Questions: Job Analysis

Question 1

A company wants to develop a new selection test for warehouse supervisors. Which of the following is the most critical first step?

• A. Identifying which personality traits are generally associated with leadership
• B. Conducting a job analysis to determine the KSAOs required for the supervisor role
• C. Benchmarking the selection process used by competitors
• D. Administering a general cognitive ability test to current supervisors

Answer: (B)

Job analysis must precede selection test development because it identifies the specific KSAOs the test should measure. Without knowing what the job requires, any test — however well-validated in general — may not be relevant to this particular role. Legal defensibility under employment law (e.g., Title VII, Uniform Guidelines) also requires demonstrating that selection criteria are job-related, which necessitates a formal job analysis.

Question 2

Job analysis focuses exclusively on the tasks performed in a job, not on the characteristics of the people who perform it.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Job analysis encompasses both task-oriented and worker-oriented approaches. Task-oriented analysis identifies what is done on the job (duties, tasks, responsibilities), while worker-oriented analysis identifies the human attributes (KSAOs) needed to perform those tasks. Most modern job analyses integrate both perspectives. Methods like the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) are worker-oriented, while functional job analysis is task-oriented.

Question 3

Why is job analysis sometimes called the 'building block' of I-O psychology?

Model answer: Because nearly every major I-O function — selection, training, performance appraisal, compensation, job design — depends on accurate information about what the job entails and what it requires of workers. Job analysis provides this foundational data, making it the prerequisite for building valid and legally defensible HR systems.

Without job analysis, selection tests cannot be shown to be job-related, training programs cannot target actual skill gaps, performance criteria cannot reflect real job demands, and compensation cannot be tied to job complexity. The 'building block' metaphor captures the fact that flawed or absent job analysis undermines everything built on top of it.

Question 4

A job analyst interviews ten incumbents, observes three of them on the job, and surveys their supervisors. This combination of methods is used because...

• A. Legal requirements mandate using at least three different data collection methods
• B. Each method has different strengths and blind spots, so triangulation produces a more complete and accurate picture
• C. Interviews are the only scientifically valid method, but observations and surveys are added for political reasons
• D. Using multiple methods reduces the overall cost of the analysis

Answer: (B)

No single job analysis method captures all relevant information perfectly. Interviews yield rich qualitative data but are subject to impression management; observation captures actual behavior but may miss infrequent tasks; surveys provide standardized, quantifiable data but may miss context. Combining methods — triangulation — compensates for each method's weaknesses and produces a more comprehensive, reliable result.