Characteristics of People and Jobs

Choose a job that you are very familiar with or a job that you currently have, a job that you used

to have, or the job of a close family member or friends, or the job could be one that you have

been able to observe closely during your interaction with an organization as a customer or client.

For the job you're choosing, respond to the following items.

1. Describe the job, including all the tasks the job holder must perform.

2. Choose two of the Big Five personality traits that you think would have the most impact

on the jobholder's feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Explain why you think

these traits might be particularly important for understanding the jobholder's reactions.

3. Indentify three of the organizationally relevant personality traits that you think would

affect performance on this job and explain why you think they are likely to be important.

4. Which of the jobholder's behaviors are primarily determined by the situation and not

personality?

5. What cognitive abilities must the jobholder posses?

6. What physical abilities must the jobholder posses?

7. How can selection and placement be used to ensure that prospective jobholder have this

abilities?

8. How can an organization train jobholders to raise levels of these abilities?