ANALYSIS OF THE WORKER 
Topics for a man analysis. Analysis of abilities. Innate and acquired 
abilities. General and specific abilities. Relative importance of abilities. 
AN investigator when commencing a study in vocational 
selection first gets his bearings by making a complete job 
analysis. This is a comprehensive survey which gives in 
detail the duties of the worker and the conditions surround- 
ing the job. Such a ground-work of information enables the 
investigator to select criteria of success which are not only 
reliable but also satisfactory to the management. With 
these criteria in mind the investigator then chooses workers 
or new employees to serve as the subjects of his investiga- 
tion. These workers he will examine in various ways by 
means of tests, rating scales, and questionnaires. The 
measurements or test scores will eventually be compared 
with the known vocational success of the workers in order 
to determine the validity of the examinations for selecting 
potential successes. 
For his guidance in constructing the examinations the in- 
vestigator should assemble a list of abilities and personal 
characteristics which he considers important for success in 
the vocation and which he hopes to be able to measure by 
his examinations. The construction of such a list is usually 
considered a part of the job analysis. It issues in a set of 
personnel specifications. In this type of investigation, how- 
ever, the analysis of abilities and characteristics plays an 
unusual réle and is a step distinct from the job analysis. It 
differs from the usual job specifications in these respects: it 
is much more minute and complete; it is made with a view 
to a definite limited conception of what constitutes accom- 
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