Post on 15-Apr-2017
Running head: JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !1
Job Analysis of Commercial Underwriter III
Grace Carroll
PSYC 231
July 12, 2015
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !2
I conducted a worker-oriented job analysis for a commercial underwriter III, who has
held this job for approximately three years. This job analysis was completed through an
interview, with the employee himself, and obtaining additional information from the employer’s
website, IBERIABANK, and the data base, O*NET.
The interviewee is employed at IBERIABANK, whose mission statement, as retrieved
from their website, states they strive to: “…to exceed client satisfaction by delivering
unparalleled customer service…” and “…provide a comprehensive financial product line…”As
for the specific task statements for a commercial underwriter, they are, according to the
interviewee and O*NET: analyze applicants' financial status, credit, and property evaluations,
obtain and compile copies of loan applicants' credit histories, conduct corporate financial
statements, review loan agreements, and resolve mortgage problems.
The interviewee’s typical work schedule is from eight to five-thirty, Monday through
Friday. He completes the same tasks on a daily basis: log on to email, work on ongoing deals, do
analyses, cover checks on loans, analyze requests, and consult any necessary co-workers in
regards to certain applications. Although his work routine is redundant, each deal is unique; there
are differences between the types of applications. Although there is slight variation within the
application’s content, the approval and denial processes are the same, specifically including a
loan application, risk rating model, and pricing model.
To do such tasks, the interviewee stated that the only educational requirement for his job
is a bachelor’s degree in any field. He mentioned that degrees in math, economics, finance, and
accounting are preferred and would be beneficial for the job, but not essential. Similarly for work
experience, there are no specific qualifications to be hired, and later successful for the job.
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !3
However, financial statement and accounting experience would be greatly valuable and may
even give a “leg up” for a new employee. The interviewee emphasized this prior experience was
not necessary because there was a year-long training program conducted by the bank to prepare
newly hired employees for their jobs. Yet, he was quick to mention this training program was not
applicable for his current job, but it was for some of his fellow trainees who hold different jobs
within the bank. The interviewee discussed that he acquired most of the KSAOs for his job after
the training program, and when he was working full-time in the field. He said that more
experienced co-workers taught him the essentials and guided him during his first few months.
After some help with settling in and learning how to complete the job’s demands successfully,
these unofficial mentors allowed him more independence and the interviewee emphasized how at
this point, he was learning by doing.
To cover all of the job’s KSAOs, as specified by both the interviewee and O*NET, the
types of knowledge required for this job include: knowledge of economics and accounting,
mathematics, customer and personal service, and computer and electronics. The interviewee
grasped these types of knowledge after beginning work and through his bachelor’s degree, which
was in economics. As for skills, active listening, speaking, critical thinking, reading
comprehension, and judgment and decision making are crucial for performing this job. In
addition, the abilities for this job include oral comprehension, oral expression, deductive
reasoning, and inductive reasoning. Lastly, other characteristics that would facilitate job
performance are: integrity, strong attention to detail, dependability, stress tolerance abilities,
desire to achieve and ability to put in effort, working well with others, and working
independently. The interviewee obtained many of these skills, abilities, and other characteristics
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !4
through standard life experiences, such as prior unrelated internships and day-to-day encounters,
and education, including both high school and undergraduate levels. However, he has greatly
built upon them since beginning his job.
Out of all of the KSAOs, the interviewee believes that critical thinking is the driving
factor for distinguishing between an average employee and a good employee. However, stress
tolerance, integrity, independence, and deductive reasoning are also influential in superb job
performance.
I was surprised by how many of the KSAOs previously described, such as critical
thinking, independence, and stress tolerance, are obtained through life experiences and not
training programs or higher education. This clearly demonstrates that being qualified for some
jobs is more than knowledge of tasks and which places a person has worked at. Many college
students like myself hone in on obtaining detailed knowledge and experience for one specific
field, but fail to acknowledge how broad qualities gained anywhere, such as honesty or
dependability, greatly influence future job performance. In addition, I was surprised by how little
experience a prospective employee needs to be qualified for the job, especially because I feel
many employers today greatly value work experience when hiring; it was a shock to me when
the interviewee explained that he, and fellow employees, did not have financial or accounting
experience prior to being hired. This may show that this bank, and possibly other employers are
looking for employees with a wide variety of experience. Also, I was astonished to hear that the
training program was unhelpful for the interviewee’s job. The bank clearly needs to alter their
program, for the sake of the bank’s expenses and satisfaction of its employees. During the
conversation, the interviewee clearly expressed disappointment in its lack of applicability and I
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !5
believe a year is both costly for the bank and a long time for somebody to spare. Although there
were some surprising characteristics of his job, I was happy to hear that the interviewee’s co-
workers stepped in to help him, even though they probably did not have to. As the interviewee
was describing this, it was really pleasant to hear that he is content with his co-workers and the
bank’s overall community.
The following KSAOs and their respected descriptions were obtained from O*NET under the job
Loan Officers. The KSAOs marked with 1 indicate that the descriptions were altered to better fit
the job Commercial Underwriter III.
Terminology used for KSAOs in O*NET
and Psychology Literature
Category KSAO Statements
Economics and Accounting1 Knowledge
Knowledge of basic economics and accounting concepts. This knowledge includes
understanding and applying banking and financial data.
Mathematics1 KnowledgeKnowledge of basic mathematic concepts,
especially algebra and statictics.
Customer and Personal Service1 Knowledge
Knowledge of providing customer service, including explaining the bank’s decision to
accept or decline of an application for a mortgage loan. This knowledge also includes keeping frequent communication between the
customer and the bank.
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !6
Computer and Electronics Knowledge
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware
and software, including applications and programming.
Active Listening Skills
Skills to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points
being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking SkillsSkills to talk to others and convey information
effectively.
Critical Thinking1 Skills
Skills to examine the positives and negatives in determining whether to allocate someone a
mortgage loan. This skill includes looking at the entire application and being able identify issues.
Reading Comprehension Skills
Skills to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents
Judgment and Decision Making1 Skills
Skills to weigh the positives and negatives for a given application and make a decision for its
approval or disapproval.
Oral Comprehension Abilities Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and
sentences.
Oral Expression1 Abilities
Ability to express thought-processes and reasons for making decisions. This ability also includes being able support decisions for approving or
disapproving an application, even with disagreement.
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !7
Deductive Reasoning1 Abilities Ability to apply learned rules to a given application and determine whether the application passes the set standards.
Inductive Reasoning Abilities Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Getting Information OtherTo observe, receive, and otherwise obtain
information from all relevant sources.
Processing Information1 Other
To analyze provided data, apply learned skills, and yield a sound conclusion.
Integrity Other To be honest and ethical with making decisions.
Independence1 OtherTo be able to to work on their own and make
decisions.
Attention to Detail OtherTo be careful about detail and thorough in
completing work tasks.
Dependability OtherTo be reliable, responsible, and dependable, and
fulfill obligations.
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !8
Stress Tolerance OtherTo be accepting of criticism and dealing calmly
and effectively with high stress situations.
Achievement/Effort OtherTo establish and maintain personally challenging
achievement goals and exert effort toward mastering tasks.
JOB ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL UNDERWRITER III !9
References
About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2015, from
http://www.iberiabank.com/about-us/about-us.html
Summary Report for: 13-2072.00 - Loan Officers. (n.d.). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from
http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2072.00