In this system, the job element method is used to match what applicants can do against what the work calls for. If applicants have the ability to do the work, they are considered eligible for the job. Job element examining procedures permit flexibility in identifying the best qualified candidates with minimum time and effort. Alternative techniques can be used at the local level to better serve both the needs of management and the best interests of the general public, e.g., basic procedures and forms can be modified for use in in service placement, shortage recruiting, broadband examining, etc. The skills, knowledge, abilities, and personal characteristics important to success on the job vary according to the level and kind of job being filled.
Elements measure potential to learn and advance.
Jobs requiring specialized skills , training and experience . Elements measure knowledge, abilities, and personal characteristics directly associated with the job. Of the elements selected, every job has one critical, overall element called the screen-out element . Applicants who clearly fail to meet the lowest acceptable requirements in the screen-out element can be rated ineligible without further review of their applications since this element measures the critical ability needed to successfully perform the duties of the job. Developing the plan to measure qualifications of applicants To decide which of the applicants are qualified, a plan must be devised to measure the applicants' skills, knowledge, abilities, and characteristics against the job elements identified in Step 1.