Grace Carroll Job Analysis

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.


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


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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

http://www.iberiabank.com/about-us/about-us.html

http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2072.00

Grace Carroll Job Analysis

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