IDENTIFYING JOB ELEMENTS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS ON THE JOB

• Introduction

• Using Approved Sets of Elements

• Changing Sets of Approved Elements

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INTRODUCTION

Sets of job elements (skills, knowledge, abilities, and personal characteristics considered necessary for success on the job) are approved by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for individual occupations as well as for jobs having common requirements.  Jobs with common requirements such as apprentices and high-level supervisors are shown in the Examining Guides. Please note that changes may be made from time to time based on studies.

Hint: To access the approved job elements, click on the "Approved Job Elements" button to the left of this panel.  To access a description of each job element, click on the "Rating Job Elements" button to the left.

USING APPROVED SETS OF ELEMENTS

In most instances the sets of approved job elements can be made suitable for local needs without change. If a particular ability is identified as being necessary for success on a particular job, it can usually be made part of the point value description in the crediting plan (described in the chapter on "Plan for Rating Applicants").  Screen-out element: The screen-out elements are the critical knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential for satisfactory job performance.  Each job must contain at least one screen-out element among the identified job elements.  Applicants must receive a minimum of two points on the screen-out element(s) to be deemed eligible for consideration. Below are examples:

Element No. 1, Ability To Do the Work of the Position without More than Normal Supervision:

If a certain skill or ability is needed to do a job, it can usually be considered a part of Element No. 1. For example, if Ability to Keep Records and Make Reports is important to success on the job, it can be incorporated in the point value description for Element No. 1 in the crediting plan. It does not have to be formally added to the set of approved elements as a separate element.

Element No. 73, Ability To Lead or Supervise: 

For a supervisory job, it might appear that having only one element for supervisory ability is insufficient to assure that candidates with the greatest supervisory potential will be ranked highest. However, the supervisory requirements can be given appropriate weight in the crediting plan, without actually changing the set of elements, by describing the requirements for all of the elements pertinent to the job in terms of their supervisory aspects.

This approach can also be used for some mixed jobs and for jobs such as Supervisory Inspector, which encompass more than one basic kind of job.

CHANGING SETS OF APPROVED ELEMENTS

There may be a few jobs which have requirements so different from the approved set of elements that job elements need to be added, re-titled, deleted, or a new set needs to be developed.

Elements other than the screen-out element

Elements may be added or re-titled to make them more specific to a certain job. Addition of elements should be based on a genuine need for a skill, knowledge, or ability that is not already represented in the general requirements.

A job element, other than the screen-out element, may be deleted from a set of approved elements when the skill, knowledge, or ability is not crucial to successful performance in a job. A job element may also be deleted by combining two related elements and treating them as one element in developing the plan for rating candidates. Reasons for deleting an element should be recorded and maintained with the appropriate crediting plan. The justification should show why it is not necessary to rate candidates on the element or in what manner the job elements are related so that combining the elements for rating purposes does not alter the minimum requirements. In any case, the quality of the rating should not be reduced by the change.

Screen-out element

The prescribed screen-out element cannot be deleted from a set of approved elements unless approved by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

JOB ELEMENT CATEGORIES

For the purpose of identifying sets of approved job elements, trades and labor jobs are grouped into five categories. The most populous group has jobs emphasizing trade knowledge, i.e., jobs requiring skill and knowledge in a particular line of work. The other four categories: worker-trainee, support, apprentice, and high-level supervisor - are jobs involving requirements common to a particular kind of job regardless of the occupation in which the job is located. These categories are discussed below in order from the lowest skill to the highest skill level.

Worker-traineejobs

WORKER-TRAINEE JOBS -  JOBS WHICH REQUIRE THE ABILITY TO DO ONE SIMPLE TASK AT A TIME. THE APPLICANT NEEDS NO SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE BEFORE BEING HIRED.

The basic qualification needed for these jobs is willingness to do low-level work. Workers may do several types of simple tasks over a period of time. One is completed before a new assignment is given.

One set of approved elements is provided for these jobs no matter what line of work is involved.

Support jobs

SUPPORT JOBS REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO DO A SERIES OF SIMPLE TASKS. THE APPLICANT DOES NOT NEED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF A PARTICULAR LINE OF WORK BEFORE BEING SELECTED.

A separate set of elements is provided for each of the three kinds of jobs in this category. Each set is applicable to all lines of work. The jobs are described below:

1. Jobs where neither ability to advance nor special aptitudes are essential.

2. Jobs where ability to advance is not essential, but special aptitudes such as checking, sorting, counting, and record-keeping or characteristics such as cleanliness and neatness (important in food service work) are needed.

3. Jobs where the ability to learn and advance is essential, e.g., helper-trainee.

Apprentice jobs

APPRENTICE JOBS

A separate set of elements is provided for each of the three levels of training included in the Apprentice category. Each set is applicable to all lines of work which have apprentice programs. The levels of training are described below:

1. Beginning level: Jobs which require the ability to do the simple tasks in the line of work under close supervision. The applicant, before being selected, must demonstrate potential for learning and advancing.

2. Middle level: Jobs which require the ability to do the less difficult of the common tasks in the line of work under close supervision. The applicant, before being selected, must possess the level of skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to demonstrate potential to do this work.

3. Advanced level: Jobs which require the ability to do the common tasks in the line of work under close supervision. The applicant, before being selected, must possess the level of skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to demonstrate potential to do this work.

Jobs emphasizing trade knowledge

JOBS EMPHASIZING TRADE KNOWLEDGE  - JOBS WHICH REQUIRE THE APPLICANT, BEFORE BEING SELECTED, TO POSSESS SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF A PARTICULAR LINE OF WORK

Unlike jobs in the other categories, sets of elements for these jobs involve skills and knowledge which are identified with particular job families.

For each job family, six sets of elements are provided, one for each of the six possible kinds of jobs described below:

2. Jobs where the ability to do the less difficult tasks in the line of work is the prime ability needed (less than journeyman).

3. Jobs where either the ability to do the common tasks or the ability to do the complex tasks in the line of work is the prime ability needed (journeyman or higher level employee).

4. Jobs where the ability to inspect the work of others is the prime ability needed.

5. Jobs where the ability to instruct others is the prime ability needed.

6. Jobs where the ability to provide production support services such as planning and estimating for others is the prime ability needed.

7. Jobs where either the ability to lead or the ability to supervise others, up to and including the first full level of supervision, is the prime ability needed.

High-level supervisory jobs

HIGH-LEVEL SUPERVISORY JOBS - JOBS WHICH REQUIRE THE ABILITY TO SUPERVISE GROUPS OF WORKERS THROUGH ONE OR MORE LEVELS OF SUBORDINATE SUPERVISORS.

These jobs are above the level described in paragraph "f" above. One set of approved elements is provided for high-level supervisory jobs, no matter what line of work is involved.

Page Updated 11 July 2000