Willie Young
9/2/22
CLHR 310
KSAs are learning outcomes based on knowledge, skills and outcomes. They describe the
qualifications and attitudes required to perform the requirements of a job. The primary purpose
to give hiring managers a measuring stick in which to consider candidates.
The first area in KSA’s is (k)knowledge. Knowledge is the organization of facts, principles,
procedures, and information over a period of time. One level of knowledge would procedural
knowledge. Procedural knowledge is a person’s understanding when and how to apply the facts
that have been acquired. This is most useful in a workplace. Being able to apply knowledge
learned during an undergraduate major then has to be apply when starting a new job upon
graduation.
The second area in KSA’s is skill. Skills are next step after the acquisition of knowledge.
One must know what to do and when to do. Skills defines actually being able to do the task or
possessing the capability to do the task. The highest level of skill acquisition is automaticity
which infers that the “doing” is a skill that “doer” automatically does. This is similar to the
saying, “I’m running on autopilot”. The “doer” has mastered the skill to the point where the skill
can be performed without any thought.
The last area in KSA’s is attitude. Attitudes are beliefs and opinions that support their
behavior. More importantly, as related to training and the workplace, attitude concerns how
employees respond to training and job responsibilities in the workplace. Attitudes also reflect
motivation, and the goals people choose and can affect the outcome.
My current industry is the field of Information Technology. Examples of KSA’s in this field
would look similar to this:
o Knowledge of data backup, types of backups (e.g., full, incremental), and recovery
concepts and tools.(Knowledge)
o Knowledge of deployable forensics. (Knowledge)
o Skill in analyzing network traffic capacity and performance characteristics. (Skills)
o Skill in using forensic tool suites (e.g., EnCase, Sleuthkit, Forensic Tool Kit [FTK]).
(Skills)
o Adapts effectively to changing priorities/assignments. (Attitude)
o Builds strong partnerships by genuinely seeking out others’ opinions and ideas.
(Attitude)