USA Job Analysis and Descriptions 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), how must essential job functions be treated in a job description?
- They must be clearly identified so reasonable accommodations can be properly evaluated (Correct answer)
- They must be listed separately from non-essential functions in all government filings
- They must be approved by the EEOC before the job is posted publicly
- They must be identical across all positions with the same job title
Correct answer: They must be clearly identified so reasonable accommodations can be properly evaluated
The ADA requires that essential functions be clearly documented so employers can determine whether an applicant with a disability can perform the core duties with or without accommodation.
Question 2: What does the term 'KSA' stand for in the context of job analysis?
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Correct answer)
- Key Selection Attributes
- Knowledge, Scope, and Authority
- Key Staffing Assessment
Correct answer: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
KSAs—Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities—are the foundational worker requirements identified through job analysis and used to develop selection criteria.
Question 3: Which job analysis approach uses a standardized questionnaire asking incumbents to rate task statements on importance and frequency?
- Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) (Correct answer)
- Critical Incident Technique (CIT)
- DACUM (Developing a Curriculum)
- Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)
Correct answer: Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
The PAQ is a structured questionnaire with 195 items that workers rate, enabling quantitative comparison of jobs across organizations.
Question 4: A job posting includes the requirement 'must be able to lift 50 pounds regularly.' This is an example of what type of job requirement?
- Physical demand (Correct answer)
- Cognitive ability requirement
- Behavioral competency
- Technical skill
Correct answer: Physical demand
Physical demands describe the bodily requirements of a job and must be tied to essential functions to be legally defensible.
Question 5: In job analysis, what is meant by 'compensable factors'?
- Job characteristics used to determine the relative worth of a job for pay purposes (Correct answer)
- Benefits and bonuses included in a total compensation package
- Factors that excuse an employee from performing certain duties
- Tax-deductible components of an employee's compensation
Correct answer: Job characteristics used to determine the relative worth of a job for pay purposes
Compensable factors (e.g., skill, effort, responsibility, working conditions) are the dimensions by which jobs are evaluated and ranked for pay equity purposes.
Question 6: Which legal principle requires that any selection criterion derived from job analysis must demonstrably relate to successful job performance?
- Job-relatedness (Correct answer)
- Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ)
- Disparate treatment doctrine
- Uniform Guidelines compliance
Correct answer: Job-relatedness
Job-relatedness is the legal requirement that selection criteria must be empirically linked to job performance to withstand challenges of unlawful discrimination.
Question 7: When reviewing a job description, a manager notices duties listed that no employee has performed in three years. What should HR do?
- Remove or update those duties after verifying through job analysis that they are no longer relevant (Correct answer)
- Keep the duties to protect the company if the work ever needs to be assigned in the future
- Transfer those duties to a separate contingency job description
- Flag the duties as optional without removing them
Correct answer: Remove or update those duties after verifying through job analysis that they are no longer relevant
Job descriptions must reflect current, actual work; outdated duties should be removed or revised after verification to maintain accuracy and legal defensibility.
USA Job Analysis and Descriptions 3
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), how must essential job functions be treated in a job description?