KSAOs, define the instructor's potential functions, and identify the available budget for hiring purposes.
Many of our programs have only one full time faculty member. I plan on suggesting that deans and chairs perform some of these incumbent interviews and observations before there is a need to hire. If we make the list of KSAOs for various roles now, especially those with smaller faculty pools, it will save time and headache later.
