The following set of questions test your understanding about knowledge (K), skills (S), abilities (A), and other personal characteristics (O) in a job analysis.
1. A firefighter must be capable of carrying an unconscious person and handling heavy equipment, such as ladders and water hoses, all while wearing heavy protective gear and clothing. This requirement means a candidate for a firefighter's job must have a certain _______________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
2. A police officer is required to fire his/her pistol several times each year in order to meet a certain expected standard of marksmanship performance. This requirement is best understood as a need to prove a certain _________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
3. In order to qualify as a lifeguard, a swimmer must show that he/she is able to overcome a struggling person in the water and tow that person back safely to land. This job requirement is best understood as a(n) _________________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
4. A state police trooper must sometimes engage in dangerous high speed car chases. This job requirement is best understood as a(n) ____________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
5. A financial advisor or tax lawyer must keep up with the many changes in tax law each year. This requirement is best understood as a(n) _____________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
6. The person who staffs the "Help Desk" at a large computer software company must often deal with angry and upset callers. The need to calm such callers before he can help then solve their problems is best understood as a(n) ______________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
7. Based on a US Supreme Court decision, an arresting police officer must inform the suspect of his/her rights to have a lawyer. This requirement for a police officer's job is best understood as a(n) ____________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
8. An Army medic must often be ready and willing expose himself to enemy fire and other dangers in order to provide life-saving first aid to a wounded soldier. This job requirement is best described as a(n) ______________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
9. The supervisor at a huge food warehouse must ensure that all incoming food shipments are stored in the right place and under the right temperature conditions. This job requirement is best described as a(n) ______________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
10. Most companies hire as receptionists only women who have a pleasant speaking voice and who present a pleasant and attractive appearance. This requirement is best understood as a(n) _______________________.
a. knowledge (K)
b. skill (S)
c. ability (A)
d. other personal characteristic (O)
The following set of questions test your understanding about other aspects of job analysis.
11. Bill, a respected software programmer, was severely injured in a car accident and must now use a wheelchair. His employer builds a ramp from the parking lot entrance to the side door so Bill can enter the building more easily. This is an example of ______________.
a. a specialized knowledge
b. a change in job description
c. reasonable accommodation
d. essential function
12. A receptionist at a large company was fired because she did not make coffee that was satisfactory to the boss. She sued, claiming making coffee had nothing to do with her job requirement and the courts agreed. This is best understood as a legal requirement for jobs to be based only or mainly on _____________________.
a. special knowledge
b. essential functions
c. reasonable accommodation
d. none of the above
13. An I/O psychologist is asked by a large corporation with 2,000 salespersons to list and analyze the tasks most frequently used by the salespersons to contact potential customers. The I/O psychologist has only two weeks to complete her research. Under these conditions, the most likely approach to collecting her data should be _________________________.
a. performing the job herself
b. observing a very successful salesperson
c. interviewing five successful salespersons
d. sending out questionnaires
14. An I/O psychologist is asked by the US government to research those personality characteristics shared by the most successful astronauts among a group of 30 living former astronauts. The I/O psychologist has six months to complete this project and provide a report. Under these conditions, which is the most likely approach to gather data?
a. observation
b. interviewing
c. performing their tasks
d. none of the above
15. An I/O psychologist researching the work of an aviation jet mechanic determined that: the average mechanic performs 32 different tasks; that some require more than 10 hours to complete; others require only minutes; and some are so critical that they can cause engine failure and fire if not done properly. This information should be included in the ___________________.
a. job satisfaction index
b. task inventory
c. other personal characteristics
d. job interview
16. An I/O psychologist determines that, in order to minimize the waste of expensive material, a certain supervisory job in a precision machine shop requires great responsibility, a high level of skill and a high level of training. So, she recommends that the supervisory position should be paid at least twice as much as the average machinist. This is best understood as an example of ______________________.
a. job analysis
b. other personal characteristics
c. a task list
d. job evaluation
17. A large company wants to expand its business by buying a paper factory, a new line of business. The chief financial officer asks the I/O psychologist to provide a briefing on the kinds of jobs and compensation (pay levels) in that industry by the next morning. The best source of information for the I/O psychologist to prepare his briefing is ______________________.
a. a new job analysis
b. a new job evaluation
c. questionnaires
d. O*NET
18. The military is about to test a completely new fighting vehicle that has never been used before. However, there is concern that the vehicle driver may be overloaded with too many tasks, such as monitoring several TV screens and listening to and reacting to several radio transmissions in his headphones while driving under dangerous cross-country conditions in a very cramped driver's compartment. During the testing phase, the Army asks I/O psychologists to develop a task list of all the possible tasks the driver must perform. Under these conditions, which of the following data collection methods would be most appropriate?
a. interviews with drivers on other vehicles
b. sending out questionnaires
c. putting a camera in the compartment to observe tasks (observation)
d. examining task lists for other vehicles
19. An I/O psychologist was contracted to analyze tasks done by aviation safety inspectors for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He decided to use both observation and interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs) to obtain data on the tasks they perform, the skills required, and the skills and equipment needed to successfully perform those tasks. The I/O psychologist is performing a(n)________________________.
a. job evaluation
b. functional job analysis
c. job selection procedure
d. competency system study
20. Which of the following statements about job analysis is FALSE?
a. Task inventories for different jobs may vary greatly in the number of tasks performed.
b. One problem in job analysis is that even experts do not always agree on how tasks should be rated.
c. Women and men must be paid the same if they perform the same job.
d. Fortunately, the content of jobs is very stable and not influenced over time by changes in technology.