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Job Analysis FAQ’s and Information

Questions regarding the information contained in this web site should be referred to the Office of Workforce Planning and Selection at (916) 322-2545.

What is Job Analysis?

A Job Analysis is a detailed look at a particular job or job classification. It is a process used to identify all of the specific tasks (work/objectives) required to perform a particular job. Once all of the tasks are identified, then all of the specific knowledge, skills and abilitiesrequired to be able to perform each task are identified.

Job Analysis is a concept that has been defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Civil Service Commission, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Justice. As defined, it is work activity performed to achieve the objectives of the job and a detailed statement of work and other information relevant to a job.

How and Why Do We Use It?

Job analyses are conducted in order to make better employment and management decisions, to save money, to increase productivity, and to comply with federal and state laws where adverse impact is found related to prohibited discriminatory factors. It is most often used in the examination process but may also be used to conduct job audits, support classification specification revisions, resolve return to work issues and other personnel &/or management functions.

Without a job analysis, it is impossible to develop content valid and reliable selection (examining) procedures.

Is This Something New?

Job Analysis was originally developed to comply with the 1978 Federal Uniform Guidelines On Employee Selection Procedures (UGESP). These guidelines actually mandated that selection examinations be “content-valid” (i.e., job related).

In 1990, the “Americans With Disabilities Act” (ADA) was introduced and additional steps in the job analysis process were added for determining “essential job functions”.

As a result, today we use the “Western Region Intergovernmental Personnel Assessment Council” (WRIPAC) job analysis methods for determining the critical tasks and associated knowledges, skills, and abilities of a classification. Instructional classes on the WRIPAC job analysis method are available through the State Personnel Board.

Who Conducts Job Analyses?

The Office of Workforce Planning and Selection. The mission is to complete and maintain a job analysis for every civil service classification used by CDCR. This includes over 500 classifications.

The staff work in teams with employees throughout the CDCR (known as Subject Matter Experts or SMEs) to complete and maintain updates to a library of job analyses. SMEs are departmental employees who have either served in or have directly supervised the targeted classification. That means, if you are currently a Permanent State employee working for the CDCR, you could be asked to be a SME for your classification or a classification you supervise.

Completed job analyses are available for review on this web site.

Questions or additional information regarding job analysis should be referred to the Office of Workforce Planning and Selection at (916) 322-2545.

Components of a Job Analysis

Background
Identifies the targeted classification by class title. It also includes: Dates the Job Analysis was conducted; Collective Bargaining Identification and Names of the Job Analysis team who facilitated the Job Analysis.

List of Edited Tasks
This is a complete list of edited tasks identified by the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

Each task has been developed to conform to the Federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Procedures and edited to answer the following questions:

  1. Performs what action?
  2. To whom or to what? (Object)
  3. To produce what? (Expected Output)
  4. Using what tools, equipment, aids, or processes?
  5. With what instructions or directions?

List of Edited Knowledge’s, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

This is a complete list of edited KSAs identified by the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

Each KSA has been developed to conform to the Federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee Procedures and edited to answer the following questions:

  1. What? (Knowledge of what? Skill at what? Ability to do what?)
  2. To what effect or in what context? (How is it used?)
  3. To what degree of accuracy or at what skill level? (This applies to knowledge’s only.)

Other components of a Job Analysis

A job analysis also includes a detailed rating process completed by the SMEs on the identified Tasks and KSAs. The rating process measures the “Relative Time Spent” and the “Criticality” of each Task. It identifies the extent to which each KSA is “Expected at Entry” and its “Criticality”. The final rating, referred to as the “weighted linkage”, establishes test factor weights by comparing each Task to each KSA.