Conducting a Pseudo Job Analysis – A Guide for Industrial Psychologists

QUESTION

This exercise gives you the opportunity to conduct a mini job analysis. You will summarize the results of your job analysis and, because of the amount of work required for this project, your report will count as TWO EXERCISES (or a total of 20 pts) toward your overall grade. You will derive job analytic information on one employee in a job of your choice using the interview method and following these guidelines: You need to interview an employee who works full-time (or over 20 hours per week) and who has worked in his or her job for at least six months. The interview will most likely take one hour or more. You may want to tape record the interview. You should supplement the data derived from the interview with observational information (e.g., watch the person at work, visit the workplace, or look at samples of the person’s work). Your job analysis report should include the following five sections, labeled as sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 with a section heading. For example, you should have a section heading for the second part, labeled “Interviewee/Organization Information.”. The five sections are: Cover sheet: Include a title (e.g., “Pseudo Job Analysis), your name, the date, the course number, and instructor’s name. Interviewee/Organization information: Include: your subject’s name (can make up or use real name) level of education tenure on the job rating of job satisfaction (1 = I hate my job to 7 = I love my job) the individual’s job title what the organization does that the individual works for information about how big or small the organization is how the individual’s job fits in with other jobs in the organization O*NET Job Description: Go to the O*NET web site and look up the person’s job title. You may have to experiment with different job titles to find a close match. Knowledge, skill, and ability statements: Develop a list of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform on the job (include 15-20 KSA statements). Do not just copy the information from the O*NET. Select the ones you believe are most relevant for the job. Write your KSAs clearly, be to the point, and do not be redundant. Sample KSA statements for the job of “medical technologist” have been included at the end of this exercise. After you have written your KSAs, you will need to meet with your subject one more time: have your subject review your KSA list for accuracy (have you stated anything that is not correct?) and comprehensiveness (are all KSAs represented?). then have your subject rate each KSA on “How often is this KSA used on the job?” (1 = rarely used, 2 = sometimes used, 3 = often used, 4 = very frequently used). This section of your report, when finished, should include your final list of KSAs and the rating your subject gave each KSA. What I learned from this project: Write two to three paragraphs about what you learned from this project. Include: information about what you learned from meeting with your subject a second time (e.g., were some of your KSAs stated incorrectly?). overall information about whether you found this project to be useful or difficult. at least one paragraph explaining why job analysis is important to Industrial Psychology and how the information you collected could be used. how do you think this pseudo job analysis differs from a real job analysis? Interview Tips: Prepare for your interview and arrive on time. You may want to start your interview by getting the information you need for section #2 of your paper. The main purpose of your interview, however, will be to get information about what KSAs are needed for a person to be a successful performer on the job. Don’t imply you are evaluating the worth of your subject’s job. Don’t say anything like “Is that all that you do?” You might offend the person you are interviewing. Possible questions for your interview include: “What kinds of skills does a worker need to perform well in this job?”, “Tell me what you do when you get to work each day,” and “What skills or abilities does a good worker have that a poor worker doesn’t for this job?” You can write notes as a person responds and form them into KSAs later. Clarify any occupational jargon a person might use. When one writes your KSAs, make sure they are not too specific or too broad. “Ability to write,” for example, is too broad. Does that imply a person should be able to write novels, poems, songs, business reports, or what? Example KSA Statements for the Job of Medical Technologist The following is a partial list of the KSAs used in the job of medical technologist to give you an idea of how KSAs are written. Note that each KSA statement starts with the word “Knowledge,” “Skill,” or “Ability.” To the left of each of your KSA statements include your subject’s rating (1 = rarely used, 2 = sometimes used, 3 = often used, 4 = very frequently used) of how often the KSA is used on the job. Be sure to provide the rating scale in your report to tell the reader what the ratings are referring to. Knowledge of immunohematology, transfusion therapy, and phlebotomy. Ability to conduct blood supply inventory and make judgments of present and predicted blood supply demands. Ability to evaluate donor acceptability through an assessment of current health status and an interview concerning disease history. Skill in blood collection process, including arm preparation, phlebotomy, and preparation of collection bags. Skill to use standard laboratory instruments (microscope, centrifuge, platelet machine, and cell washer).

ANSWER